bill_id,congress,bill_type,bill_number,title,policy_area,introduced_date,latest_action_date,latest_action_text,origin_chamber,sponsor_name,sponsor_state,sponsor_party,sponsor_bioguide_id,cosponsor_count,summary_text,update_date,url
106-hr-5667,106,hr,5667,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-12-15,2000-12-15,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,"Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Title I: Small Business Innovation Research Program - Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends provisions of the Small Business Act (the Act) concerning the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program (a program providing a portion of Federal research and development funding to small businesses) to: (1) extend the SBIR Program through September 30, 2008; (2) require the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to include the House Science Committee for receipt of an annual report on the SBIR and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs; (3) direct each Federal agency required to establish an SBIR Program to include within its annual performance plan a section on its SBIR Program; (4) require such Federal agencies to collect and maintain necessary information to assess their SBIR Program and to include such information in annual reports to the congressional small business committees; (5) require the Administrator to develop, maintain, and make available to the public an electronic database containing a list of small businesses that have received first or second phase awards from a Federal agency, related award information, and information regarding mentors and mentoring networks (the latter established under this Act); and (6) require the Administrator to develop and maintain a database to be used solely for SBIR Program evaluation (requiring small businesses receiving awards under the SBIR Program to update information furnished for the such database).(Sec. 108) Requires each Federal agency with a budget of more than $50 million for its SBIR Program for FY 1999 to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for the National Research Council to: (1) conduct a study of the value and benefits achieved by the Program; and (2) make appropriate recommendations for Program improvement. Requires the participation of appropriate small business representatives in any study panel appointed by the Council. Requires reports from the Council on study progress and results.(Sec. 109) Directs each Federal agency required to maintain an SBIR Program to report annually to the Administrator the methodology used for calculating the amount of that agency's extramural budget.(Sec. 110) Requires the Administrator to modify the policy directives for the SBIR Program to include, among other things, that participating agencies report at least annually to the Administrator all instances in which such agency pursued research, development, or production of a technology developed by a small business using an SBIR award and determined that it was not practicable to enter into a follow-on SBIR Program funding agreement with that small business.(Sec. 111) Directs the Administrator to establish the Federal and State Technology Partnership Program (FAST). Requires the Administrator and the SBIR Program managers at the National Science Foundation and the Department of Defense to review applicant proposals and make awards or enter into cooperative agreements in order to enhance or develop in a State: (1) technology research and development by small businesses; (2) technology transfer from university research to technology-based small businesses; (3) technology deployment and diffusion benefitting small businesses; (4) technological capabilities of small businesses; and (5) outreach, financial support, and technical assistance to technology-based small businesses participating or interested in participating in the SBIR Program. Outlines selection criteria and matching funds requirements. Requires an initial and annual reports from the Administrator to specified committees on FAST. Requires FAST review by the SBA Inspector General and a review report to specified committees. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2005 for FAST. Terminates FAST as of the end of FY 2005.Authorizes each Federal agency required to establish an SBIR Program in each fiscal year to review for funding any proposal: (1) to provide outreach and assistance to one or more small businesses interested in participating; or (2) for the first phase of an SBIR Program, for States eligible to participate in such Program, or States in which the total value of contracts awarded to small businesses under such Program is less than the total value of such contracts in a majority of other States.(Sec. 112) Authorizes FAST award recipients or cooperative agreement participants to use a reasonable amount of such assistance for the establishment of a Mentoring Network which provides business advice and counseling to high-technology small businesses located in a State or region served by the Network and identified as potential candidates for the SBIR or STTR Program. Requires the Network to identify volunteer mentors with appropriate experience to assist small businesses through SBIR or STTR Program stages. Directs the Administrator to include in the general database required under this Act appropriate information on Mentoring Networks and participating mentors and to aggressively promote such Networks.(Sec. 113) Directs the Administrator to work with SBIR-participating Federal agencies to standardize reporting requirements for the collection of data from SBIR applicants and awardees.(Sec. 114) Amends the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 1997 to extend through FY 2005 the rural outreach program.Title II: Business Loan Programs - Small Business Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Authorizes the Administrator to guarantee a general business loan made by a bank or other financial institution to a small business in the amount of: (1) 75 percent of the outstanding balance of such loan, if such balance exceeds $150,000 (currently, $100,000); and (2) 85 percent of the outstanding balance of less than $150,000 (also currently $100,000). Prohibits any such loan from being made to a borrower if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower from the business loan and SBA investment funds would exceed $1 million (currently $750,000).(Sec. 204) Makes current provisions requiring the payment of interest on defaulted guaranteed loans inapplicable to loans made on or after October 1, 2000.(Sec. 205) Requires a borrower who prepays any loan guaranteed by the SBA to remit to the SBA a subsidy recoupment fee (calculated under this Act) if: (1) the loan is for a term of not less than 15 years; (2) the prepayment is voluntary; (3) the amount of prepayment in any calendar year is more than 25 percent of the outstanding loan balance; and (4) the prepayment is made within the first three years after disbursement of the loan proceeds.(Sec. 206) Revises loan guarantee fee amounts. Authorizes lenders participating in an SBA program to retain no more than 25 percent of such fee with respect to any loan not exceeding $150,000.(Sec. 207) Authorizes a borrower to permanently lease to one or more tenants not more than 20 percent of any property constructed using guaranteed loan proceeds, as long as such borrower permanently occupies and uses not less than 60 percent of the total business space in the property.(Sec. 208) Provides for property appraisals when loans under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 are secured by commercial real property.(Sec. 209) Excludes the sale of guaranteed loans made to a small business for export aid purposes from a provision requiring such loans to be fully disbursed to the borrower prior to any loan sale.(Sec. 208) Amends provisions relating to the Microloan Program (a program making loans to small businesses for startup or materials and equipment costs) to: (1) increase to $35,000 the maximum amount of loans to be secured from private lenders by low-income individuals seeking to start or enlarge a small business with certain assistance from nonprofit entities; (2) increase to $10,000 the maximum loan made to intermediaries to enable such intermediaries to make loans to small businesses; (3) increase to $20,000 the maximum loan limit an intermediary may make to a small business that cannot obtain any other comparable loan and shows a reasonable chance of success; (4) increase from 25 to 55 the number of grants authorized to be made annually by the Administrator for the provision of technical assistance to low-income individuals seeking to start or expand a small business; (5) increase to $200,000 the maximum amount of such individual grants; (6) require each intermediary that operates a Microloan program to maintain a microloan portfolio with an average loan size of no more than $15,000 (currently, $10,000); and (7) authorize the Administrator to fund up to 300 intermediaries under the Microloan program.Title III: Certified Development Company Program - Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to the certified development company (CDC) program (a program providing loans to State or local development companies for assisting small businesses) to: (1) include within program goals the expansion of women-owned business development; (2) increase to $1 million the authorized amount of a loan from the development company to an identifiable small business; (3) terminate on or after October 1, 2003, the authority of the SBA to charge a fee for such loans; (4) repeal the certified lenders program; and (5) provide for the sale of certain defaulted loans under the program, requiring prior notice of the sale of such a loan to any CDC which has a contingent liability for such loan.(Sec. 307) Requires the SBA to delegate to any qualified State or local development company the authority to foreclose and liquidate defaulted loans that are funded with the proceeds of debentures guaranteed by the SBA. Outlines delegation eligibility requirements and the scope of such delegation authority (all necessary liquidation and foreclosure as well as required litigation). Requires each eligible development company, before carrying out such liquidation and foreclosure, to submit a proposed liquidation plan to the SBA for approval. Provides administrative procedures with respect to plan submission and approval. Authorizes the SBA to suspend or revoke any delegation authority granted for failure to comply with delegation requirements. Requires an annual report from the SBA to the small business committees on the results of the delegation of such authority. Terminates on the effective date of final regulations implementing this section the current loan liquidation pilot program.Title IV: Corrections to the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 - Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: (1) state that certain venture investment in a small business shall not cause such business to be considered not independently owned and operated, regardless of the allocation of control during the investment period; and (2) define as long-term, when used in connection with equity capital of loan funds invested in any small business or smaller enterprise, any period of one year or more.(Sec. 403) Authorizes any Federal savings association to invest in any one or more small business investment companies, or in any entity established to invest in such companies, but limits the total amount of such investment to five percent of the capital and surplus of the savings association.(Sec. 404) Revises the subsidy fee charged in connection with debentures purchased by the SBA to guarantee loans to participating small businesses from a flat one percent to a charge, established annually by the Administrator with respect to debentures issued after September 30, 2000, of not more than one percent per year as necessary to reduce to zero the cost of purchasing and guaranteeing such debentures. Makes an identical revision with respect to the fee charged for securities issued after September 30, 2000, by participating companies for small business loans guaranteed by the SBA.(Sec. 405) Authorizes small businesses which are limited partnerships or subchapter S corporations to make quarterly distributions at any time during a calendar quarter (currently, only at the end of a calendar quarter).(Sec. 406) Requires small business investment companies to be examined at least every two years to determine if they have made investments in small businesses for not less than one (currently five) year(s).Title V: Reauthorization of Small Business Programs - Small Business Programs Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Act to authorize appropriations and provide funding levels for FY 2001 through 2003 for various small business loan programs under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. Authorizes appropriations and provides funding levels for such fiscal years for: (1) the Drug-Free Workplace program; (2) the HUBZone program; (3) the very small business concerns program; (4) the socially and economically disadvantaged businesses program; and (5) the small business development center services program.(Sec. 504) Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) provide informational aids to small businesses; (2) disseminate information relating to the management, financing, and operation of small businesses; (3) through cooperation with a profit-making entity (cosponsor), provide training, information, and education to small businesses (with certain conditions); and (4) develop an agreement with the cosponsor concerning such cosponsorship. Amends the Small Business Administration Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 1994 to extend such cosponsorship authority through FY 2003.Title VI: HUBZone Program - Subtitle A: HUBZones in Native America - HUBZones in Native America Act of 2000 - Amends the Act to qualify as a HUBZone (historically underutilized business zone) small business concern: (1) an Alaska Native Corporation owned and controlled by Alaska Natives (or a corporation, joint venture, or partnership of such Corporation when so owned); (2) a small business that is wholly owned by one or more Indian tribal governments (or by a corporation so owned); or (3) a small business owned in part by one or more tribal governments (or corporation so owned) if all other owners are either U.S. citizens or small businesses. Includes as a qualified HUBZone small business a small business owned in whole or part by an Indian tribal government, when at least 35 percent of its employees performing an SBA-awarded HUBZone contract reside either within an Indian reservation or in any HUBZone adjoining such reservation.Subtitle B: Other HUBZone Provisions - Revises the definition of ""qualified nonmetropolitan county"" for purposes of HUBZone program eligibility.(Sec. 612) Provides a price evaluation preference, for purposes of commodities contracts for HUBZone qualifying small businesses, for purchases of agricultural commodities by the Secretary of Agriculture.(Sec. 613) Defines ""redesignated area"" for purposes of inclusion within the HUBZone program.(Sec. 614) Includes as an eligible HUBZone small business one which is: (1) wholly owned by a community development corporation that has received financial assistance under the Community Economic Development Act of 1981; or (2) owned in part by one or more community development corporations, if all other owners are either U.S. citizens or small businesses.Title VII: National Women's Business Council Reauthorization - National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to repeal a provision requiring the National Women's Business Council to study the awarding of Federal prime contracts and subcontracts to women-owned businesses.(Sec. 705) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for Council activities.Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Directs the Administrator to conduct a study of the average time required to process an application for each type of loan or loan guarantee made under the Act.(Sec. 802) Provides that ownership requirements to determine the eligibility of a small business applying for assistance under any credit program under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 shall be determined without regard to any ownership interest of a spouse arising solely from the application of State community property laws.(Sec. 803) Includes small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans within a preference for small businesses for the performance of contracts let by any Federal agency.(Sec. 804) Extends permanently the authorization of appropriations for the Small Business Development Center program and the National Small Business Development Center Advisory Board. Provides a funding formula, including minimum funding levels, for grants received by States under such program. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003 for such grants.(Sec. 805) Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: (1) increase the surety bond amount that the Administrator may guarantee against loss due to default by a small business; and (2) extend through FY 2003 the authority of the Administrator to guarantee such bonds.(Sec. 806) Revises industry size standards for purposes of placing an appropriate amount of contracts offered by such industries among small businesses. Increases from $500,000 to $750,000 the maximum annual receipts permitted to be realized by an agricultural enterprise to still be considered a small business for purposes of the Act.(Sec. 808) Extends through FY 2004 the authorization of appropriations for the National Veterans Business Development Corporation.(Sec. 809) Authorizes the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) to solicit cash and in-kind contributions from the private sector for facilitating voluntary programs within the SBA.(Sec. 810) Requires the Administrator to develop and maintain a database of information regarding each bundled contract awarded by a Federal agency and each small business that has been displaced as a prime contractor as a result of the award of such a contract. Requires an annual report on contract bundling from the Administrator to the small business committees.(Sec. 811) Authorizes a contracting officer to restrict competition for any Federal goods or services procurement contract to small businesses owned and controlled by women, under certain conditions, including that: (1) such businesses are owned by women who are economically disadvantaged; (2) the contracting officer believes that two or more such businesses will compete for the contract; and (3) the contract does not exceed certain monetary limits. Directs the Administrator to conduct a study to identify industries in which small businesses owned and controlled by women are underrepresented with respect to Federal procurement contracting. Provides for enforcement and penalties against a small business making a misrepresentation of being owned and controlled by women.",2025-08-20T14:19:44Z,
106-hr-5663,106,hr,5663,New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-12-14,2000-12-14,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,"New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a New Markets Venture Capital Program, under which the SBA may: (1) enter into participation agreements with approved new market venture capital companies (companies) for the making of developmental venture capital investments in smaller enterprises in low income geographic areas; (2) guarantee debentures issued by companies; and (3) make operational assistance grants to such companies. Makes eligible as a participating company in the Program one which: (1) is a newly formed for-profit entity or newly formed for-profit subsidiary of an existing entity; (2) has a management team with experience in community development financing or relevant venture capital financing; and (3) has a primary objective of economic development of low or moderate income geographic areas. Outlines application requirements and SBA selection criteria, requiring the SBA to ensure that companies are chosen so that investments under the Program will be made nationwide. Outlines conditions to be met by each company before final approval, including: (1) a capital investment requirement of at least $5 million from investors who meet SBA-established criteria; and (2) binding commitments with non-SBA sources for Program operational assistance.Authorizes the SBA to: (1) guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by companies, not to exceed 150 percent of the company capital; (2) issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of SBA-guaranteed debentures; (3) make grants to companies and to other entities such as specialized small business investment companies to provide operational assistance for the benefit of smaller enterprises financed by such companies or other entities; and (4) charge fees with respect to any guarantee or grant issued.Authorizes any national bank, member bank of the Federal Reserve System, and any other insured bank to invest in any company or in any entity established to invest in such companies. Limits such investment to five percent of such bank's capital and surplus.Requires each company to provide the SBA with any required information.Subjects each company to examinations made at the direction of the Investment Division of the SBA.Authorizes the SBA to obtain injunctions and other relief against companies violating requirements of this Act, which shall include: (1) voiding an operative participation agreement; and (2) a finding of breach of fiduciary duty in unlawful acts and omissions by company officers, directors, employees, or agents.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2006 to carry out this Act.Revises provisions concerning the determination of the maximum amount of outstanding leverage made available to a company after March 31, 1993, for purposes of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the SBA Administrator, in calculating such amount, to exclude any equity investment made by a company in a smaller enterprise located in a low income geographic area, to the extent that such amount does not exceed 50 percent of the company's private capital.Exempts a company from debtor status under Federal bankruptcy law.Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to authorize a Federal savings association to invest in company securities, with an investment limit of five percent of the association's capital and surplus.(Sec. 102) Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, any coalition of private or public sector entities to: (1) expand business-to-business relationships between large and small businesses; and (2) provide businesses with online information and a database of companies interested in mentor-protege programs or community-based, Statewide, or local business development programs. Provides a matching funds requirement. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2006.",2025-08-20T14:17:25Z,
106-hr-5654,106,hr,5654,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-12-13,2000-12-13,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise and extend through FY 2008 the Small Business Innovation Research Program (a program providing certain Federal research and development funding to small businesses).Mandates the establishment of a Federal and State Technology Partnership Program and a Mentoring Network for certain small businesses.Small Business Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Increases loan amounts and levels of participation under the Small Business Administration general business loan program.Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to revise the certified development company program (a program providing loans to State or local development companies for assisting small businesses).Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000  - Revises generally provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to small business investment companies.Small Business Programs Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Reauthorizes through FY 2003 various small business loan programs.HUBZones In Native America Act of 2000 - Revises the HUBZone Program (a program providing assistance to small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones).National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to extend through FY 2003 the National Women's Business Council.New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000 - Establishes the New Markets Venture Capital Program to provide grants for economic development in low-income geographic areas.,2025-08-20T14:18:55Z,
106-hr-5652,106,hr,5652,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-12-11,2000-12-11,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise and extend through FY 2008 the Small Business Innovation Research Program (a program providing certain Federal research and development funding to small businesses).Mandates the establishment of a Federal and State Technology Partnership Program and a Mentoring Network for certain small businesses.Small Business Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Increases loan amounts and levels of participation under the Small Business Administration general business loan program.Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to revise the certified development company program (a program providing loans to State or local development companies for assisting small businesses).Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000  - Revises generally provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to small business investment companies.Small Business Programs Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Reauthorizes through FY 2003 various small business loan programs.HUBZones In Native America Act of 2000 - Revises the HUBZone Program (a program providing assistance to small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones).National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to extend through FY 2003 the National Women's Business Council.,2025-08-20T14:17:24Z,
106-hr-5620,106,hr,5620,Electronic Marketplace Ownership Disclosure Act,Commerce,2000-11-01,2000-11-08,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Maloney, Carolyn B. [D-NY-14]",NY,D,M000087,0,"Electronic Marketplace Ownership Disclosure Act - Requires the Federal Trade Commission to prohibit unfair and deceptive acts and practices in the operation of an electronic marketplace by requiring electronic marketplace operators to disclose the equity ownership, control, and management of such marketplaces.",2025-08-20T14:20:36Z,
106-hr-5545,106,hr,5545,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-10-25,2000-10-25,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise and extend through FY 2008 the Small Business Innovation Research Program (a program providing certain Federal research and development funding to small businesses).Mandates the establishment of a Federal and State Technology Partnership Program and a Mentoring Network for certain small businesses.Small Business Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Increases loan amounts and levels of participation under the Small Business Administration general business loan program.Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to revise the certified development company program (a program providing loans to State or local development companies for assisting small businesses).Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000  - Revises generally provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to small business investment companies.Small Business Programs Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Reauthorizes through FY 2003 various small business loan programs.HUBZones In Native America Act of 2000 - Revises the HUBZone Program (a program providing assistance to small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones).National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to extend through FY 2003 the National Women's Business Council.New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000 - Establishes the New Markets Venture Capital Program to provide grants for economic development in low-income geographic areas.,2025-08-20T14:17:40Z,
106-s-3236,106,s,3236,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-10-25,2000-10-25,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]",MO,R,B000611,0,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Small Business Innovation Research Program Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise and extend through FY 2008 the Small Business Innovation Research Program (a program providing certain Federal research and development funding to small businesses).Mandates the establishment of a Federal and State Technology Partnership Program and a Mentoring Network for certain small businesses.Small Business Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Increases loan amounts and levels of participation under the Small Business Administration general business loan program.Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to revise the certified development company program (a program providing loans to State or local development companies for assisting small businesses).Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000  - Revises generally provisions of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 relating to small business investment companies.Small Business Programs Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Reauthorizes through FY 2003 various small business loan programs.HUBZones In Native America Act of 2000 - Revises the HUBZone Program (a program providing assistance to small businesses located in historically underutilized business zones).National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to extend through FY 2003 the National Women's Business Council.,2025-08-20T14:20:32Z,
106-hr-5479,106,hr,5479,Wholesale Motor Fuel Fairness and Competition Restoration Act,Commerce,2000-10-17,2000-10-25,Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.,House,"Rep. Thompson, Mike [D-CA-1]",CA,D,T000460,5,"Wholesale Motor Fuel Fairness and Competition Restoration Act - Prohibits a terminal facility owner or operator from selling motor fuel from such facility to a distributor or retailer in excess of the price it charges any other distributor or retailer, including distributor or retailer affiliates.Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of such prohibition.Directs the Federal Trade Commission to: (1) promulgate regulations requiring full disclosure by refiners and distributors of their wholesale motor fuel pricing policies, including rebates, incentives, and market enhancement allowances; (2) ensure that all such information is made available to the public; and (3) report to Congress the results of a study whether ownership or operation by a refiner of a facility for the retail sale of motor fuel has anticompetitive effects on the price of motor fuel.",2025-08-20T14:17:52Z,
106-s-3203,106,s,3203,Work Made for Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-10-12,2000-10-12,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,"Work Made For Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000 - Amends Federal copyright provisions to remove sound recordings from the list of works covered by the definition of ""work made for hire."" Makes such amendment effective as of November 29, 1999 (the enactment date of the provision that included sound recordings in such definition).",2025-08-20T14:17:15Z,
106-s-3204,106,s,3204,A bill to make certain corrections in copyright law.,Commerce,2000-10-12,2000-10-12,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,0,Makes technical amendments to copyright recordkeeping provisions.Revises Copyright Office fee provisions.,2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
106-hr-5430,106,hr,5430,Consumer Online Privacy and Disclosure Act,Commerce,2000-10-10,2000-10-25,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Green, Gene [D-TX-29]",TX,D,G000410,0,"Consumer Online Privacy and Disclosure Act - Makes it unlawful for an operator of a Web site or online service to collect, use, or disclose personal information concerning an individual (age 13 and above) in a manner that violates regulations to be prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requiring such operators to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information it collects from such individuals. Prohibits any Web site or Internet service provider (ISP) from correlating IPS address information with personal information, absent a pre-existing business relationship. Requires such regulations to require such operators to provide a process for such individuals to opt-out of the disclosure of such information.Authorizes the States to enforce such regulations by bringing actions on behalf of residents, requiring the State attorney general to first notify the FTC of such action. Authorizes the FTC to intervene in any such action.Provides for enforcement of this Act through the Federal Trade Commission Act.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the implementation of this Act.Provides a private right of action for enforcement of this Act, authorizing the court to protect computer trade secrets during such proceedings.",2025-08-20T14:17:00Z,
106-hr-5364,106,hr,5364,Business Method Patent Improvement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-10-03,2000-10-11,Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.,House,"Rep. Berman, Howard L. [D-CA-26]",CA,D,B000410,1,"Business Method Patent Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends Federal law to add patent procedures for patents on business method inventions. Defines a ""business method"" as a method of: (1) administering, managing, or operating an enterprise or organization or processing financial data; (2) any technique used in athletics, instruction, or personal skills; and (3) any computer- assisted implementation of (1) or (2) above.",2025-08-20T14:21:02Z,
106-hr-5365,106,hr,5365,Financial Accounting for Intangibles Reexamination (FAIR) Act,Commerce,2000-10-03,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials.,House,"Rep. Cox, Christopher [R-CA-47]",CA,R,C000830,18,"Financial Accounting for Intangibles Reexamination (FAIR) Act - Expresses the sense of Congress that before changing existing accounting rules for business combinations and intangible assets, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting Standards Board should undertake a comprehensive reexamination of appropriate accounting methods for purchased and internally generated intangibles including goodwill, and should await the results of related studies of these issues.States that the availability and use of the pooling of interests method of accounting for any business combination shall be determined in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in effect on October 1, 2000.Establishes the Commission on Financial Accounting for Intangibles to consider specified aspects of: (1) generally accepted accounting principles; (2) intangible assets; and (3) the pooling of interests method of accounting for business combinations.Instructs the Commission to report its recommendations and conclusions to the President and Congress.",2025-08-20T14:17:05Z,
106-hr-5332,106,hr,5332,Tire Recall Safety Act,Commerce,2000-09-28,2000-10-20,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Bryant, Ed [R-TN-7]",TN,R,B000996,0,Tire Recall Safety Act - Amends Federal transportation law to prohibit a person from selling or leasing a tire that is the subject of a recall owing to its being defective or not compliant with applicable tire safety standards.Sets forth criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act which cause an accident resulting in serious injury or death.,2025-08-20T14:21:07Z,
106-hr-5313,106,hr,5313,Drug Competition Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-27,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Andrews, Robert E. [D-NJ-1]",NJ,D,A000210,0,"Drug Competition Act of 2000 - Requires brand name drug manufacturers and generic drug manufacturers to notify the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General of agreements regarding the sale or manufacture of generic drugs which could have the effect of limiting the research, development, manufacture, marketing, or selling of a generic drug product.",2025-08-20T14:20:48Z,
106-s-3121,106,s,3121,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-27,2000-09-27,Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 838.,Senate,"Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]",MO,R,B000611,0,"Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Title I: Reauthorization of Small Business Programs - Amends the Small Business Act (the Act) to authorize appropriations and provide funding levels for FY 2001 through 2003 for various small business loans under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, including guaranteed business loans, development company loans, microloans, disaster loans, and small business investment company debentures and participating securities.Title II: Quadrennial Small Business Summit - Quadrennial Small Business Summit Act of 2000 - Mandates a national Quadrennial Summit on Small Business, once every four years, to: (1) increase public awareness of the contribution of small business to the national economy; (2) identify the problems of small businesses; (3) examine the status of minorities and women as small business owners; (4) assist small businesses in carrying out its role as the Nation's job creators; (5) assemble small businesses to develop recommendations for legislative and regulatory action for maintaining and encouraging the economic viability of small businesses and, thereby, the Nation; and (6) review the status of recommendations adopted at the prior Summit. Requires each Summit to be preceded by a State Summit on Small Business.(Sec. 206) Establishes the Quadrennial Commission on Small Business. Requires the Commission to: (1) conduct the Quadrennial and State Summits to bring together individuals concerned with issues relating to small business; (2) appoint a Summit Advisory Committee from participants at the last Quadrennial Summit; and (3) report to the President and the Chairpersons and ranking Members of the congressional small business committees on Summit findings, recommendations, and proposals, as well as necessary legislative action to implement such recommendations. Directs the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to assist in carrying out the Quadrennial and State Summits.(Sec. 207) Authorizes appropriations to carry out each Quadrennial and State Summit.Title III: Small Business Involvement in Government Regulation - Small Business Advocacy Review Panel Technical Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends Federal provisions concerning the promulgation of Federal rules to allow representatives of small entities that may be affected to make an oral presentation to a review panel for a proposed rule. Requires the head of an agency covered by the rule to print the report of the review panel in the Federal Register within 180 days after receiving it or as part of the publication of the notice of proposed rulemaking. Prohibits such report from including confidential business information submitted by any small entity representative. Defines as agencies covered by the rule the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service.Title IV: Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration - Independent Office of Advocacy Act - Establishes in the SBA an Office of Advocacy to undertake specified advocate actions on behalf of small businesses, including an assessment of the effectiveness of Federal subsidy and assistance programs for small business, the impact of Federal regulations on small business, and the development and strengthening of minority, women-owned, and other small businesses. Directs the Office to make recommendations to the Chairmen and ranking Members of the small business committees and the SBA Administrator with respect to issues and regulations affecting small business and the necessity for corrective action by the SBA, any Federal department or agency, or Congress. Directs the Chief Counsel to report at least annually to specified congressional committees on Federal agency compliance with certain small business deregulation requirements. Authorizes appropriations.Title V: Credit Programs - Amends the Act to authorize the SBA to guarantee a general business loan made by a bank or other financial institution to a small business in the amount of: (1) 75 percent of the outstanding balance of such loan, if such balance exceeds $150,000 (currently $100,000); or (2) 85 percent of the outstanding balance of $150,000 or less (also currently $100,000). Prohibits any such loan from being made to a borrower if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower from the business loan and SBA investment funds would exceed $1 million (currently $750,000).Makes current provisions requiring the payment of accrued interest on defaulted guaranteed loans inapplicable to loans made on or after October 1, 2000.Requires a borrower who prepays any loan guaranteed by the SBA to remit to the SBA a subsidy recoupment fee (calculated under this title) if: (1) the loan is for a period of less than 15 years; (2) the prepayment is voluntary; (3) the amount of prepayment in any calendar year is more than 25 percent of the outstanding loan balance; and (4) the prepayment is made within the first three years after disbursement of the loan proceeds.Revises loan guarantee fee amounts, requiring progressively higher percentage fees for amounts in excess of $150,000, between $150,000, and $700,000, and over $700,000.Authorizes a borrower to permanently lease to one or more tenants not more than 20 percent of any property constructed using guaranteed loan proceeds, as long as the borrower permanently occupies and uses not less than 60 percent of the total business space in the property.Authorizes the Administrator to conduct criminal background checks of loan applicants. (Current law authorizes the SBA only to verify an applicant's background through the best available means.) Authorizes the Administrator to require an applicant to provide identifying information to aid in such check. Requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to make available to the Administrator for such checks the National Crime Information Center computer system.(Sec. 502) Authorizes any Federal savings association to invest in any one or more small business investment companies, but limits the total amount of such investments to five percent of the capital and surplus of such association.Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to provide applicable Federal and State statutes of limitations for violations under such Act.Includes a licensee's employees, agents, or other participants in the management or conduct of the affairs of such licensee among those subject to disciplinary action by the SBA.Defines ""long-term,"" when used in connection with equity capital or loan funds invested in any small business or smaller enterprise, as not less than one year.Revises the amount of subsidy fees charged for debentures and participating securities under the small business investment company debenture program.(Sec. 503) Amends the SBA Microloan program to: (1) increase certain loan limits; (2) remove the requirement that participating intermediaries make only short-term loans; (3) allow loan intermediaries to expend more of grant funds to provide needed information and technical assistance to small business lendees; (4) increase the number of grants and participating intermediaries; and (5) authorize the Administrator to use up to $1 million of the annual appropriation to the SBA for technical assistance grants to subcontract with national trade associations or eligible intermediaries to provide peer-to-peer capacity building and training to participating lenders and organizations seeking to become lenders.(Sec. 504) Requires small business lending companies to pay the costs of annual SBA examinations.(Sec. 505) Increases from $1.25 million to $2 million the maximum size of surety bonds that can be guaranteed by the SBA under the Small Business Investment Act of 1958. Extends through FY 2003 the Preferred Surety Bond program.(Sec. 506) Revises the interest rate charged for SBA development company debentures.Title VI: HUBZone Program - Subtitle A: HUBZones in Native America - HUBZones in Native America Act of 2000 - Amends the Act to include small businesses owned and controlled by Alaska Native Corporations or by Natives (Alaska or Indian) or Indian tribal governments as eligible entities under the HUBZone Program (a program offering business start-up loans for entities in historically underutilized business zones).(Sec. 603) Includes as a qualified HUBZone small business one which is owned in whole or part by an Indian tribal government, when at least 35 percent of its employees performing an SBA-awarded HUBZone contract reside either within an Indian reservation or in any HUBZone adjoining such reservation.Includes within a HUBZone pilot program for sparsely populated areas a small business located in Alaska if it is located within an Alaska HUBZone and at least 35 percent of its employees performing a HUBZone contract live in Alaska or an Alaska HUBZone.Subtitle B: Other HUBZone Provisions - Revises certain definitions under the HUBZone Program. Provides transitional qualification for a business that was in a qualified nonmetropolitan county which is later disqualified as a result of newly-updated unemployment data.Provides that, with respect to a ten percent price evaluation preference currently awarded to small businesses over other businesses in the procurement of commodity items, such preference shall not apply to commodities purchased under full and open competition if: (1) the contracting officer sets aside at least ten percent of the offer for competition restricted to certain socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses or for sole source contracts for such businesses; and (2) such officer provides a set-aside or sole source contract of not less than an additional ten percent of the quantity of the commodity to be purchased. Requires such contracting officer to give a preference in awarding such commodity contracts to qualified HUBZone small businesses that are also eligible to be awarded contracts under the SBA general business loan program.(Sec. 614) Includes as an eligible HUBZone small business one which is: (1) wholly owned by a community development corporation that has received financial assistance under the Community Economic Development Act of 1981; or (2) owned in part by one or more community development corporations, if all other owners are either U.S. citizens or small businesses.Title VII: National Women's Business Council Reauthorization - National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to add specified duties of the National Women's Business Council, including working with Federal agencies to assist them in meeting the five percent women's procurement goal (obtaining five percent of all Federal procurement contracts and subcontracts) established under the Act.(Sec. 704) Repeals a required Council study on the award of Federal prime contracts and subcontracts to women-owned businesses. Directs the Council to work with State and local officials and business leaders to develop the infrastructure for women's business enterprise so as to increase women's effectiveness in shaping the economic agendas of their States and communities.(Sec. 706) Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for Council activities.Title VIII: Miscellaneous Provisions - Authorizes the Administrator to establish a Native American Small Business Development Center Network and a Tribal Electronic Commerce Small Business Resource Center. Authorizes the Administrator to provide one or more contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements to any established tribal organization to establish the Network and Resource Center. Provides authorized Network services, including: (1) providing current business management and technical assistance that primarily serves Alaska Natives, members of Indian tribes, or Native Hawaiians; (2) providing tribal business information centers with current electronic commerce information, training, and technical assistance; (3) supporting the Resource Center; and (4) providing any service that any other small business development center is authorized to provide. Provides matching funds requirements, with an authorized waiver by the Administrator and an exception for contracts, grants, or agreements made to a tribal organization for the Resource Center. Authorizes appropriations for the Network and the Resource Center.(Sec. 802) Adds informational aids and education to the types of assistance authorized to be provided to small businesses by the SBA.(Sec. 803) Amends the Federal criminal code to include as an enforceable offense a false statement made to the SBA in connection with an activity of a small business investment company. Subjects individuals making such statements to civil penalties set forth under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act of 1989.(Sec. 805) Amends the: (1) Small Business Administration Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2003 the Very Small Business Program; and (2) Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2005 Federal procurement procedures aimed at obtaining certain contracting goals for small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals.(Sec. 807) Includes small businesses owned and controlled by veterans and service-disabled veterans within a preference for small businesses for the performance of contracts let by any Federal agency.(Sec. 808) Revises industry size standards for purposes of placing an appropriate amount of contracts offered by such industries among small businesses. Increases from $500,000 to $750,000 the maximum annual receipts permitted to be realized by an agricultural enterprise to still be considered a small business for purposes of the Act. Provides a 200-employee limit for fresh fruit and vegetable packing houses for such consideration.(Sec. 809) Extends through FY 2002 the SBA's drug-free workplace program.",2025-08-20T14:20:14Z,
106-hr-5275,106,hr,5275,Music Owners' Listening Rights Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-25,2000-10-04,Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.,House,"Rep. Boucher, Rick [D-VA-9]",VA,D,B000657,11,Music Owners' Listening Rights Act of 2000 - Amends Federal copyright law to provide that: (1) the transmission of a personal interactive performance of a sound recording is not a copyright infringement; and (2) it is not a copyright infringement for a transmitting organization that transmits such a performance to make or cause to be made phonorecords or copies of a sound recording if such phonorecords and copies are used by the organization solely in connection with the transmission of such performances.,2025-08-20T14:21:01Z,
106-hr-5283,106,hr,5283,Telemarketing Victims Protection Act,Commerce,2000-09-25,2000-10-20,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Salmon, Matt [R-AZ-1]",AZ,R,S000018,0,"Telemarketing Victims Protection Act - Amends the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act (the Act) to require the Federal Trade Commission to include in rules respecting abusive telemarketing acts or practices requirements that telemarketers: (1) notify consumers who are called that they have the right to be placed on either the telemarketer's do-not- call list or the appropriate State do-not-call list; and (2) shall regularly obtain and reconcile with their own list the appropriate State list.Directs the Commission to study and report to Congress on violations of the Act, especially of repeated violations by a single telemarketer and of the provisions for penalizing telemarketers for such violations, including new provisions which would allow Federal action against telemarketers.",2025-08-20T14:19:31Z,
106-hr-5238,106,hr,5238,Safe Notification and Information for Fragrances Act,Commerce,2000-09-21,2000-10-20,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Schakowsky, Janice D. [D-IL-9]",IL,D,S001145,1,"Safe Notification and Information for Fragrances Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to label a cosmetic as misbranded if it is a fragrance that contains a known toxic substance or allergen unless it bears a label stating that fact and the common or usual name of such substance or allergen.",2025-08-20T14:19:48Z,
106-hr-5249,106,hr,5249,Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-21,2000-09-21,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Brady, Robert A. [D-PA-1]",PA,D,B001227,1,"Vocational and Technical Entrepreneurship Development Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to establish a demonstration program under which the Administrator may make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements with, small business development centers to provide technical assistance to secondary schools, or to postsecondary vocational or technical schools, for the development and implementation of curricula designed to promote vocational and technical entrepreneurship. Establishes a minimum grant amount of $500,000. Requires each center receiving such assistance to report to the Administrator on the use of such assistance.Requires the Administrator to: (1) evaluate the vocational and technical entrepreneurship educational programs carried out with such assistance; and (2) report to Congress on evaluation results.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003.",2025-08-20T14:21:04Z,
106-s-3042,106,s,3042,An Act to Prevent Internet Fraud and Fraud Against the Elderly,Commerce,2000-09-13,2000-09-13,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Ashcroft, John [R-MO]",MO,R,A000356,0,"Title I: An Act to Prevent Internet Fraud and Fraud Against the Elderly - An Act to Prevent Internet Fraud and Fraud Against the Elderly - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to disseminate in each State information to educate senior citizens and raise awareness about the dangers of telemarketing fraud and fraud over the Internet, as well as ways to protect themselves from, and report instances of, such fraud.Title II: Telemarketing Fraud Over the Internet - Amends the Federal criminal code to include Internet communications within its criminal fraud provisions.Directs the FTC to issue a rulemaking proceeding for the application of the Federal Trade Commission Act and other statutory provisions regarding deceptive acts or practices to acts or practices in connection with the promotion, advertisement, offering for sale, or sale of goods or services through the Internet.",2025-08-20T14:19:55Z,
106-hr-5145,106,hr,5145,Small Business Export Enhancement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-11,2000-09-11,Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.,House,"Rep. Manzullo, Donald A. [R-IL-16]",IL,R,M001138,1,"Small Business Export Enhancement Act of 2000 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to establish in the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) the position of Assistant USTR for Small Business to promote the trade interests of small businesses, remove foreign trade barriers that impede small business exporters, and enforce existing trade agreements beneficial to small businesses.",2025-08-20T14:21:28Z,
106-s-3025,106,s,3025,Combating Fraud Against Seniors Act,Commerce,2000-09-11,2000-09-11,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Bayh, Evan [D-IN]",IN,D,B001233,0,"Combating Fraud Against Seniors Act - Directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to: (1) log and acknowledge complaints by alleged victims of fraud in connection with telemarketing; (2) provide to any individuals specified information on telemarketing fraud; and (3) refer victim complaints to appropriate entities.Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish and maintain a computer database of corporations and companies convicted of telemarketing fraud; and (2) make such information available to the FTC.Amends the Federal criminal code to: (1) include all wire communications utilizing a telephone service (currently, telephone calls) within the scope of telemarketing fraud subject to criminal penalties; and (2) include actions in connection with mass marketing within the scope of such penalties.",2025-08-20T14:17:43Z,
106-hr-5106,106,hr,5106,Copyright Technical Corrections Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-06,2000-09-20,Received in the Senate.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,2,Copyright Technical Corrections Act of 2000 - Makes technical amendments to the Intellectual Property and Communications Omnibus Reform Act of 1999 and other copyright law.,2025-04-07T13:46:39Z,
106-hr-5107,106,hr,5107,Work Made for Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-06,2000-10-27,Became Public Law No: 106-379.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,14,"Work Made For Hire and Copyright Corrections Act of 2000 - Amends Federal copyright provisions to remove sound recordings from the list of works covered by the definition of ""work made for hire."" Makes such amendment effective as of November 29, 1999 (the enactment date of the provision that included sound recordings in such definition).Requires the Register of Copyrights to ensure that records of deposits, registrations, recordations, and other related actions taken under copyright provisions are maintained and that indexes of such records are prepared. (Currently, the Register is required to keep such records in the Copyright Office and to prepare such indexes.)Revises Copyright Office fee provisions. Authorizes the Register to adjust (currently, increase) such fees.",2025-04-07T13:46:39Z,
106-s-3005,106,s,3005,Ginseng Truth in Labeling Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-09-06,2000-09-06,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.",Senate,"Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]",WI,D,F000061,1,"Ginseng Truth in Labeling Act of 2000 - Requires each retailer of ginseng to inform consumers, at the final point of sale, of the country of origin of the ginseng by means of a label, stamp, mark, placard, or other clear and visible sign on the ginseng or on the package, display, holding unit, or bin containing the ginseng. Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to impose penalties for violations of such requirement.",2025-08-20T14:18:15Z,
106-hr-5031,106,hr,5031,Child Handgun Injury Prevention Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-27,2000-08-31,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Engel, Eliot L. [D-NY-17]",NY,D,E000179,2,Child Handgun Injury Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to initiate a rulemaking establishing a consumer product safety standard for handgun locks. Authorizes appropriations.,2025-08-20T14:17:27Z,
106-s-2993,106,s,2993,Drug Competition Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-27,2000-07-27,Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7908-7909),Senate,"Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]",VT,D,L000174,1,"Drug Competition Act of 2000 - Requires brand name drug manufacturers and generic drug manufacturers to file with the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General agreements affecting the sale or manufacture of generic drugs which could have the effect of limiting the research, development, manufacture, marketing, or selling of a generic drug product.",2025-08-20T14:16:50Z,
106-hr-4982,106,hr,4982,Consumer Labeling Protection Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-26,2000-07-26,Referred to the House Committee on Commerce.,House,"Rep. Stearns, Cliff [R-FL-6]",FL,R,S000822,0,"Consumer Labeling Protection Act of 2000 - Makes it shall be unlawful for any person, other than the consumer or the manufacturer of a good, knowingly and without authorization of the manufacturer to destroy, modify, or alter product batch codes. Sets forth exceptions, civil remedies, and definitions.",2025-08-20T14:17:00Z,
106-hr-4983,106,hr,4983,Access to Capital for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-26,2000-07-26,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-12]",NY,D,V000081,13,Access to Capital for Individuals With Disabilities Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to include the expansion of business development by individuals with disabilities among the public policy goals of State development companies.,2025-08-20T14:19:36Z,
106-hconres-380,106,hconres,380,Expressing the sense of the Congress with respect to the relationship between eating disorders in adolescents and young adults and certain practices of the advertising industry.,Commerce,2000-07-25,2000-08-08,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Hinchey, Maurice D. [D-NY-26]",NY,D,H000627,0,"Expresses the sense of Congress that the advertising industry should, in using models in advertisements likely to be viewed by adolescents or young adults, take into account: (1) the influence that these advertising models have on the self-images of adolescents and young adults; (2) that such models frequently portray physiques that cannot or should not be achieved by many adolescents and young adults; and (3) the importance of taking action to reduce the extent to which such models influence adolescents and young adults to engage in unhealthy eating habits, whether the reduction is achieved by using models who more closely approximate average, healthy individuals, by providing for public service announcements to counteract negative health influences, or by taking other appropriate action.",2025-01-02T17:07:45Z,
106-hr-4944,106,hr,4944,Export Working Capital Loan Improvement Act of 2000 ,Commerce,2000-07-25,2000-09-27,Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Manzullo, Donald A. [R-IL-16]",IL,R,M001138,1,Export Working Capital Loan Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the sale of guaranteed loans made to small businesses for export purposes before such loans have been fully disbursed to borrowers.,2025-08-20T14:16:53Z,
106-hr-4945,106,hr,4945,Small Business Competition Preservation Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-25,2000-09-21,Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,9,"Small Business Competition Preservation Act of 2000 - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to develop and maintain a database containing data and information regarding: (1) each bundled contract (two or more procurement contracts bundled together, the result of which is likely to make such contract unsuitable for small businesses due to the complexity or quantity required by the bundled contract) awarded by a Federal agency; and (2) each small business that has been displaced as a prime contractor as the result of the award of such a contract. Directs the Administrator, for each bundled contract, to determine: (1) the amount of savings and benefits achieved by bundling the contract requirements; and (2) whether such savings and benefits will continue if such contract remains bundled, and whether such savings and benefits would be greater if the procurement requirements were divided into separate solicitations suitable for award to small businesses.Requires an annual report from the Administrator to the congressional small business committees on contract bundling.",2025-08-20T14:20:13Z,
106-hr-4946,106,hr,4946,National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-25,2000-09-27,Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Sweeney, John E. [R-NY-22]",NY,R,S001149,5,"National Small Business Regulatory Assistance Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a pilot program to provide regulatory compliance assistance to small businesses through participating Small Business Development Centers (Centers), the Association for Small Business Development Centers (Association), and Federal compliance partnership programs. Requires the Administrator to enter into arrangements with participating Centers to provide: (1) access to regulatory information and resources; (2) training and education activities; (3) confidential counseling to owners and operators of small businesses regarding compliance with Federal regulations; and (4) technical assistance. Requires quarterly reports from participating Centers to the Association.Directs the Administrator to contract with the Association to: (1) act as the repository of and clearinghouse for data and information submitted by Centers; and (2) transmit annual assistance reports to the President, the Small Business and Agriculture Regulatory Enforcement Ombudsman, and the congressional small business committees.Requires the Administrator, giving substantial weight to the Association's recommendations,  to select two Centers from each of ten groups of States for participation in the pilot program.",2025-04-07T13:46:39Z,
106-hr-4934,106,hr,4934,Vending Machine Safety Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-24,2000-08-08,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Millender-McDonald, Juanita [D-CA-37]",CA,D,M000714,2,Vending Machine Safety Act of 2000 - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to issue a consumer product safety standard for the manufacture and installation of crane vending machines and any other machine designed to dispense a product.,2025-08-20T14:20:28Z,
106-hr-4897,106,hr,4897,Equity in Contracting for Women Act of 2000 ,Commerce,2000-07-19,2000-09-21,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 530.",House,"Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-12]",NY,D,V000081,26,"Equity in Contracting for Women Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize a Federal contracting officer to set aside to be awarded only to a small business owned and controlled by women any contract for the procurement of goods or services by the Federal Government if: (1) such business is a responsible contractor with respect to performance; (2) the contracting officer expects that two or more of such businesses will submit contract offers; (3) the contract is for the procurement of goods or services with respect to industries in which women- owned small businesses are under-represented in Federal procurement contracting; (4) the anticipated award does not exceed $3 million (with a $5 million exception); (5) the contract award can be made at a fair and reasonable price; and (6) the business is certified as a small business owned and controlled by women or the business certifies to the contracting officer that it is so and provides adequate documentation. Provides for the verification of eligibility requirements, including authorized random investigations by the Administrator of the Small Business Administration. Provides penalties for small businesses misrepresenting such status.",2025-08-20T14:18:01Z,
106-hr-4870,106,hr,4870,Intellectual Property Technical Amendments Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-07-18,2000-09-20,Received in the Senate.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,1,"Intellectual Property Technical Amendments Act of 2000 - Amends Federal patent and trademark law, as amended by the Intellectual Property and Communications Omnibus Reform Act of 1999 (IPCORA) and the American Inventor's Protection Act (AIPA), to rename: (1) the Director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) the Commissioner of such Office; (2) the Commissioner for Patents the Assistant Commissioner for Patents; and (3) the Commissioner for Trademarks the Assistant Commissioner for Trademarks. Amends other specified law to reflect these changes.(Sec. 2) Amends IPCORA to specify the PTO Commissioner as the officer authorized to revise trademark services fees for inflation.(Sec. 3) Specifies third-party requesters as the persons who may invoke inter partes reexamination of a patent in light of new evidence (prior art) affecting its patentability. Makes this specification retroactive to the enactment of IPCORA.(Sec. 4) Amends IPCORA and the Patent and Trademark Efficiency Act to permit the PTO Deputy Commissioner to be a career or non-career appointee in the Senior Executive Service.Makes the PTO Deputy Commissioner a member of both the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board and the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences.Exempts members of the Public Advisory Committee from the current prohibition against PTO employees' having an ownership interest in patents.Repeals the requirement for a PTO officer's attestation signature on a patent grant.(Sec. 5) Amends IPCORA and the Domestic Publication of Foreign Filed Patent Applications Act of 1999 to declare that the right to obtain a reasonable royalty based on an international application designating the United States commences on the date of the application's publication (currently, on the date the PTO receives a copy of the application) under the pertinent treaty.(Sec. 6) Revises certain requirements with respect to the prior art effect of published international applications. Declares that the PTO will only rely on information published in English in patent applications as it makes the essential determination of novelty during the examination of a patent application. Makes November 29, 2000, the effective date of specified AIPA amendments establishing the early publication of patent applications, including amendments made by this Act.(Sec. 8) Amends the Trademark Act of 1946, as amended by IPCORA and the Anti-Cybersquatting Consumer Protection Act, with respect to certain damages for willful dilutions of famous marks.Provides for service on the Commissioner of any notices or process in proceedings affecting a mark registered by an applicant, or an assignee of the mark, not domiciled in the United States if the registrant or assignee does not designate by a document filed in the PTO the name and address of a person resident in the United States on whom such notices or process may be served.Allows a foreign applicant for a trademark duly registered in the applicant's country of origin, when registering the mark on the principal or supplemental U.S. register, to submit a true copy or a photocopy of the foreign registration as an alternative to a certification or a certified copy.(Sec. 9) Makes a clerical amendment to the Patent and Trademark Fee Fairness Act of 1999.",2025-04-07T13:46:39Z,
106-hr-4814,106,hr,4814,"To make illegal the sale, share or transfer of information acquired on the Internet with a pledge that it would not be released.",Commerce,2000-07-10,2000-08-02,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Bachus, Spencer [R-AL-6]",AL,R,B000013,2,"Provides that selling on the Internet information acquired with a pledge that the information would be kept private and not released, or sharing or transferring such information to another on the Internet, shall be considered an unfair practice in or affecting commerce under the Federal Trade Commission Act.",2025-01-02T17:14:36Z,
106-s-2820,106,s,2820,Consumer Product Safety Commission Enhanced Enforcement Act ,Commerce,2000-06-29,2000-06-29,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.",Senate,"Sen. Hollings, Ernest F. [D-SC]",SC,D,H000725,0,"Consumer Product Safety Commission Enhanced Enforcement Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission, if it determines, after affording opportunity for an informal hearing, that the repair, replacement, or refund action elected by a manufacturer, distributor, or retailer is not in the public interest, to order the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer to take any other action that the Commission determines to be in the public interest.Revises civil and criminal penalties, including removing the existing cap on the maximum civil penalty that can be assessed to companies that market products in violation of federal consumer product safety regulations.",2025-08-20T14:18:37Z,
106-s-2803,106,s,2803,Infant Crib Safety Act,Commerce,2000-06-28,2000-06-28,"Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.",Senate,"Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]",CA,D,F000062,0,"Infant Crib Safety Act - Makes it unlawful for any commercial user to: (1) manufacture, sell, or contract to sell any full-size or non full-size crib which is unsafe for any infant; or (2) sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce any such crib which is not new and is unsafe for any infant. Makes it unlawful for any lodging facility to offer or provide such an unsafe crib. Presumes as unsafe a crib which does not conform to specified standards in the Code of Federal Regulations and the American Society for Testing Materials Voluntary Standards, with an exception.Authorizes a fine and injunction against violators of this Act.",2025-08-20T14:21:34Z,
106-s-2810,106,s,2810,Child Handgun Injury Prevention Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-06-28,2000-06-29,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S6113-6114),Senate,"Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000148,1,Child Handgun Injury Prevention Act of 2000 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to initiate a rulemaking establishing a consumer product safety standard for handgun locks. Authorizes appropriations.,2025-08-20T14:16:58Z,
106-hr-4586,106,hr,4586,Consumer Product Safety Commission Enhanced Enforcement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-06-06,2000-06-06,Referred to the House Committee on Commerce.,House,"Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]",MA,D,M000133,3,"Consumer Product Safety Commission Enhanced Enforcement Act of 2000 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act to direct the Consumer Product Safety Commission to order the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer to take action that the Commission determines to be in the public interest if it determines (after affording opportunity for an informal hearing) that the repair, replacement, or refund action previously elected by the manufacturer, distributor, or retailer is not in the public interest.Revises civil and criminal penalties, removing the existing cap on the maximum civil penalty that can be assessed to companies that market products in a related series of violations of Federal consumer product safety regulations.",2025-08-20T14:20:48Z,
106-hr-4540,106,hr,4540,Consumer Automobile Lease Advertising Improvement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-05-25,2000-06-09,Referred to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.,House,"Rep. LaFalce, John J. [D-NY-29]",NY,D,L000556,0,"Consumer Automobile Lease Advertising Act of 2000 - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to increase from $25,000 to $50,000 the maximum amount of a contractual obligation of a consumer lease to which the Act applies. Mandates annual adjustment of such limit based upon changes reported in the Consumer Price Index by the Department of Labor.Prescribes additional lease advertising disclosure requirements for advertising.Sets forth provisions applicable to automobile leasing advertising.",2025-08-20T14:16:55Z,
106-hr-4530,106,hr,4530,New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-05-24,2000-07-25,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 452.",House,"Rep. Velazquez, Nydia M. [D-NY-12]",NY,D,V000081,25,"New Markets Venture Capital Program Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a New Markets Venture Capital Program, under which the SBA may: (1) enter into participation agreements with approved new market venture capital companies (companies) for the making of developmental venture capital investments in smaller enterprises in low or moderate income geographic areas; (2) guarantee debentures issued by companies; and (3) make operational assistance grants to such companies. Makes eligible as a participating company in the Program one which: (1) is a newly formed for-profit entity or newly formed for-profit subsidiary of an existing company; (2) has a management team with experience in community development financing or relevant venture capital financing; and (3) has a primary objective of economic development of low or moderate income geographic areas. Outlines application requirements and SBA selection criteria, requiring the SBA to ensure that companies are chosen so that investments under the Program will be made nationwide. Outlines conditions to be met by each company before final approval, including: (1) a capital investment requirement of at least $5 million from investors who meet SBA-established criteria; and (2) binding commitments with non-SBA sources for Program operational assistance.Authorizes the SBA to: (1) guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by companies, not to exceed 150 percent of the company capital; (2) issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of SBA-guaranteed debentures; (3) make grants to companies and to other entities such as specialized small business investment companies to provide operational assistance for the benefit of smaller enterprises financed by such companies or other entities; and (4) charge fees with respect to any guarantee or grant issued.Authorizes any national bank, member bank of the Federal Reserve System, and any other insured bank to invest in any company or in any entity established to invest solely in such companies. Limits such investment to five percent of such bank's capital and surplus.Requires each company to provide the SBA with any required information.Subjects each company to examinations made at the direction of the Investment Division of the SBA.Authorizes the SBA to obtain injunctions and other relief against companies violating requirements of this Act, which shall include: (1) voiding an operative participation agreement; and (2) a finding of breach of fiduciary duty in unlawful acts and omissions by company officers, directors, employees, or agents.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005 to carry out this Act.(Sec. 4) Revises provisions concerning the determination of the maximum amount of outstanding leverage made available to a company after March 31, 1993, for purposes of the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the SBA Administrator, in calculating such amount, to exclude any equity investment made by a company in a smaller enterprise located in a low or moderate income geographic area, to the extent that such amount does not exceed 50 percent of the company's private capital.(Sec. 5) Exempts a company from debtor status under Federal bankruptcy law.(Sec. 6) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to authorize a Federal savings association to invest in company securities, with an investment limit of five percent of the association's capital and surplus.",2025-08-20T14:19:10Z,
106-hr-4464,106,hr,4464,BusinessLINC Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-05-16,2000-07-25,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 451.",House,"Rep. Davis, Danny K. [D-IL-7]",IL,D,D000096,11,"BusinessLINC Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, any coalition of private or public sector entities to: (1) expand business-to-business relationships between large and small businesses; and (2) provide businesses with online information and a database of companies interested in mentor-protege programs or community-based, Statewide, or local business development programs. Provides a matching funds requirement.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003.",2025-04-07T13:44:16Z,
106-s-2569,106,s,2569,"A bill to ensure and enhance participation in the HUBZone program by small business concerns in Native America, to expand eligibility for certain small businesses on a trial basis, and for other purposes.",Commerce,2000-05-16,2000-05-16,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]",MO,R,B000611,6,"Amends the Small Business Act to qualify as a HUBZone (historically underutilized business zone) small business concern: (1) an Alaska Native Corporation owned and controlled by Alaska Natives (or a corporation, joint venture, or partnership of such Corporation when so owned); (2) a small business that is wholly owned by one or more Indian tribal governments (or by a corporation so owned); or (3) a small business owned in part by one or more tribal governments (or corporation so owned) if all other owners are either U.S. citizens or small businesses. Includes as a qualified HUBZone small business a small business owned in whole or part by an Indian tribal government, when at least 35 percent of its employees performing a Small Business Administration (SBA) awarded HUBZone contract reside either within an Indian reservation or in any HUBZone adjoining such reservation.Includes for participation in the HUBZone pilot program for sparsely populated areas, during the period beginning on the date of enactment of the Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 and ending on September 30, 2003, a small business concern the principal office of which is in Alaska, an Alaska Native Corporation, or a subsidiary, joint venture, or partnership thereof, if: (1) its principal office is located within a HUBZone in Alaska; (2) at least 35 percent of its employees who will perform work under an SBA awarded contract will perform such work in Alaska; or (3) at least 35 percent of its employees reside in a HUBZone within Alaska or in any Alaska Native Village. Provides an exception.",2025-01-14T17:16:56Z,
106-hr-4429,106,hr,4429,Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-05-11,2000-09-27,"Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.",House,"Rep. Barcia, James A. [D-MI-5]",MI,D,B000134,4,Electronic Commerce Enhancement Act of 2000 - Title I: Electronic Commerce - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish an Advisory Panel to report on the challenges facing small and medium-sized manufacturers and other such businesses in integrating and utilizing electronic commerce technologies and business practices. Requires the Panel to provide an interim and final report to the Director and specified congressional committees. Requires the final report to include: (1) a three-year planning document for NIST's Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program in the field of electronic commerce; and (2) recommendations for NIST to address interoperability issues in electronic commerce.Requires the MEP program to: (1) establish a pilot program to assist such manufacturers and businesses in integrating and utilizing electronic commerce technologies and business practices through a competitive grants program; and (2) consult with the Panel and utilize the Panel's reports.Title II: Enterprise Integration - Requires the Director to: (1) identify current critical enterprise integration standards and implementation activities for major manufacturing industries; (2) report to Congress on such matters and anticipated related NIST activities for that fiscal year; and (3) submit to Congress a plan for enterprise integration for each major manufacturing industry (requiring annual plan updates).,2025-04-07T13:46:56Z,
106-hr-4368,106,hr,4368,Furniture Fire Safety Act,Commerce,2000-05-03,2000-05-03,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. DeLauro, Rosa L. [D-CT-3]",CT,D,D000216,8,Furniture Fire Safety Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act with respect to the labeling of upholstered furniture sold in interstate commerce. Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a flammability performance standard.,2025-08-20T14:19:00Z,
106-hr-4351,106,hr,4351,Security Interests in Copyrights Financing Preservation Act,Commerce,2000-05-02,2000-06-09,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E926-927),House,"Rep. Gekas, George W. [R-PA-17]",PA,R,G000121,1,"Security Interests in Copyrights Financing Preservation Act - Amends Federal copyright law to authorize a security interest in a copyright or the proceeds of a copyright to be perfected under either the Uniform Commercial Code or Federal copyright law.Requires the rights of a transferee of an interest in a copyright or a copyright's proceeds, other than a lien creditor, to prevail over the conflicting rights of the transferee of a security interest in the copyright unless the security interest is perfected under Federal copyright provisions.",2025-08-20T14:18:32Z,
106-hr-4321,106,hr,4321,Antitrust Enforcement Improvement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-04-13,2000-09-12,Committee Hearings Held.,House,"Rep. Minge, David [D-MN-2]",MN,D,M000795,4,"Antitrust Enforcement Improvement Act of 2000 - Amends the Sherman Act to include trade or commerce of sellers, wholesale purchasers, or of both among illegal trade restraints of trade or commerce. Increases related fines.(Sec. 3) Amends the Clayton Act to state that covered competition may include competition among sellers, wholesale purchasers, or of both with respect to anticompetitive acquisitions.Extends certain premerger notification (additional information) extension periods. Establishes and sets forth related filing fee schedules.Sets forth provisions respecting recovery of overcharges by ""injured"" indirect purchasers in the chain of manufacture, production, or distribution.(Sec. 4) Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to define ""undue or unreasonable preference or advantage"" and ""public market based on a competitive bidding process."" States that covered commerce may include trade or commerce of sellers, wholesale purchasers, or of both.(Sec. 5) Establishes the Agriculture Concentration and Market Power Review Commission, which shall: (1) study concentration and vertical integration in the agricultural economy; and (2) recommend antitrust law changes in order to maintain a competitive market for family and other small and medium producers. Authorizes appropriations.(Sec. 6) Directs the Attorney General to establish in the Department of Justice an Office of Special Counsel for Agriculture.",2025-08-20T14:20:55Z,
106-hr-4339,106,hr,4339,Agriculture Competition Enhancement Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-04-13,2000-04-27,"Executive Comment Requested from USDA, Justice.",House,"Rep. Thune, John [R-SD-At Large]",SD,R,T000250,8,"Agriculture Competition Enhancement Act of 2000 - Makes it unlawful for a business purchaser of livestock, poultry, or a basic agricultural commodity for (wholesale) resale, either unprocessed or processed, to acquire the voting assets of any person if: (1) the total amount of such assets or annual sales of each person exceeds specified limits; and (2) such acquisition would reduce competition so as have a negative effect on prices paid to producers.(Sec. 3) Requires such a purchaser filing a premerger notice under the Clayton Act to also file  with the Secretary of Agriculture. Provides for: (1) public comment; and (2) review by the Secretary respecting such action's anticompetitive effects.(Sec. 4) Subjects such actions to specified enforcement provisions of the Clayton Act.(Sec. 5) Directs the Attorney General to establish in the Department of Justice an Office of Special Counsel for Agriculture to handle agricultural antitrust issues.(Sec. 6) Directs the Comptroller General to conduct a study respecting whether: (1) the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyard Administration needs additional resources to monitor and investigate the competitive implications of meat packing industry practices; and (2) disparities exist in the Administration's authority respecting the poultry, meat, and pork industries.",2025-08-20T14:21:26Z,
106-hr-4116,106,hr,4116,To provide that no insurer which is engaged in interstate commerce may exercise any right under a subrogation or reimbursement clause in an insurance policy until the insured has received full compensation.,Commerce,2000-03-29,2000-04-06,Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials.,House,"Rep. Duncan, John J., Jr. [R-TN-2]",TN,R,D000533,0,Prohibits an insurer engaged in interstate commerce from exercising any right under a subrogation or reimbursement clause in an insurance policy until the insured has been fully compensated for injuries and the insurer has made payment to the insured.,2025-01-02T17:13:34Z,
106-hr-4059,106,hr,4059,Online Privacy and Disclosure Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-03-22,2000-03-30,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Campbell, Tom [R-CA-15]",CA,R,C000100,8,"Online Privacy and Disclosure Act of 2000 - Permits data controllers (those who collect personal data by any means of interstate commerce) who abide by specified principles to display an official seal certifying compliance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulations. Includes among such principles that: (1) the data should be obtained by lawful and fair means with the knowledge of the data subject; (2) the data should be complete, accurate, and current; (3) the purpose of the data collection should be specified and disclosed to the data subject and limited to stated purposes; (4) such data should not be disclosed or otherwise used except with the consent of the data subject or by authority of law; and (5) the data subject should have access to such data, its purpose, and the identity of the controller.Directs the FTC to prescribe rules for the adoption of a seal that may be displayed by a data controller to signify compliance with such principles and FTC regulations.Provides for FTC enforcement with regard to: (1) the fraudulent display of a seal; and (2) violations of this Act.",2025-08-20T14:17:35Z,
106-hr-4034,106,hr,4034,Patent and Trademark Office Reauthorization Act,Commerce,2000-03-20,2000-07-11,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 406.",House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,6,"Patent and Trademark Office Reauthorization Act - Amends Federal patent law to authorize fees collected for Patent and Trademark Office services or materials to be available until expended for Office activities. (Currently, such fees are available only to the extent and in the amounts provided in advance in appropriations Acts.)",2025-08-20T14:21:24Z,
106-s-2243,106,s,2243,National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-03-09,2000-03-09,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]",LA,D,L000550,8,"National Women's Business Council Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Women's Business Ownership Act of 1988 to add specified duties of the National Women's Business Council, including working with Federal agencies to assist them in meeting the five percent women's procurement goal (obtaining five percent of all Federal procurement contracts and subcontracts) established under the Small Business Act.Repeals deadline dates for the appointment of a Council chairperson, executive director, and members.Repeals a required Council study on the award of Federal prime contracts and subcontracts to women-owned businesses. Directs the Council to work with State and local officials and business leaders to develop the infrastructure for women's business enterprise so as to increase women's effectiveness in shaping the economic agendas of their States and communities.Extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for Council activities.",2026-02-10T13:38:48Z,
106-hr-3843,106,hr,3843,Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-03-08,2000-03-20,Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,17,"Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize appropriations and provide funding levels for FY 2001 through 2003 for various programs under the Act and the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, including general business loans for small businesses and grants or cooperative agreements for the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) program.Amends the Act to: (1) increase the authorized annual amount for the small business development centers program; (2) adjust and extend through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations for the drug-free workplace program; and (3) authorize appropriations for FY 2001 through 2003 for the HUBZone program.Amends the: (1) Women's Business Ownership Act to extend and increase the annual authorization of appropriations for women's business enterprise development programs; (2) Small Business Administration Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2003 a pilot program to provide Federal contracting opportunities for very small businesses; and (3) Federal Acquisition Streamlining Act of 1994 to extend through FY 2003 a program for the participation of socially and economically disadvantaged businesses in certain Federal procurement contracting goals.Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to conduct and report to Congress on a study to determine the average time taken by the SBA to process an application for each type of loan guarantee made under the Small Business Act.",2025-04-07T13:46:46Z,
106-hr-3845,106,hr,3845,Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-03-08,2000-03-20,Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,1,"Small Business Investment Corrections Act of 2000 - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to: (1) state that certain venture investment in a small business shall not cause such business to be considered not independently owned and operated, regardless of the allocation of control during the investment period; and (2) define as long term, when used in connection with equity capital or loan funds invested in any small business or smaller enterprise, any period of one year or more.Revises the subsidy fee charged in connection with debentures purchased by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee loans to participating small businesses from a flat one percent to a charge, established annually by the SBA Administrator with respect to debentures issued after September 30, 2000, of not more than one percent as necessary to reduce to zero the cost of purchasing and guaranteeing such debentures. Makes an identical revision with respect to the fee charged for securities issued after September 30, 2000, by participating companies for small business loans guaranteed by the SBA.Authorizes small businesses which are limited partnerships or subchapter S corporations to make quarterly distributions at any time during a calendar quarter (currently, only at the end of a calendar quarter).",2025-04-07T13:47:33Z,
106-hr-3689,106,hr,3689,To establish in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice a position with responsibility for agricultural antitrust matters.,Commerce,2000-02-16,2000-02-16,Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.,House,"Rep. Moran, Jerry [R-KS-1]",KS,R,M000934,1,"Directs the President to appoint, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, an individual to a position to be established within the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, the primary responsibility of which shall be to provide assistance and advice to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division to further the effective enforcement of the antitrust laws with respect to the food and agricultural sectors. Lists position functions, including: (1) assisting and advising with respect to the investigation of possible restraints of trade and the investigation of mergers and acquisitions; and (2) ensuring that any such investigation takes into account the effects on consumers, agricultural producers and rural communities.",2025-01-02T17:13:06Z,
106-hr-3560,106,hr,3560,Online Privacy Protection Act of 2000,Commerce,2000-01-31,2000-02-10,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E111),House,"Rep. Frelinghuysen, Rodney P. [R-NJ-11]",NJ,R,F000372,4,"Online Privacy Protection Act of 2000 - Makes it unlawful for an operator of a Web site or online service to collect, use, or disclose personal information concerning an individual (age 13 and above) in a manner that violates regulations to be prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requiring such operators to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information it collects from such individuals. Requires such regulations to require such operators to provide a process for such individuals to consent to or limit the disclosure of such information.Directs the FTC to provide incentives for efforts of self-regulation by operators to implement appropriate protections for such information.Authorizes the States to enforce such regulations by bringing actions on behalf of residents, requiring the State attorney general to first notify the FTC of such action. Authorizes the FTC to intervene in any such action.Provides for enforcement of this Act through the Federal Trade Commission Act.",2025-08-20T14:18:22Z,
106-s-1984,106,s,1984,A bill to establish in the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice a position with responsibility for agricultural antitrust matters.,Commerce,1999-11-19,1999-11-19,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]",IA,D,H000206,5,"Directs the Attorney General to appoint a person to a position to be established within the Antitrust Division of the Department of Justice, the primary responsibility of which shall be to provide assistance and advice to the Assistant Attorney General of the Antitrust Division to further the effective enforcement of the antitrust laws with respect to the food and agricultural sectors. Lists position functions, including: (1) assisting and advising with respect to the investigation of possible restraints of trade and the investigation of mergers and acquisitions; and (2) ensuring that any such investigation takes into account the effects on consumers, agricultural producers and rural communities.",2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
106-hr-3456,106,hr,3456,Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-18,1999-12-09,Became Public Law No: 106-160.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,0,"Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999 - Amends Federal copyright law with respect to the statutory damages available for copyright infringement to increase: (1) the minimum damages from $500 to $750; and (2) the maximum damages from $20,000 to $30,000.Increases from $100,000 to $150,000 the maximum additional damages a court may award for willful infringement.Directs the Sentencing Commission, within 120 days after enactment of this Act, or within 120 days after there is a sufficient number of voting members of the Sentencing Commission to constitute a quorum, whichever is later, to promulgate emergency guideline amendments to implement the sentencing mandate with respect to crimes against intellectual property in the No Electronic Theft (NET) Act.",2025-04-07T13:46:39Z,
106-hr-3459,106,hr,3459,"To provide that a person who brings a product liability action in a Federal or State court for injuries sustained from a product which is not in compliance with a voluntary or mandatory standard issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission may recover treble damages, and for other purposes.",Commerce,1999-11-18,1999-12-03,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Andrews, Robert E. [D-NJ-1]",NJ,D,A000210,0,"Requires any person who brings a product liability action in a Federal or State court for injuries sustained from the use of a product which is not in compliance with a voluntary or mandatory standard issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to recover treble damages.Directs the Commission, within 90 days, to reissue each voluntary and mandatory standard the Commission has for a product with a notice notifying product manufacturers of such treble damages provision.",2025-01-02T17:12:55Z,
106-hr-3500,106,hr,3500,Small Business Telecommuting Act,Commerce,1999-11-18,1999-11-19,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2460),House,"Rep. Udall, Mark [D-CO-2]",CO,D,U000038,24,"Small Business Telecommuting Act - Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to conduct, at not more than five regional SBA offices, a pilot program to raise awareness about telecommuting among small business employers and to encourage such employers to offer telecommuting options to employees. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:19:19Z,
106-hr-3308,106,hr,3308,Small Business Franchise Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-10,1999-11-17,Referred to the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,55,"Small Business Franchise Act of 1999 - Prohibits any person, in connection with the advertising, offering, sale, or promotion of any franchise, from: (1) employing a device, scheme, or artifice to defraud; (2) engaging in an act, practice, course of business, or pattern of conduct which operates or is intended to operate as a fraud upon any prospective franchisee; (3) obtaining property, or assisting others in so doing, by negligently making an untrue statement of a material fact or failing to state a material fact; or (4) making any claim or representation which is inconsistent with or contradicts a disclosure document.  Requires the franchisor to provide a written statement specifying whether the franchise agreement contains a right of renewal.(Sec. 4) Prohibits any franchisor or subfranchisor, in connection with the performance, enforcement, renewal, or termination of any franchise agreement, from: (1) engaging in an act, practice, course of business, or pattern of conduct which operates as a fraud upon any person; (2) hindering, prohibiting, or penalizing the free association of franchisees for any lawful purpose, including the formation of or participation in any trade association made up of franchisees; or (3) discriminating against a franchisee by imposing requirements not imposed on other similarly situated franchisees or otherwise retaliating against any franchisee for membership or participation in a franchisee association.Prohibits a franchisor from: (1) terminating a franchise agreement prior to its expiration without good cause; or (2) prohibiting a franchisee from engaging in any business at any location after the expiration of a franchise agreement.(Sec. 5) Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) minimum standards of conduct (good faith, due care, and limited fiduciary duty) for each party to a franchise agreement; (2) a prohibition against requiring the inclusion of a franchise agreement term or condition which violates this Act or relieves a person from a duty or liability under this Act; (3) a prohibition against a waiver from compliance with this Act; and (4) authorized legal actions by State attorneys general on behalf of State residents for alleged violations.(Sec. 8) Authorizes a franchisee to assign a franchise interest to a transferee, provided such transferee satisfies reasonable qualifications applied by the franchisor in determining whether or not a current franchisee is eligible for renewal.  Provides transfer conditions, including 30 days' prior written notice.  Outlines events which shall not be considered transfers, such as successor management by a surviving heir or incorporation.(Sec. 9) Prohibits a franchisor from transferring a franchise interest unless: (1) the franchisor provides 30 days prior notice to all franchisees of such intent; (2) the notice is accompanied by a complete description of the business and financial terms of the proposed transfer; and (3) upon such transfer, the transferee entity has the appropriate business experience and financial means to perform all of the franchisor's obligations.(Sec. 10) Prohibits a franchisor from prohibiting a franchisee from obtaining equipment, fixtures, supplies, goods, or services (goods or services) used in the establishment or operation of the franchised business from sources of the franchisee's choosing, with the exception that such goods or services must meet reasonable quality standards promulgated or enforced by the franchisor.  Requires the franchisor to: (1) provide and continuously update a list of approved vendors for such goods or services; and (2) report at least annually revenues and profits received from the sale of such goods or services to its franchisees.(Sec. 11) Prohibits a franchisor from placing one or more new outlets of a franchised business within unreasonable proximity to an existing franchise, with an exception.(Sec. 12) Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) legal actions brought by persons injured or damaged by violations; and (2) the right to arbitration, mediation, or other nonjudicial resolution in lieu of a legal action (with a statute of limitations).",2025-08-20T14:18:23Z,
106-hr-3321,106,hr,3321,Electronic Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-10,1999-12-02,Referred to the Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit.,House,"Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]",MA,D,M000133,2,"Electronic Privacy Bill of Rights Act of 1999 - Makes it unlawful for an operator of a website or online service (operator) to collect personal information from an individual in a manner that violates privacy protection rules to be prescribed under this Act. Provides that notwithstanding such prohibition, no such operator shall be held liable for any disclosure of personal information to the parent of a child in response to a request for such disclosure under the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998.Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to promulgate rules that: (1) require an operator collecting such information to provide notice of the types of information collected, its use, and the operator's disclosure practices; (2) require such operator to provide an online method for an individual to grant or deny consent to such collection and use; (3) permit the operator to establish a method by which an individual can preset protocols for granting or denying such consent; (4) prohibit the operator from collecting such information unless it has been disclosed and consented to; (5) require the operator to provide requesting individuals with access to personal information collected, as well as notice of whether such information has been reused, disclosed, or sold, and to whom; and (6) require the operator to establish and maintain reasonable procedures to protect the confidentiality, security, and integrity of personal information collected. Excepts from such requirements information collected, used, or disseminated to: (1) protect website security or integrity; (2) take precautions against liability; (3) respond to judicial process; or (4) provide required information to law enforcement officials. Considers a violation of such rules an unfair or deceptive trade practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.Allows an operator to satisfy such requirements by following a set of self- regulatory guidelines issued by representatives of the marketing or online industries and approved under this Act. Outlines provisions concerning FTC incentives for, and approval of, such guidelines.Authorizes a State attorney general to bring an action on behalf of its residents for violations of rules or approved guidelines. Allows FTC intervention in any such action.Provides for FTC enforcement and administration of provisions of this Act.Authorizes a private right of action for enforcement of violations.Requires the FTC to review and report to Congress on the implementation of this Act.",2025-08-20T14:17:53Z,
106-hr-3264,106,hr,3264,Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-09,1999-11-17,Referred to the Subcommittee on Finance and Hazardous Materials.,House,"Rep. Kuykendall, Steven T. [R-CA-36]",CA,R,K000357,1,"Small Business Investment Incentive Act of 1999 - Amends the Investment Company Act of 1940 to exempt from securities registration requirements any company that is not in the business of issuing redeemable securities, the operations of which are subject to regulation by the Small Business Administration (SBA) as a small business investment company (SBIC) if: (1) the company's activities are limited to providing financial and business advice to small business concerns as an SBIC licensed by the SBA; (2) the company's securities are sold only to accredited investors, the SBA, or such other persons that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may permit; and (3) the company does not purchase any security issued by an investment company or by any company that would be an investment company except for specified exclusions, with certain exceptions. Requires companies proposing to be so exempted to notify the SEC of such intent.",2025-08-20T14:18:49Z,
106-hr-3221,106,hr,3221,Corporate Welfare Reform Commission Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-04,2000-06-13,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E986),House,"Rep. Hoeffel, Joseph M. [D-PA-13]",PA,D,H001031,28,"Corporate Welfare Reform Commission Act of 1999 - Establishes the independent Corporate Welfare Reform Commission, which shall identify programs and tax laws that provide inequitable Federal programs and payments.",2025-08-20T14:18:48Z,
106-s-1854,106,s,1854,21st Century Acquisition Reform and Improvement Act of 2000,Commerce,1999-11-04,2000-10-23,Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,2,"21st Century Acquisition Reform and Improvement  Act of 2000 - Rewrites provisions of the Clayton Act (the Act) with respect to merger and acquisition notice requirements to limit the circumstances under which notification is required. Requires notification if specified conditions apply, including that, as a result of the acquisition, the acquiring person would hold an aggregate total amount of the voting securities and assets of the acquired person in excess of $200 million, as adjusted and published for the first fiscal year beginning after September 30, 2002, and each third fiscal year thereafter, to reflect the percentage change in the gross national product (GNP) for such fiscal year compared to the GNP for the year ending September 30, 2001, or in excess of $50 million (as so adjusted and published) but not in excess of $200 million (as so adjusted and published).(Sec. 3) Directs the Assistant Attorney General (AAG) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to each designate a senior official who does not have direct responsibility for the review of an enforcement recommendation under the Act concerning the transaction at issue to hear any petition filed by the acquiring person or the person whose voting securities or assets are  to be acquired, to determine whether the request for additional information or documentary material is unreasonably cumulative, unduly burdensome, or duplicative, or has been substantially complied with by the petitioning person. Requires that internal review procedures for such petitions include reasonable deadlines for expedited review of such petitions, after reasonable negotiations with investigative staff, in order to avoid undue delay of the merger review process.Directs the AAG and the FTC: (1) within 90 days, to conduct an internal review and implement reforms of the merger review process in order to eliminate unnecessary burden, remove costly duplication, and eliminate undue delay; (2) within 120 days, to issue or amend their respective industry guidance, regulations, operating manuals, and relevant policy documents, where appropriate, to implement each reform in this section; and (3) within 180 days, to each report to Congress which reforms each agency has adopted under this section, which steps each agency has taken to implement internal reforms, and the effects of such reforms.(Sec. 4) Amends the Clayton Act, with respect to calculating filing periods, to: (1) authorize the FTC or AAG to extend the 30-day waiting period for an additional 30 days after receipt of specified information; and (2) direct that if the end of a time period falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday, that such period be extended to the end of the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or holiday.(Sec. 5) Directs the FTC, beginning with the annual report filed in 2001, to include in its report to Congress: (1) the number of notifications filed; (2) the number filed in which the AAG or FTC requested the submission of additional material relevant to the proposed acquisition; (3) data relating to the length of time for parties to comply with such requests; (4) the number of petitions filed and the manner in which they were resolved; (5) data relating to the volume of materials submitted pursuant to such requests; and (6) the number of notifications filed in which such requests were made but never complied with prior to resolution of the case.(Sec. 6) Requires that the thresholds established by rule and promulgated in the Code of Federal Regulations be adjusted by the FTC on January 1, 2003, and each year thereafter, with the adjusted amount rounded to the nearest $1 million. Directs the FTC to publish the adjusted amount by January 31 of each year.",2025-07-21T19:32:26Z,
106-hr-3208,106,hr,3208,Daniel Keysar Memorial and Childhood Consumer Product Safety Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-11-03,1999-11-17,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Blagojevich, Rod R. [D-IL-5]",IL,D,B000518,14,"Daniel Keysar Memorial and Childhood Consumer Product Safety Act of 1999 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act (the Act) to require the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a comprehensive list of all children's products subject to recall or corrective action over the last 15 years and to make such list widely available to the public, State and local governments, and the secondary market (including retail stores and child care facilities) through its toll free telephone hotline, electronic mail, and web site listings. Requires Commission recall announcements to: (1) state clearly the nature and extent of the product hazard and potential injury risk; and (2) include the number of known deaths, injuries, and incidents associated with the product being corrected.Directs the Commission to: (1) establish a pilot program to work with manufacturers and retailers to obtain the identity of consumers who purchase specified children's products so that such consumers can be notified in the event of a product recall; and (2) report to Congress annually on the effectiveness of recalls for each specific product and to determine the percentage of recalled products which are actually repaired or corrected.Increases and extends through FY 2003 the authorization of appropriations under the Act.",2025-08-20T14:20:18Z,
106-hr-3213,106,hr,3213,Drug-Free Workplace Fair Demonstration Act,Commerce,1999-11-03,1999-11-03,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Portman, Rob [R-OH-2]",OH,R,P000449,8,Drug-Free Workplace Fair Demonstration Act - Amends the Small Business Act to increase and extend through FY 2002 the authorization of appropriations for the drug-free workplace demonstration program.,2025-08-20T14:17:28Z,
106-hr-3188,106,hr,3188,Consumer Access to a Responsible Accounting of Trade Act of 2000,Commerce,1999-11-01,1999-11-12,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Hall, Tony P. [D-OH-3]",OH,D,H000074,11,Consumer Access to a Responsible Accounting of Trade Act of 2000 - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations requiring gem-quality diamonds (including products made in whole or in part from gem-quality diamonds) and which are sold in the United States to be accompanied by a certificate stating the English name (or unmistakable abbreviation) of the country in which the diamonds were mined. Sets forth both civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.,2025-08-20T14:19:49Z,
106-s-1835,106,s,1835,Intellectual Property Protection Restoration Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-10-29,1999-10-29,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]",VT,D,L000174,0,"Intellectual Property Protection Restoration Act of 1999 - Prohibits any State or State instrumentality from acquiring a Federal intellectual property right unless such State opts into the Federal intellectual property system by assuring to waive State sovereign immunity from an action arising under, or seeking a declaration with respect to, a Federal intellectual property law or right. Provides consequences for breach of such assurance. Requires such assurance as a condition for a State's participation in the Federal patent or trademark system, plant variety protection system, copyright system, mask work system, or original design system. Provides liability under such systems for States, instrumentalities of States, and State officials.",2025-08-20T14:18:45Z,
106-hr-3180,106,hr,3180,Telemarketing Victims Protection Act,Commerce,1999-10-28,2000-06-13,Subcommittee Hearings Held.,House,"Rep. Salmon, Matt [R-AZ-1]",AZ,R,S000018,44,"Telemarketing Victims Protection Act - Amends the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act to require the Federal Trade Commission to include in rules respecting abusive telemarketing acts or practices requirements that telemarketers: (1) notify consumers who are called that they have the right to be placed on either the Direct Marketing Association's or the appropriate State's do-not-call list; (2) notify the Association or State if a consumer elects to be placed on such a list; (3) obtain and reconcile such lists on a regular basis; (4) not make any calls during the hours of 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM; and (5) not block the identity of the telephone from which they are making a telemarketing call.Directs the Commission to study and report to Congress on the violations of the Telemarketing and Consumer Fraud and Abuse Prevention Act, especially of repeated violations by a single telemarketer and of the provisions for penalizing telemarketers for such violations, including new provisions which would allow appropriate Federal action against telemarketers.",2025-08-20T14:19:36Z,
106-s-1798,106,s,1798,American Inventors Protection Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-10-27,1999-11-02,Committee on Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,4,"American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 - Title I: Inventors' Rights - Inventors' Rights Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to oblige any invention promoter, before entering into a contract for invention promotion services, to disclose to a customer in writing: (1) the total number of inventions evaluated by the promoter for commercial potential in the past five years, including the number of positive and of negative evaluations; (2) the total number of customers who have contracted with the promoter in the past five years; (3) the total number of customers known by the promoter to have received a net financial profit as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided; (4) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received license agreements for their inventions as a direct result of such services; and (5) the names and addresses of all previous invention promotion companies with which the promoter or its officers have collectively or individually been affiliated in the previous ten years.(Sec. 102) Establishes a Federal cause of action for inventors injured by material false or fraudulent statements or representations, or any omission of material fact, by an invention promoter, or by the promoter's failure to make the required written disclosures. Sets statutory damages (if elected by a customer before judgment is rendered) at a maximum of $5,000.Requires the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks (Commissioner) to make publicly available any complaints received involving invention promoters, along with the response, if any, from the promoters.Title II: Patent and Trademark Fee Fairness - Patent and Trademark Fee Fairness Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to reduce: (1) from $760 to $690 original filing and reissue fees, as well as the national fee for certain international applications; and (2) from $940 to $830 the three-and-a-half year maintenance fee.(Sec. 203) Authorizes the Commissioner to adjust trademark fees in FY 2000 without regard to fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the preceding 12 months.(Sec. 204) Directs the Commissioner to study and report to specified congressional committees on alternative fee structures that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) could adopt to encourage maximum participation by the inventor community in the United States.(Sec. 205) Changes from discretionary to mandatory the Commissioner's authority to make all trademark fees available only for the processing of trademark registrations and trademark-related activities, services, and materials.Title III: First Inventor Defense - First Inventor Defense Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to declare that it shall be a defense to an infringement action with respect to any subject matter that would otherwise infringe one or more claims for a method in the patent being asserted against a person, if such person had, acting in good faith, actually reduced the subject matter to practice at least one year before the effective filing date of such patent, and commercially used the subject matter before the effective filing date of such patent.(Sec. 302) Deems a commercial use, in the case of activities performed by a nonprofit research laboratory, or nonprofit entity such as a university, research center, or hospital, any use for which the public is the intended beneficiary, except that such use: (1) may be asserted as a defense only for continued use by and in the laboratory or nonprofit entity; and (2) may not be asserted as a defense with respect to any subsequent commercialization or use outside such laboratory or nonprofit entity.States that the sale or other disposition of a useful end product produced by a patented method, by a person entitled to assert such a defense with respect to that useful end result, shall exhaust the patent owner's rights under the patent to the extent such rights would have been exhausted had such sale or other disposition been made by the patent owner.Limits the defense to inventions for methods. Prohibits the defense if the subject matter on which the defense is based was derived from the patentee or persons in privity with the patentee.Declares that this defense is not a general license under all claims of the patent at issue, but extends only to the specific subject matter claimed in the patent with respect to which the person can assert a defense. Extends the defense, however, to variations in the quantity or volume of use of the claimed subject matter, and to improvements that do not infringe additional specifically claimed subject matter of the patent.Requires a person asserting the defense to establish it by clear and convincing evidence.Prohibits any person who has abandoned commercial use of subject matter from relying on activities performed before the date of abandonment in establishing a defense with respect to actions taken after such date.Limits assertion of the defense to the person who performed the acts necessary to establish it. Prohibits licensing, assignment, or transfer to any person but the patent owner of the right to assert the defense, except as an ancillary and subordinate part of a good faith assignment or transfer for other reasons of the entire enterprise or line of business to which the defense relates. Restricts the site of use of a subject matter for which the defense may be asserted if the defense has been acquired as part of such a good faith assignment or transfer.(Sec. 303) Directs the General Accounting Office (GAO) to study and report to specified congressional committees on the effect on innovation, competition (foreign and domestic), and American businesses (including electronic commerce) of the quality of patents being issued on business methods by the PTO.Title IV: Patent Term Guarantee - Patent Term Guarantee Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to extend the term of a patent one day for each day lost as a result of delay created by the PTO when the agency fails to: (1) make notifications within 14 months after filing of a non-provisional application about the rejection of any patent claim, or objections to or requirements for it, or of allowance of the application; (2) respond within four months to a reply to a rejection, objection, or requirement, or to an appeal of a twice-rejected claim; (3) act on an application within four months after the date of a decision by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, or a decision by a Federal court in a case in which allowable claims remain in the application; or (4) issue a patent within four months after the date on which the issue fee was paid and all outstanding requirements were satisfied.(Sec. 402) Requires a day-for-day extension of a patent term if: (1) a patent is not issued within three years after the filing of the application; or (2) issue is delayed by interferences, secrecy orders, or appeals. Specifies limitations to such an extension, as well as grounds for its reduction.Requires the Commissioner to prescribe regulations establishing procedures for the application for and determination of patent term extensions and adjustments.(Sec. 403) Authorizes the Commissioner to: (1) prescribe regulations for the continued examination, at the applicant's request, of a patent application notwithstanding a final rejection; and (2) establish appropriate fees for continued examination proceedings, with a mandatory 50% fee reduction for qualifying small entities.Title V: Domestic Publication of Patent Applications Published Abroad - Domestic Publication of Foreign Filed Patent Applications Act of 1999 - Requires the Commissioner to publish each patent application 18 months after the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought, unless the applicant requests earlier publication. Makes final and unreviewable the Director's determination to release or not to release information concerning a published patent application. Prohibits publication of any application: (1) no longer pending; (2) subject to a secrecy order; (3) which is provisional; (4) for a design patent; or (5) for an invention the applicant certifies has not and will not be the subject of an application filed in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires publication of applications 18 months after filing. Requires any applicant, in the latter instance, who subsequently files, in a foreign country or under a multilateral international agreement, an application directed to the invention disclosed in the application filed in the PTO, to notify the Commissioner.(Sec. 502) Allows an applicant to submit a redacted copy of the PTO-filed application, eliminating any part or description of the invention that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications the applicant has filed in one or more foreign countries whose applications require a less extensive description of the invention than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the PTO. Requires the Commissioner to publish only the redacted copy of the application, unless it is not received within 16 months after the earliest effective filing date.Requires the Commissioner to establish appropriate procedures to ensure that no protest or other form of pre-issuance opposition to the grant of a patent on an application may be initiated after publication of the application without the express written consent of the applicant.Prohibits publication or disclosure of the application of any invention whose publication or disclosure would be detrimental to the national security.Directs the GAO to study and report to specified congressional committees on applicants who file only in the United States on or after the effective date of this subtitle.(Sec. 503) Amends Federal patent law with respect to the option of an applicant seeking patent protection in the United States to claim the filing date of an application for the same invention filed in another Convention country, provided the subsequent application is filed in the United States within 12 months of the earlier filing in the foreign country. Revises requirements for claiming such priority. Authorizes the Commissioner to: (1) consider an applicant's failure to file a timely claim for priority to be a waiver of any such priority claim; and (2) establish procedures (including the payment of a surcharge) to accept an unintentionally delayed priority claim.(Sec. 504) Amends Federal patent law to state that a patent shall contain a (provisional) right to obtain a reasonable royalty for applicants whose applications are published under this title, or international applications designating the United States filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).Entitles the applicant to obtain a reasonable royalty from any person who between publication of the application and issuance of the patent: (1) makes, uses, offers for sale, or sells the invention in, or imports it into, the United States; or (2) if the invention claimed is a process, makes, uses, offers for sale, sells, or imports a product made by that process in the United States; and (3) had actual notice of the published application, including a translation into English if it was filed in a non-English language under the PCT designating the United States.Denies availability of such right unless the invention as claimed in the patent is substantially identical to the invention as claimed in the published application.Sets a six-year statute of limitations from the date of patent issuance in which an action for reasonable royalties must be brought.(Sec. 505) Grants a published application prior art effect as of its earliest effective U.S. filing date against any subsequently filed U.S. applications. States that any foreign filing date to which the published application is entitled will not be the effective filing date of the U.S. published application for prior art purposes, unless it is an international application designating the United States published in English under the PCT.(Sec. 506) Requires the Commissioner to recover the cost of early publication required by this title by charging a separate publication fee after a notice of allowance is given.Title VI: Optional Inter Partes Reexamination Procedure - Optional Inter Partes Reexamination Procedure Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to allow a third party to request inter partes reexamination by the PTO of a patent on the basis of any prior art, as long as the real party in interest is identified.(Sec. 604) Requires the Commissioner to: (1) make a determination (which shall be final and non-appealable) of whether a substantial new question of patentability affecting any claim of the patent concerned is raised by the request, with or without consideration of other patents or printed publications; and (2) order an inter partes reexamination of the patent for resolution of any substantial new question determined.Prescribes procedures for an inter partes reexamination.Entitles the third-party requester to: (1) submit one written comment addressing issues raised by the action of the Office or the patent owner's response each time the patent owner files a response to the PTO; and (2) appeal to the PTO Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences (but not the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) from an examiner's determination that the reexamined patent is valid. Entitles the patent owner to appeal to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit any decision adverse to a claim's patentability.Estops any third-party requesters who participate in an inter partes reexamination proceeding from raising in a subsequent civil action or inter partes reexamination any issue of patent validity that they raised or could have raised during such inter partes reexamination. Permits a subsequent assertion of patent invalidity, however, based on newly discovered prior art unavailable to the third-party requester and the PTO at the time of the inter partes reexamination proceedings.Requires the Commissioner, upon expiration of the time for appeal or termination of any appeal proceeding with regard to an inter partes reexamination, to cancel any patent claim finally determined unpatentable, confirm any claim determined patentable, or incorporate in the patent any proposed amended or new claim determined patentable.Prescribes circumstances in which an inter partes reexamination is prohibited.(Sec. 606) Directs the Commissioner to evaluate for Congress whether the inter partes reexamination proceedings established under this title are inequitable to any of the parties in interest and, if so, recommend suitable changes.(Sec. 607) Estops an inter partes reexamination requester from challenging at a later time, in any civil action, any fact determined during the process of such reexamination, except with respect to a fact determination later proved to be erroneous based on information unavailable at the time of the inter partes reexamination decision.Title VII: Miscellaneous Patent Provisions - Amends Federal patent law to permit the conversion, upon applicant request, of a provisional application into a non-provisional application. Repeals the requirement that a provisional application be pending on the filing date of a non-provisional application in order for the provisional application to be relied upon in any proceeding in the PTO.(Sec. 702) Permits persons who filed an application for patent first in a World Trade Organization (WTO) member country to claim the right of priority in a subsequent patent application filed in the United States, even if such country does not yet afford similar privileges on the basis of applications filed in the United States.Provides for the right of priority in the United States on the basis of an application for a plant breeder's right first filed in a WTO member country or in a foreign member of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Contracting Party).(Sec. 703) Makes certain limitations on remedies for patent infringement applicable only to applications filed on or after September 30, 1996.(Sec. 704) Authorizes the PTO to receive, publish, disseminate, and maintain information in electronic form.Prohibits the Commissioner from ceasing to maintain paper or microform collections of U.S. patents, foreign patent documents, and U.S. trademark registrations, except pursuant to notice and opportunity for public comment. Requires the Commissioner to report to Congress the details of any proposal to cease maintaining paper or microform collections, certifying that its implementation will not negatively impact the public.(Sec. 705) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the potential risks to the U.S. biotechnological industry regarding biological deposits in support of biotechnology patents. Requires the PTO to consider the Comptroller General's recommendations when drafting regulations affecting biological deposits.(Sec. 706) Specifies that an inventor involved in a PTO interference proceeding who establishes a date of invention is subject to certain requirements, including the one that the invention was not abandoned, suppressed, or concealed.(Sec. 707) Revises the condition of patentability that subject matter developed by another person which qualifies as prior art only in certain circumstances shall not preclude the granting of a patent on an invention with only obvious differences where the subject matter and claimed invention were, at the time the invention was made, owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person. Adds to such qualifying prior art circumstances that the invention was described in another patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's date of invention. (Thus allows an applicant to receive a patent when an invention with only obvious differences from the applicant's invention was described in a patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's invention, provided the inventions are commonly owned or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person.)(Sec. 708) Prohibits the Commissioner from entering into an agreement to provide copies of specifications and drawings of U.S. patents and applications to a foreign country, other than a North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) country or a WTO member country, without the express authorization of the Secretary of Commerce.(Sec. 709) Directs the Commissioner to maintain a program for identifying national security positions and providing for appropriate security clearances, in order to maintain the secrecy of certain inventions and to prevent disclosure of sensitive and strategic information in the interest of national security.",2025-08-20T14:17:26Z,
106-hr-3136,106,hr,3136,Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act,Commerce,1999-10-25,1999-11-05,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Moore, Dennis [D-KS-3]",KS,D,M001140,27,Children's Gasoline Burn Prevention Act - Authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a standard for special packaging of portable gasoline containers under specified provisions of the Poison Prevention Packaging Act.,2025-08-20T14:19:52Z,
106-s-1764,106,s,1764,Antitrust Technical Corrections and Improvements Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-10-21,1999-10-28,Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 352.,Senate,"Sen. DeWine, Mike [R-OH]",OH,R,D000294,1,"Antitrust Technical Corrections and Improvements Act of 1999 - Repeals provisions of the Panama Canal Act which bar use of the Panama Canal to violators of antitrust laws.Amends the Sherman Act to prohibit as a felony, and set penalties for, monopolizing, attempting to monopolize, or combining or conspiring with others to monopolize trade or commerce among the U.S. territories or possessions and the District of Columbia, or between any of the States and any such territory or possession or the District of Columbia.Transfers provisions regarding application of the antitrust laws to professional major league baseball from the Curt Flood Act of 1998 to the Clayton Act.",2025-08-20T14:17:30Z,
106-s-1739,106,s,1739,Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-10-15,1999-10-15,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Wellstone, Paul D. [D-MN]",MN,D,W000288,6,"Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Antitrust Review Act of 1999 - Title I: Moratorium on Large Agribusiness Mergers - Prohibits (with waiver authority by the Attorney General) certain large dealers, processors, commission merchants, agricultural input suppliers, brokers, or operators of a warehouse from directly or indirectly acquiring voting securities or assets of other large agribusiness entities until the earlier of: (1) the effective date of comprehensive legislation addressing the problem of market concentration in the agriculture sector; or (2) 18 months after enactment of this Act.Title II: Agriculture Concentration and Market Power Review Commission - Establishes the Agriculture Concentration and Market Power Review Commission to: (1) study U.S. agricultural economy concentration; and (2) make recommendations on changes to antitrust and other laws to maintain a competitive marketplace for smaller producers and their communities.Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:17:27Z,
106-hr-3028,106,hr,3028,Trademark Cyberpiracy Prevention Act,Commerce,1999-10-06,1999-10-26,Laid on the table. See S. 1255 for further action. (consideration: CR H10831),House,"Rep. Rogan, James E. [R-CA-27]",CA,R,R000386,4,"Trademark Cyberpiracy Prevention Act - Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to make liable in a civil action by the owner of a trademark or service mark any person who, with a bad faith intent to profit from the mark, regardless of the parties' goods or services, registers, traffics in, or uses a domain name which, at the time of its registration, is: (1) identical or confusingly similar to a distinctive mark; or (2) dilutive of a famous mark (including protected marks, words, or names of the Red Cross, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, and the Pan-American Sports Organization). Specifies factors for the court to consider in determining bad faith intent. Limits liability for the actionable use of a domain name to the domain name registrant or the registrant's authorized licensee only.(Sec. 2) Authorizes a court to order the forfeiture or cancellation of the domain name or its transfer to the mark owner.Prescribes conditions for an in rem civil action, in addition to any other action, against a domain name by a mark owner. Limits remedies in an in rem action to a court order for the forfeiture or cancellation of the domain name or its transfer to the mark owner.(Sec. 3) Provides for statutory damages in an amount of at least $1,000 and up to $100,000 per domain name, as the court considers just. Requires the court to remit statutory damages if an infringer believed with reasonable grounds that use of the domain name was fair or otherwise lawful.(Sec. 4) Shields from liability for monetary relief, regardless of whether the domain name is finally determined to infringe or dilute the mark in question, any domain name registrar, registry, or other registration authority that refuses to register, removes from registration, transfers, temporarily disables, or permanently cancels a domain name: (1) in compliance with a court order; or (2) in the implementation of a reasonable policy prohibiting the registration of a domain name identical to, confusingly similar to, or dilutive of another's mark registered on the Principal Registry of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO Principal Registry) (or protected marks, words, or names of the Red Cross, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, and the Pan-American Sports Organization).Shields a registrar, registry, or other registration authority from liability for damages for the registration or maintenance of a domain name for another, unless there is a showing of bad faith intent to profit from such registration or maintenance of the domain name.Makes liable to a domain name registrant for any damages, and at the court's discretion injunctive relief (including reactivation or transfer to the registrant of the domain name), any person who makes a knowing and material misrepresentation that a domain name is identical to, confusingly similar to, or dilutive of a mark registered on the USPTO Principal Registry (or protected marks, words, or names of the Red Cross, the U.S. Olympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, International Paralympic Committee, and the Pan-American Sports Organization), and a registrar, registry, or other registration authority takes such an action based on such misrepresentation.Authorizes a registrant whose domain name has been suspended, disabled, or transferred, upon notice to the mark owner, to file a civil action for injunctive relief (including reactivation or transfer to the registrant of the domain name) to establish that the registration or use of the domain name by such registrant is not unlawful under such Act.(Sec. 8) Authorizes the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks in FY 2000 to adjust trademark fees without regard to fluctuations in the Consumer Price Index during the preceding 12 months.Amends Federal patent law to reduce: (1) from $760 to $690 original filing and reissue fees, as well as the national fee for certain international applications; and (2) from $940 to $830 the three-and-a-half year maintenance fee.(Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to require the registry administrator for the .us top level domain to establish a second level domain name for the purpose of registering only domain names of the President, Members of Congress, U.S. Senators, and other current holders of, and official candidates and potential official candidates for, Federal, State, or local political office in the United States.Directs the Secretary to establish guidelines and procedures under which individuals may register a domain name in such second level domain name.Requires the Federal Election Commission to establish and maintain a list of individuals eligible, under such guidelines, to register a domain name in such second level domain name.Authorizes the registry administrator and registrars for the .us top level domain to charge individuals reasonable fees for registering domain names under this Act.(Sec. 10) Amends the National Historic Preservation Act to allow historic buildings and structures meeting the criteria for the National Register of Historic Places to retain the name by which they are listed on the Register, if that name is the historical name associated with the building or structure.",2025-04-07T13:47:21Z,
106-hr-3032,106,hr,3032,National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-10-06,1999-11-01,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA-7]",MA,D,M000133,53,"National Amusement Park Ride Safety Act of 1999 - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to include amusement rides that are permanently fixed to a site in the definition of ""consumer product"" (thereby giving the Consumer Product Safety Commission jurisdiction over such amusement rides). Authorizes appropriations to carry out the Act as amended by this Act.",2025-08-20T14:19:59Z,
106-hr-3007,106,hr,3007,Internet Cigarette Warning Label Act,Commerce,1999-10-04,1999-10-19,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Meehan, Martin T. [D-MA-5]",MA,D,M000627,2,"Internet Cigarette Warning Label Act - Makes it unlawful for any cigarette manufacturer, importer, or retailer to sell or advertise cigarettes through the Internet unless the packages and Internet images contain warning labels required by specified provisions of the Federal Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act. Requires the Federal Trade Commission to regulate how warnings must appear on the Internet so as to be conspicuous.",2025-08-20T14:20:20Z,
106-hr-2927,106,hr,2927,Affordable Prescription Drugs Act,Commerce,1999-09-23,2000-03-21,Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H1127),House,"Rep. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH-13]",OH,D,B000944,11,"Affordable Prescription Drugs Act - Amends Federal patent law to grant the Secretary of Health and Human Services the right to establish compulsory licensing (without authorization of the right holder) for nonexclusive, nonassignable use of certain patented medical inventions upon a determination that: (1) the patent holder, contractor, exclusive licensee, or assignee has not taken, or is not expected to take within a reasonable time, effective steps to achieve practical application of the subject invention in a field of use; (2) such compulsory license is necessary to alleviate health or safety needs which are not adequately satisfied by the patent holder, contractor, licensee, or assignee; or (3) the patented material is priced higher than may be reasonably expected based on criteria developed by the Secretary of Commerce.Requires any person engaged in the manufacture and sale of any new drug or new animal drug approved under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, for which a patent is still in effect, to report annually to Congress an audit of all financial information relevant to that drug's pricing nationally and internationally, including research and development costs, sufficient to assess the reasonableness of that pricing. Requires disqualification from participation in Federal programs as a penalty for noncompliance with this reporting requirement.",2025-08-20T14:20:18Z,
106-s-1594,106,s,1594,Community Development and Venture Capital Act of 2000,Commerce,1999-09-16,2000-08-25,Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 759.,Senate,"Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]",MA,D,K000148,11,"Community Development and Venture Capital Act of 2000 - Title I: New Markets Venture Capital Program - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to establish a New Markets Venture Capital Program under which the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to make grants to new market venture capital companies (NMVCs) and specialized small business investment companies (SSBICs) and to guarantee debentures issued by NMVCs. Makes eligible as participating companies in the Program those companies which submit an approved business plan for: (1) making venture capital investments in small enterprises; and (2) providing marketing, management, and technical assistance to such enterprises. Requires applicants to be experienced in making venture capital investments in small enterprises. Requires the Administrator, in making such selections, to promote nationwide investment.  Provides additional application requirements and SBA selection criteria. Outlines conditions to be met by each company before final approval as an NMVC, including: (1) a capital investment requirement of at least $5 million from investors who meet SBA-established criteria; and (2) cash or binding commitments with non-SBA sources for Program marketing, management, and technical assistance.Authorizes the Administrator to: (1) make grants to each approved NMVC to provide marketing, management, and technical assistance for the benefit of small enterprises financed by the NMVC; (2) guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by NMVCs, not to exceed 150 percent of the contributed capital of the NMVC (requiring at least 25 percent of debenture amounts to be invested in smaller enterprises located in historically underutilized business zones); (3) issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of SBA-guaranteed debentures under this Act; and (4) charge fees with respect to any guarantee issued or grant awarded. Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to SSBICs to provide marketing, management, and technical assistance to smaller enterprises located in low-income geographic areas. Requires the SSBIC to submit a plan for the grant use, and limits the grant amount to 30 percent of the total investment made by the SSBIC. Requires matching funds under both grant programs. Prohibits such grant funds from being used for any other purpose.Authorizes any national bank, member bank of the Federal Reserve System, and any other bank which is insured to the extent permitted under applicable State law to invest in any NMVC, or in any entity established to invest solely in NMVCs. Limits such investment to five percent of such bank's capital and surplus.Requires each NMVC to provide the SBA with any required information.Subjects each NMVC to examinations made at the direction of the Investment Division of the SBA.Authorizes the Administrator to obtain injunctions and other relief against companies violating requirements of this Act, which shall include a breach of fiduciary duty in unlawful acts and omissions by company officers, directors, employees, or agents.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005 to carry out this title.(Sec. 102) Exempts an NMVC from debtor status under Federal bankruptcy law.(Sec. 103) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to authorize a Federal savings association to invest in NMVC securities, with an investment limit of five percent of the association's capital and surplus.Title II: Community Development Venture Capital Assistance - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator to: (1) contract with one or more community development organizations to carry out training and research activities for individuals in community development venture capital organizations (privately-controlled organizations which promote community development in low-income communities through investment in private businesses); and (2) make grants to community development organizations for the cost of such training and research activities and to intermediary organizations to provide intense marketing, management, and technical assistance and training to community development venture capital organizations. Outlines authorized training and research activities. Directs the Administrator to require, as a condition to a grant to an intermediary organization, a matching contribution from non-Federal sources.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005 to carry out this title.Title III: Business Linc - Authorizes the Administrator to make grants to, and enter into cooperative agreements with, any coalition of private or public sector participants that: (1) expand business-to-business relationships between large and small businesses; and (2) provide businesses with information about companies interested in mentor-protege programs or community-based, Statewide, or local business development programs. Provides a matching funds requirement, with an authorized waiver in the best interests of the program.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005 to carry out this title.",2025-04-07T13:42:28Z,
106-hr-2848,106,hr,2848,New Markets Initiative Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-09-13,2000-07-28,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 464.",House,"Rep. Watts, J. C., Jr. [R-OK-4]",OK,R,W000210,3,"New Markets Initiative Act of 1999 - Title I: New Markets Venture Capital Program - Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a New Markets Venture Capital Program, under which the SBA may: (1) enter into a participation agreement with each new market venture capital company (company) for encouraging venture capital investment in smaller enterprises located in urban and rural areas; (2) guarantee debentures issued by each company; and (3) make technical assistance grants to each company. Makes eligible as a participating company in the Program one which: (1) is a newly formed for-profit entity or newly formed for-profit subsidiary of an existing company; and (2) has a management team with experience in community development financing or venture capital financing. Outlines application requirements and SBA selection criteria, requiring the SBA to ensure that companies are chosen so that investments under the Program will be made nationwide. Outlines conditions to be met by each company before final approval, including: (1) a capital investment requirement of at least $5 million from investors who meet SBA-established criteria; and (2) binding commitments with non-SBA sources for Program marketing, management, and technical assistance.Authorizes the SBA to: (1) guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by companies, not to exceed 150 percent of the contributed capital; (2) make grants to each company to provide marketing, management, and technical assistance for the benefit of smaller enterprises financed by such company; (3) issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of SBA-guaranteed debentures under this Act; and (4) charge fees with respect to any guarantee or certificate issued.Authorizes any national bank, member bank of the Federal Reserve System, and any other bank which is insured to the extent permitted under applicable State law to invest in any company or in any entity established to invest solely in such companies. Limits such investment to five percent of such bank's capital and surplus.Requires each company to provide the SBA with any required information.Subjects each company to examinations made at the direction of the Investment Division of the SBA.Authorizes the SBA to obtain injunctions and other relief against companies violating requirements of this Act, which shall include a breach of fiduciary duty in unlawful acts and omissions by company officers, directors, employees, or agents.Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2005 to carry out this title.(Sec. 103) Exempts a company from debtor status under Federal bankruptcy law.(Sec. 104) Amends the Home Owners' Loan Act to authorize a Federal savings association to invest in company securities, with an investment limit of five percent of the association's capital and surplus.Title II: Small Business Loans - Amends the Small Business Act to: (1) increase to $150,000 (formerly $100,000) the authorized outstanding loan balance for small businesses receiving start-up loans from the SBA; (2) increase from $80,000 to $120,000 the total deferred participation share threshold of an SBA-guaranteed loan for which the loan fee cannot exceed two percent; and (3) reduce the annual loan fee with respect to guaranteed loans of less than $150,000.Title III: America's Private Investment Companies - America's Private Investment Companies Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to license and regulate America's Private Investment Companies (APICs). Provides related administrative authority over APICs. Allows credit subsidies allocated to APICs to be increased as an award for high performance, but only: (1) for APICs that have been licensed for at least two years; and (2) pursuant to a competition among eligible APICs. Authorizes the Secretary to set and collect fees for loan guarantees and commitments made under this title. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for the cost of such loan guarantees and for administrative expenses.(Sec. 305) Outlines APIC selection criteria, requiring such APICs to: (1) be a private, for-profit entity that qualifies as a community development entity (an entity that provides investment capital for low-income communities or persons); (2) have available a minimum of $25 million in private equity capital; (3) be clearly qualified and have the necessary knowledge and experience to make investments for community development in distressed areas; and (4) prepare and submit an investment strategy and a statement of public purpose goals in connection with such investments. Requires the Secretary to select eligible entities as APICs on the basis of competitions. Outlines: (1) administrative procedures concerning the selection of qualified APICs by the Secretary; and (2) APIC powers, authorities, and investment and leverage limits. Limits: (1) to 15 the number of APICs selected in the first year; and (2) the amount of credit subsidy allocated to any single APIC to 20 percent of the entire budget authority. Requires the Secretary, during the first year, to select at least one entity which has as its primary purpose the making of qualified low-income community investments within Indian country or Hawaiian home lands (unless no such entity is eligible). Directs the Secretary to set forth procedures under which HUD and APIC applicants may communicate.(Sec. 307) Authorizes the Secretary to make commitments to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on qualified debentures issued by APICs, to issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of such guaranteed debentures, and to guarantee such certificates. Requires such qualified debentures to be senior to any other debt obligation, equity contribution or earnings, dividends, interest, or other amounts of an APIC. Outlines guarantee and certificate limits, terms and conditions.(Sec. 308) Authorizes the Secretary to issue a guarantee for a qualified debenture that an APIC intends to issue only pursuant to a request by an APIC for such guarantee, under procedures to be prescribed by the Secretary. Provides additional APIC requirements for such requests when: (1) the proceeds of the debenture are to be used as an APIC initial expenditure for a project or activity to fund qualified low-income community investments; and (2) such expenditure would require an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and related laws. Authorizes the Secretary, in the latter case, to guarantee such debenture if the appropriate State or local governmental unit assumes such environmental review responsibilities. Directs the Secretary to issue regulations to carry out such a debenture guarantee only after consultation with the Council on Environmental Quality. Outlines procedures for the approval of a request for the guarantee of a debenture to be used for low-income community investment.(Sec. 309) Directs the Secretary to: (1) examine and monitor APIC operations and activities for compliance with sound management practices and satisfaction of program and procedural goals of this Act and related Acts; (2) establish annual or more frequent reporting requirements for APICs for the updating of public purpose goals, investment strategies, and other documents required in the license application process; and (3) require each APIC to undergo an annual independent audit of its operations. Outlines consultation requirements of HUD's Inspector General in monitoring HUD's responsibilities under this title. Requires an annual report from the Secretary to Congress regarding the operations, activities, financial health, and achievements of the APIC program. Requires a report from the Comptroller General to Congress regarding the operation of the program for APIC licensing and guarantees.(Sec. 310) Authorize the Secretary to provide penalties, including civil penalties, suspending or conditioning the use of an APIC license, cease and desist orders, and withdrawal of investment funds, for an APIC's failure to conform to such strategies and statements or noncompliance with requirements of this Act. Outlines specific procedures with respect to cease and desist orders and the suspension or conditioning of an APIC license.(Sec. 311) Makes this title effective six months after the enactment of this Act.(Sec. 312) Prohibits, after five years after the Secretary awards the first license for an APIC: (1) the Secretary from licensing any additional APICs; or (2) amounts being appropriated for the costs of any guarantees for qualified debentures issued by an APIC.Title IV: New Markets Credit - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide a new markets tax credit for taxpayers holding a qualified equitable investment, in the amount of six percent of the amount paid to the qualified community development entity for authorized investments under this Act. Provides a tax credit limit of $1.2 billion for each of calendar years 2000 through 2004, to be allocated among selected qualified community development entities. Provides for tax credit recapture in appropriate cases. Makes such credit part of the general business tax credit.",2025-04-07T13:46:38Z,
106-s-1572,106,s,1572,Children's Sleepwear Safety Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-09-09,1999-09-09,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.,Senate,"Sen. Roth Jr., William V. [R-DE]",DE,R,R000460,4,"Children's Sleepwear Safety Act of 1999 - Directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to propose for comment and issue a final rule amending its Flammable Fabrics Act standards to revoke the amendments to the standards for the flammability of children's sleepwear issued by the Commission on September 9, 1966.Provides that: (1) the Consumer Product Safety Act, the Flammable Fabrics Act, the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996, or any other statute or executive order shall not apply with respect to the promulgation of  such rule; and (2) sleepwear manufactured or imported before the effective date of the Commission's revocation shall not be considered in violation of the Flammable Fabrics Act if it complied with the rules in effect at the time it was manufactured or imported.",2025-08-20T14:20:52Z,
106-hr-2812,106,hr,2812,Community Development Venture Capital Assistance Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-09-08,1999-09-08,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-3]",MA,D,M000312,30,Community Development Venture Capital Assistance Act of 1999 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to: (1) enter into contracts with one or more development organizations specializing in community development in low-income communities to carry out training and research activities to enhance the professional skills of individuals within community development venture capital organizations operating in such communities; and (2) make grants to development organizations for such activities and to intermediary organizations to provide training and assistance to community development venture capital organizations operating in such communities. Requires matching non-Federal funds. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2003.,2025-08-20T14:17:38Z,
106-hr-2764,106,hr,2764,America's Private Investment Companies Act,Commerce,1999-08-05,2000-05-23,"Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 351.",House,"Rep. LaFalce, John J. [D-NY-29]",NY,D,L000556,40,"America's Private Investment Companies Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to license community development entities as America's Private Investment Companies (APICs) (for-profit investment companies formed to make equity and credit investments for large-scale business development in low-income communities). Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) increase the credit subsidy normally allocated to an APIC as an award for high performance (but allows such an increase only for an APIC that has been licensed for at least two years and pursuant to a competition among eligible APICs); (2) impose fees and charges for administrative costs; and (3) collect fees for loan guarantee commitments and loans made under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2004 for loan guarantee commitments and for administrative expenses.(Sec. 5) Outlines APIC eligibility requirements, including that each such an entity: (1) have reasonably available at least $25 million in private equity capital; and (2) prepare and submit to the Secretary an investment strategy and a statement of public purpose goals. Directs the Secretary to select APICs for licensing on the basis of competitions announced through the Federal Register. Requires geographical diversity among applicants selected and diversity of investment strategies so that both urban and rural communities are served. Prohibits the number of APICs awarded a license in the first year from exceeding 15. Limits the amount of credit subsidy allocated to any single APIC to 20 percent of the total amount initially made available under this Act. Requires at least one APIC selected during the first year to have as its primary purpose the making of qualified low-income community investments in areas within Indian country or within Hawaiian home land.(Sec. 6) Requires substantially all investments made by selected APICs to be qualified low-income community investments when financed by the Secretary. Outlines investment limits and borrowing and repayment conditions.(Sec. 7) Authorizes the Secretary, to the extent consistent with the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, to make commitments to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on qualified debentures issued by APICs, to issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or part of such debentures, and to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on such certificates.(Sec. 8) Allows the Secretary to guarantee a qualified debenture that an APIC intends to issue only pursuant to a request by that APIC. Outlines special requirements for: (1) requests which include funding for initial expenditures for a project or activity; and (2) certification by a State or local government of responsibility for environmental reviews and response requirements in connection with authorized projects or activities.(Sec. 9) Directs the Secretary to: (1) examine and monitor the operations and activities of APICs for compliance with sound financial management practices and satisfaction of the program and procedural goals of this and related Acts; and (2) establish appropriate APIC audit and reporting requirements. Requires: (1) an annual report from the Secretary to Congress on the APIC program; and (2) a report from the Comptroller General to Congress regarding the operation of the program for licensing and guarantees for APICs.(Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) penalize APICs for fraud, mismanagement, or noncompliance (provides for notice and an opportunity to respond prior to imposition of such penalties); (2) issue a cease-and-desist order with respect to an APIC action, practice, or failure to act; and (3) suspend or condition an APIC license.(Sec. 12) Prohibits the Secretary from licensing any APIC or providing subsidy credit for any APIC after the five- year period beginning on the date of award of the first APIC license.",2025-04-07T13:46:38Z,
106-s-1505,106,s,1505,Drug-Free Workplace Fair Demonstration Act,Commerce,1999-08-05,1999-08-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Coverdell, Paul [R-GA]",GA,R,C000813,2,Drug-Free Workplace Fair Demonstration Act - Amends the Small Business Act to increase and extend through FY 2002 the authorization for the drug-free workplace demonstration program.,2025-08-20T14:19:38Z,
106-s-1549,106,s,1549,Child Labor Free Consumer Information Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-08-05,1999-08-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.,Senate,"Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]",IA,D,H000206,2,"Child Labor Free Consumer Information Act of 1999 - Title I: Child Labor Free Labeling Standards - Directs the Secretary of Labor to issue regulations to ensure that a label using any term or symbol denying the use of child labor does not make a false statement or suggestion that the article or section of wearing apparel or sporting good was not made with child labor. Requires such standards to encourage the use of an easily identifiable symbol or term indicating that the article or section of wearing apparel or sporting good was not made with child labor.(Sec. 101) Requires a producer, importer, exporter, distributor, or other person intending to use any such label to notify the Child Labor Free Commission (CLFC, established under title II of this Act) specified source information. Requires the Commission to review the notification and inform the Secretary, whose permission is required for use of such label. Authorizes the Secretary to charge a fee to cover the CLFC's notification review expenses.Makes it a violation of the Federal Trade Commission Act (FTCA) for any producer, importer, exporter, distributor, or seller of any article or section of wearing apparel or sporting good that is exported from or offered for sale in the United States to falsely indicate on the label or the packaging, or in the advertising, or otherwise falsely claim or suggest, that the item was not made with child labor.Amends FTCA to prescribe civil penalties for such violations.Establishes in the Treasury the Free the Children Fund for receipt of such penalties. Authorizes annual appropriations from the Fund for educational and other programs to eliminate child labor.Authorizes the CLFC to: (1) develop labeling standards similar to the labeling standards developed for any industry that is not otherwise covered under this Act; and (2) recommend their promulgation to the Secretary, so that this Act and the FTCA shall also apply to the labeling covered by those standards.(Sec. 102) Directs the CLFC to assist the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) by reviewing petitions alleging violations of the labeling standards under this Act. Provides, on the basis of CLFC violation reports, for: (1) the Secretary's temporary withdrawal of permission to use such labels; and (2) the FTC's issuance of cease and desist orders.Title II: Child Labor Free Commission - Establishes the Child Labor Free Commission (CLFC) to: (1) assist the Secretary in developing child labor free labeling standards, and in developing and implementing a compliance system; and (2) commence developing an easily identifiable labeling standard that the Secretary of Labor may issue to encourage the use of voluntary labels informing consumers that an article of wearing apparel or sporting good was made without the use of sweatshop or exploited adult labor.Title III: Recognition of Exemplary Corporate Efforts - Directs the Secretary to: (1) report annually on companies making exemplary progress in ensuring that products they make, sell, or distribute are not made with abusive and exploitative child labor; and (2) develop and implement, with the CLFC, other methods of recognizing such exemplary company programs.Title IV: Definitions - Defines child as an individual who has not attained the age of: (1) 15 years, as measured by the Julian calendar; or (2) 14 such years, for a resident of a country that, by law, so defines a child.",2025-08-20T14:17:43Z,
106-s-1565,106,s,1565,America's Private Investment Companies Act,Commerce,1999-08-05,1999-08-05,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking.,Senate,"Sen. Sarbanes, Paul S. [D-MD]",MD,D,S000064,5,"America's Private Investment Companies Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to license America's Private Investment Companies (APICs) (for-profit investment companies formed to make equity and credit investments for large-scale business development in low-income communities). Authorizes the Secretary to impose fees and charges for administrative costs and to collect fees for loan guarantee commitments and loans made under this Act. Authorizes appropriations for FY 2000 through 2003 for loan guarantee commitments and for administrative expenses.(Sec. 105) Directs the Secretary to select APICs for licensing on the basis of competitions announced through the Federal Register. Outlines application and licensee selection requirements and criteria, including that each such entity have available at least $25 million in equity capital.(Sec. 106) Requires substantially all investments made by selected APICs to be qualified low-income community investments if such investments are financed by the Secretary under this Act. Outlines investment limits and borrowing and repayment conditions.(Sec. 107) Authorizes the Secretary, consistent with the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, to make commitments to guarantee the timely payment of principal and interest on debentures issued by APICs, to issue trust certificates representing ownership of all or a fractional part of such debentures, and to guarantee the payment of principal and interest on such certificates.(Sec. 108) Authorizes an APIC to request that the Secretary guarantee a debenture that the APIC intends to issue under this Act. Outlines special requirements for: (1) requests which would include funding for initial expenditures for a project or activity; and (2) certification by a State or unit of general local government of responsibility for environmental reviews in connection with authorized projects or activities.(Sec. 109) Directs the Secretary to examine and monitor the operations and activities of APICs for compliance with sound financial management practices and satisfaction of the program and procedural goals of this and related Acts.(Sec. 110) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) increase the credit subsidy allocated to an APIC as an award for high performance in carrying out its investment strategy and public purpose goals; and (2) penalize APICs for fraud, mismanagement, or noncompliance (allowing for notice and opportunity to respond prior to such penalties).",2025-08-20T14:19:19Z,
106-s-1494,106,s,1494,Electronic Commerce Extension Establishment Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-08-04,1999-08-04,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce.,Senate,"Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]",NM,D,B000468,6,"Electronic Commerce Extension Establishment Act of 1999 - Amends the National Bureau of Standards Act to direct the Secretary of Commerce to provide assistance for the creation and support of Regional Centers for the Transfer of Electronic Commerce Technology (Centers).  Requires the Centers to be affiliated with any U.S.-based nonprofit institution or organization that applies for and is awarded financial assistance under this Act.  Outlines objectives of the Centers, including aiding small businesses, especially those located in rural areas, in identifying and adopting electronic commerce technologies and business practices.  Defines ""electronic commerce"" as the ability to buy, sell, and deliver goods and services through computer networks.  Requires such Centers to: (1) establish electronic commerce demonstration systems for technology transfer; and (2) transfer and disseminate research findings and Center expertise to companies and enterprises, particularly small businesses.  Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial support to a Center for such activities and objectives. Outlines application requirements for such assistance.  Requires Centers receiving assistance to be evaluated during the third year of operation by a panel of private experts.  Requires a positive finding from such panel before a Center may receive such assistance for its fourth through sixth years.  Requires independent review of a Center every two years after the sixth year, to be conducted under procedures established by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. Provides Center funding limitations. Requires the Secretary to publish a proposal for the assistance program provided under this Act, as well as a final program. Authorizes appropriations.",2025-08-20T14:18:35Z,
106-hr-2654,106,hr,2654,American Inventors Protection Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-07-30,1999-08-06,Referred to the Subcommittee on Courts and Intellectual Property.,House,"Rep. Coble, Howard [R-NC-6]",NC,R,C000556,0,"American Inventors Protection Act of 1999 - Title I: Inventors' Rights - Inventors' Rights Act - Amends Federal patent law to oblige any invention promoter, when entering into a contract for invention promotion services, to disclose to a customer in writing: (1) whether the promoter's usual business practice is to seek more than one contract in connection with an invention, or seek to perform promotion services in one or more phases, with the performance of each phase covered in one or more subsequent contracts; and (2) a summary of the promoter's usual business practices, including the usual business terms of contracts, and the approximate amount of the usual fees or other consideration for each of the services provided.(Sec. 102) Prescribes a standard cover notice for every invention promotion services contract, including: (1) the procedure for contract cancellation; (2) the total number of inventions evaluated by the promoter for commercial potential in the past five years, including the number of positive and of negative evaluations; (3) the total number of customers who have contracted with the promoter in the past five years; (4) the total number of customers known by the promoter to have received a net financial profit as a direct result of the invention promotion services provided; (5) the total number of customers known by the invention promoter to have received license agreements for their inventions as a direct result of such services; and (6) the names and addresses of all previous invention promotion companies with which the promoter or its officers have collectively or individually been affiliated in the previous ten years.Sets forth mandatory contract terms and remedies for certain prohibited contract practices.Establishes a Federal cause of action for inventors injured by material false or fraudulent statements or representations, or any omission of material fact, by an invention promoter, or by the promoter's failure to make the required written disclosures. Sets minimum damages at $5,000, leaving the court discretion to treble actual damages, taking into account past complaints against the same invention promoter.Makes it a misdemeanor for an invention promoter to make fraudulent representations to a customer.Title II: First Inventor Defense - First Inventor Defense Act - Amends Federal patent law to declare that it shall be a defense to an infringement action with respect to any subject matter that would otherwise infringe one or more claims asserting a process or method in the patent being asserted against a person, if such person had, acting in good faith, actually reduced the subject matter to practice at least one year before the effective filing date of such patent, and commercially used the subject matter before the effective filing date of such patent.(Sec. 202) Deems a commercial use, in the case of activities performed by a nonprofit research laboratory, or nonprofit entity such as a university, research center, or hospital, any use for which the public is the intended beneficiary, except that such use: (1) may be asserted as a defense only for continued use by and in the laboratory or nonprofit entity; and (2) may not be asserted as a defense with respect to any subsequent commercialization or use outside such laboratory or nonprofit entity.States that the sale or other disposition of a useful end product produced by a patented method, by a person entitled to assert such a defense with respect to that useful end result, shall exhaust the patent owner's rights under the patent to the extent such rights would have been exhausted had such sale or other disposition been made by the patent owner.Limits the defense to inventions for processes or methods. Prohibits the defense if the subject matter on which the defense is based was derived from the patentee or persons in privity with the patentee.Declares that this defense is not a general license under all claims of the patent at issue, but extends only to the specific subject matter claimed in the patent with respect to which the person can assert a defense. Extends the defense, however, to variations in the quantity or volume of use of the claimed subject matter, and to improvements that do not infringe additional specifically claimed subject matter of the patent.Requires a person asserting the defense to establish it by clear and convincing evidence.Prohibits any person who has abandoned commercial use of subject matter from relying on activities performed before the date of abandonment in establishing a defense with respect to actions taken after such date.Limits assertion of the defense to the person who performed the acts necessary to establish it. Prohibits licensing, assignment, or transfer to any person but the patent owner of the right to assert the defense, except as an ancillary and subordinate part of a good faith assignment or transfer for other reasons of the entire enterprise or line of business to which the defense relates. Restricts the site of use of a subject matter for which the defense may be asserted if the defense has been acquired as part of such a good faith assignment or transfer.Title III: Patent Term Guarantee - Patent Term Guarantee Act of 1999 - Amends Federal patent law to extend the term of a patent one day for each day lost as a result of delay created by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) when the agency fails to: (1) make notifications within 14 months after filing of a non-provisional application about the rejection of any patent claim, or objections to or requirements for it, or of allowance of the application; (2) respond within four months to a reply to a rejection, objection, or requirement, or to an appeal of a twice-rejected claim; (3) act on an application within four months after the date of a decision by the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences, or a decision by a Federal court in a case in which allowable claims remain in the application; or (4) issue a patent within four months after the date on which the issue fee was paid and all outstanding requirements were satisfied.(Sec. 302) Requires a day-for-day extension of a patent term if: (1) a patent is not issued within three years after the filing of the application; or (2) issue is delayed by interferences, secrecy orders, or appeals. Specifies limitations to such an extension, as well as grounds for its reduction.Requires the USPTO Director to prescribe regulations establishing procedures for the application for and determination of patent term extensions and adjustments.(Sec. 303) Authorizes the USPTO Director to: (1) prescribe regulations for the continued examination, at the applicant's request, of a patent application notwithstanding a final rejection; and (2) establish appropriate fees for continued examination proceedings, with a mandatory 50% fee reduction for qualifying small entities.Title IV: United States Publication of Patent Applications Published Abroad - Publication of Foreign Filed Applications Act - Requires the USPTO Director to publish each patent application 18 months after the earliest filing date for which a benefit is sought, unless the applicant requests earlier publication. Makes final and unreviewable the Director's determination to release or not to release information concerning a published patent application. Prohibits publication of any application: (1) no longer pending; (2) subject to a secrecy order; (3) which is provisional; (4) for a design patent; or (5) for an invention the applicant certifies has not and will not be the subject of an application filed in another country, or under a multilateral international agreement, that requires publication of applications 18 months after filing. Requires any applicant, in the latter instance, who subsequently files, in a foreign country or under a multilateral international agreement, an application directed to the invention disclosed in the application filed in the PTO, to notify the Director.(Sec. 402) Allows an applicant to submit a redacted copy of the PTO-filed application, eliminating any part or description of the invention that is not also contained in any of the corresponding applications the applicant has filed in one or more foreign countries whose applications require a less extensive description of the invention than the application or description of the invention in the application filed in the PTO. Requires the USPTO Director to publish only the redacted copy of the application, unless it is not received within 16 months after the earliest effective filing date.Requires the USPTO Director to establish appropriate procedures to ensure that no protest or other form of pre-issuance opposition to the grant of a patent on an application may be initiated after publication of the application without the express written consent of the applicant.Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to specified congressional committees on applicants who file only in the United States on or after the effective date of this subtitle.(Sec. 403) Amends Federal patent law with respect to the option of an applicant seeking patent protection in the United States to claim the filing date of an application for the same invention filed in another Convention country, provided the subsequent application is filed in the United States within 12 months of the earlier filing in the foreign country. Revises requirements for claiming such priority. Authorizes the Director to: (1) consider an applicant's failure to file a timely claim for priority to be a waiver of any such priority claim; and (2) establish procedures (including the payment of a surcharge) to accept an unintentionally delayed priority claim.(Sec. 404) Amends Federal patent law to state that a patent shall contain a (provisional) right to obtain a reasonable royalty for applicants whose applications are published under this title, or international applications designating the United States filed under the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT).Entitles the applicant to obtain a reasonable royalty from any person who between publication of the application and issuance of the patent: (1) makes, uses, offers for sale, or sells the invention in, or imports it into, the United States; or (2) if the invention claimed is a process, makes, uses, offers for sale, sells, or imports a product made by that process in the United States; and (3) had actual notice of the published application, including a translation into English if it was filed in a non-English language under the PCT designating the United States.Denies availability of such right unless the invention as claimed in the patent is substantially identical to the invention as claimed in the published application.Sets a six-year statute of limitations from the date of patent issuance in which an action for reasonable royalties must be brought.Authorizes an applicant to request issuance of a patent incorporating one or more claims the USPTO Director has indicated allowable. Permits incorporation into the patent, or issuance of a separate patent, of any subsequently allowed claims.(Sec. 405) Grants a published application prior art effect as of its earliest effective U.S. filing date against any subsequently filed U.S. applications. States that any foreign filing date to which the published application is entitled will not be the effective filing date of the U.S. published application for prior art purposes, unless it is an international application designating the United States published in English under the PCT.(Sec. 406) Requires the USPTO Director to recover the cost of early publication required by this title by charging a separate publication fee after a notice of allowance is given.Title V: Patent Litigation Reduction Act - Patent Litigation Reduction Act - Revises requirements with respect to prior art citations. Repeals the authority to exclude, on request, the prior art citator's identity from the patent file, and keep it confidential.(Sec. 503) Revises the procedure for the conduct of reexamination proceedings, adding specified procedures for a third-party requester. Transfers authority to conduct such proceedings and issue orders from the Commissioner of Patents to the USPTO Director. Requires reexamination proceedings and appeals to the Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences to be conducted with special dispatch within the USPTO. Authorizes a third-party requester to: (1) appeal any final decision favorable to the patentability of any original or proposed amended or new claim of the patent; or (2) be a party to any appeal taken by the patent owner.Declares that any third-party requester whose request for a reexamination results in a reexamination order is estopped from asserting at a later time, in any civil action, the invalidity of any claim finally determined to be valid and patentable on any ground which the third-party requester raised or could have raised during the reexamination proceedings, except newly discovered prior art unavailable at the time of such proceedings.Sets forth prohibitions with respect to subsequent requests for reexamination of a patent and final decisions in civil actions. Authorizes a patent owner to obtain a stay of any pending litigation involving an issue of patentability once an order for reexamination has been issued, unless the court determines a stay would not serve the interests of justice.Requires the USPTO Director to report to Congress on whether the reexamination proceedings established under this title are inequitable to any of the parties in interest, as well as any related legislative recommendations.Estops any party to a reexamination from later challenging any fact determined during such reexamination, with an exception for erroneous facts based on information unavailable at the time of the reexamination decision.Title VI: Miscellaneous Patent Provisions - Amends Federal patent law to permit the conversion, upon applicant request, of a provisional application into a non-provisional application. Repeals the requirement that a provisional application be pending on the filing date of a non-provisional application in order for the provisional application to be relied upon in any proceeding in the USPTO.(Sec. 602) Permits persons who filed an application for patent first in a World Trade Organization (WTO) member country to claim the right of priority in a subsequent patent application filed in the United States, even if such country does not yet afford similar privileges on the basis of applications filed in the United States.Provides for the right of priority in the United States on the basis of an application for a plant breeder's right first filed in a WTO member country or in a foreign member of the International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV Contracting Party).(Sec. 603) Makes certain limitations on remedies for patent infringement applicable only to applications filed on or after September 30, 1996.(Sec. 604) Declares that papers filed in the USPTO may be required to be on an electronic medium.(Sec. 605) Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to Congress on the potential risks to the U.S. biotechnological industry relating to biological deposits in support of biotechnology patents. Requires the USPTO to consider the Comptroller General's recommendations when drafting regulations affecting biological deposits.(Sec. 606) Specifies that an inventor involved in a USPTO interference proceeding who establishes a date of invention is subject to certain requirements, including the one that the invention was not abandoned, suppressed, or concealed.(Sec. 607) Revises the condition of patentability that subject matter developed by another person which qualifies as prior art only in certain circumstances shall not preclude the granting of a patent on an invention with only obvious differences where the subject matter and claimed invention were, at the time the invention was made, owned by the same person or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person. Adds to such qualifying prior art circumstances that the invention was described in another patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's date of invention. (Thus allows an applicant to receive a patent when an invention with only obvious differences from the applicant's invention was described in a patent granted on an application filed before the applicant's invention, provided the inventions are commonly owned or subject to an obligation of assignment to the same person.)",2025-08-20T14:17:25Z,
106-hr-2658,106,hr,2658,"Safe Sunscreen, Healthy Skin Act",Commerce,1999-07-30,1999-08-27,Referred to the Subcommittee on Health and Environment.,House,"Rep. Crowley, Joseph [D-NY-7]",NY,D,C001038,6,"Safe Sunscreen, Healthy Skin Act - Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to require over the counter drug sunscreen products which are designed to screen the ultra violet rays of the sun to include on the label a date beyond which the product is not effective and recommendations for product storage to avoid reducing product effectiveness. Provides that such a product which does not contain the date and storage recommendations shall be considered to be a misbranded drug for purposes of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.",2025-08-20T14:16:51Z,
106-s-1461,106,s,1461,Domain Name Piracy Prevention Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-07-29,1999-07-29,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Judiciary.,Senate,"Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]",UT,R,H000338,6,"Domain Name Piracy Prevention Act of 1999 - Amends the Trademark Act of 1946 to make liable in a civil action by the owner of a trademark or service mark distinctive at the time of domain name registration, any other person who, with bad-faith intent to profit from the goodwill of the owner's mark, registers, traffics in, or uses a domain name that is identical to, confusingly similar to, or dilutive of such mark. Specifies factors for the court to consider in determining bad-faith intent.(Sec. 3) Authorizes a court to order the forfeiture or cancellation of the domain name or its transfer to the mark owner.Prescribes conditions for an in rem civil action, in addition to any other action, against a domain name by a mark owner. Limits remedies in an in rem action to a court order for the forfeiture or cancellation of the domain name or its transfer to the mark owner.(Sec. 4) Provides for statutory damages in an amount of at least $1,000 and up to $100,000 per domain name, as the court considers just. Requires the court to remit statutory damages if an infringer believed with reasonable grounds that use of the domain name was fair or otherwise lawful.(Sec. 5) Shields from liability for monetary relief, regardless of whether the domain name is finally determined to infringe or dilute the mark in question, any domain name registrar, registry, or other registration authority that refuses to register, removes from registration, transfers, temporarily disables, or permanently cancels a domain name: (1) in compliance with a court order; or (2) in the implementation of a reasonable policy prohibiting the registration of a domain name identical to, confusingly similar to, or dilutive of another's mark registered on the Principal Registry of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Provides that if a registration authority takes such action based on a knowing and material misrepresentation by any person that a domain name is identical to, confusingly similar to, or dilutive of a another's registered mark, such person shall be liable for damages incurred by the domain name registrant and the court may grant injunctive relief to such registrant.Shields a registrar, registry, or other registration authority from liability for damages for the registration or maintenance of a domain name for another, unless there is a showing of bad faith intent to profit from such registration or maintenance of the domain name.",2025-08-20T14:21:14Z,
106-hr-2614,106,hr,2614,Certified Development Company Program Improvements Act of 2000,Commerce,1999-07-27,2000-10-31,Conference report considered in Senate by motion. (consideration: CR S11416-11417),House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,17,"Enacts into law provisions of the following bills of the 106th Congress: (1) HR 5538 (Minimum Wage Act of 2000); (2) HR 5542 (Taxpayer Relief Act of 2000); (3) HR 5543 (Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000); (4) HR 5544 (Pain Relief Promotion Act of 2000); and (5) HR 5545 (Small Business Reauthorization Act of 2000).",2025-04-07T13:47:33Z,
106-hr-2615,106,hr,2615,"To amend the Small Business Act to make improvements to the general business loan program, and for other purposes.",Commerce,1999-07-27,1999-08-03,Received in the Senate and read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,House,"Rep. Talent, Jim [R-MO-2]",MO,R,T000024,17,"Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee a general business loan made by a bank or other financial institution to a small business in the amount of: (1) 75 percent of the outstanding balance of such loan, if such balance exceeds $150,000 (currently $100,000); and (2) 80 percent of the outstanding balance of less than $150,000 (also currently $100,000).  Prohibits any such loan from being made to a borrower if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower from the business loan and SBA investment funds would exceed $1 million (currently $750,000). Makes current provisions requiring the payment of accrued interest on defaulted guaranteed loans inapplicable to loans made on or after October 1, 1999. Requires a borrower who prepays any loan guaranteed by the SBA to remit to the SBA a subsidy recoupment fee (calculated under this Act) if: (1) the loan is for a period of less than 15 years; (2) the prepayment is voluntary; (3) the amount of prepayment in any calendar year is more than 25 percent of the outstanding loan balance; and (4) the prepayment is made within the first three years after disbursement of the loan proceeds. Revises loan guarantee fee amounts.  Authorizes lenders participating in an SBA program to retain no more than 25 percent of such fee with respect to any loan not exceeding $150,000. Authorizes a borrower to permanently lease to one or more tenants not more than 20 percent of any property constructed using guaranteed loan proceeds, as long as the borrower permanently occupies and uses not less than 60 percent of the total business space in the property.",2025-04-07T13:47:33Z,
106-s-1435,106,s,1435,A bill to amend section 9 of the Small Business Act to provide for the establishment of volunteer mentoring programs.,Commerce,1999-07-26,1999-07-26,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI]",MI,D,L000261,1,"Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA), in order to assist small businesses in successfully completing the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, to award, on a competitive basis, a grant to one or more eligible associations (an association that represents small businesses participating in SBIR and STTR programs) to establish and carry out a program under which one or more qualified mentoring organizations provide technical assistance to small businesses located in low participation areas in order to advise and guide them through the SBIR and STTR processes from application and award through successful program completion. Authorizes appropriations for such grants. Requires a report from the SBA Administrator to the small business committees regarding recommended changes in maximum grant amounts (no less than $50,000 or more than $200,000 per association).",2025-01-14T17:16:56Z,
106-hr-2592,106,hr,2592,To amend the Consumer Product Safety Act to provide that low-speed electric bicycles are consumer products subject to such Act.,Commerce,1999-07-22,2000-10-23,Received in the Senate.,House,"Rep. Rogan, James E. [R-CA-27]",CA,R,R000386,17,Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) to provide that low-speed electric bicycles are consumer products and shall be subject to Consumer Product Safety Commission regulations.States that for purposes of Federal motor vehicle safety standards a low-speed electric bicycle as defined by CPSA shall not be considered to be a motor vehicle within the ambit of Federal transportation law.,2025-04-07T13:47:21Z,
106-s-1408,106,s,1408,Small Business Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 1999,Commerce,1999-07-21,1999-07-21,Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Jeffords, James M. [R-VT]",VT,R,J000072,6,"Small Business Brownfields Redevelopment Act of 1999 - Amends the Small Business Act to directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA), each year, to set aside the lesser of $50 million or ten percent of the amounts authorized for the Small Business Development Company program for use by qualified States and local development companies to finance projects that assist qualified small businesses in: (1) carrying out site assessment and cleanup activities at brownfield sites or sites contaminated with petroleum; and (2) acquiring new, clean technologies and production equipment. Defines as a qualified small business for such assistance one which: (1) has acquired a brownfield site; or (2) uses any hazardous substance during its course of business and has limited or no access to cleanup capital from conventional sources. Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to direct the SBA to promote the establishment of one or more small business investment companies the primary purpose of which is to finance: (1)such cleanup activities; or (2) projects that assist small businesses in cleaning up their facilities and adopting new, clean technologies.  Provides a set-aside for such financing of the lesser of $2 million or ten percent of the amount authorized for purchases of participating securities and guarantees of debentures under such Act. Defines a ""brownfield site"" as an abandoned, idled, or underused commercial or industrial facility, the expansion or redevelopment of which is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination.",2026-02-10T13:38:48Z,
106-hr-2486,106,hr,2486,Infant Crib Safety Act,Commerce,1999-07-12,1999-07-21,"Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Trade, and Consumer Protection.",House,"Rep. Tauscher, Ellen O. [D-CA-10]",CA,D,T000057,36,"Infant Crib Safety Act - Makes it unlawful for any commercial user to: (1) manufacture, sell, or contract to sell any full-size or non full-size crib which is unsafe for any infant; or (2) sell, contract to sell or resell, lease, sublet, or otherwise place in the stream of commerce any such crib which is not new and is unsafe for any infant.  Makes it unlawful for any lodging facility to offer or provide such an unsafe crib.  Presumes as unsafe a crib which does not conform to specified standards in the Code of Federal Regulations and the American Society for Testing Materials Voluntary Standards, with an exception.Authorizes a fine and injunction against violators of this Act.",2025-08-20T14:21:41Z,
106-s-1346,106,s,1346,Independent Office of Advocacy Act,Commerce,1999-07-12,1999-11-08,Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.,Senate,"Sen. Bond, Christopher S. [R-MO]",MO,R,B000611,0,"Independent Office of Advocacy Act - Establishes in the Small Business Administration an Office of Advocacy to undertake specified advocate actions on behalf of small business, including an assessment of the effectiveness of Federal subsidy and assistance programs for small business, the impact of Federal regulations on small business, and the development and strengthening of minority, women-owned, and other small businesses.  Directs the Office to make recommendations to the Chairmen and ranking Members of the Senate and House Small Business Committees and the SBA with respect to issues and regulations affecting small business and the necessity for corrective action by the SBA, any Federal department or agency, or Congress.Directs the Chief Counsel of the Office to report at least annually to specified congressional committees on Federal agency compliance with certain small business deregulation requirements.Authorizes appropriations.",2025-04-07T13:43:18Z,