Site Map - Legislation

12/03/2007 -  A California bill (S.B. 1834) would require businesses to notify patrons before using radio frequency identification technology (RFID) to track and collect information about customers. The bill would also require that all RFID tags be removed from merchandise before consumers leave the store. The bill has been approved by the California Senate and must now be taken up by the state assembly before moving forward.

12/03/2007 - A bill (H.R. 4265) introduced by Rep. Mark Green (R-WI) would grant immunity from litigation to companies that donate equipment to charities. Under the law, companies could not be held liable for any death or injury arising from use of the donated equipment. Exceptions are made for injuries or death resulting from gross negligence or the intentional misconduct of the donating .

12/03/2007 - A bill (H.R. 4313) introduced by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) would authorize $75 million in grants to be allocated to public schools to establish programs to stop harassment based on an individual's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender, family composition, or economic circumstances.

12/03/2007 - Lawmakers on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee have approved a bill (S. 2453) that would award grants to public transit agencies, including metro, rail, and bus services, to improve security. The bill must now be considered by the full Senate.

12/03/2007 - A bill (S. 2635) introduced by Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) would establish a federal grant program totaling $25 million to identify and develop new homeland security equipment, capabilities, technologies, and services. The money could also be used to further develop existing capabilities and conduct research into other options. For-profit businesses, academic institutions, and nonprofits would all be eligible to receive the grants. The bill would also require that the government conduct an assessment of federal, state, and local governments as well as first responders on all levels to establish their information, equipment, and technology needs.

12/03/2007 - A bill (S. 2275) that would require the government to give security assistance to high-risk nonprofit organizations has been approved by the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. The bill must now be taken up by the full Senate.

12/03/2007 - The House Judiciary Committee has approved a bill (S. 1301) that would make it illegal to surreptitiously videotape or photograph people in certain situations. Under the provision, which applies only in federal jurisdictions such as military bases, recording anyone naked or in a state of undress without that person's consent in situations where privacy can reasonably be expected would be illegal. The bill must now be approved by the full House of Representatives before it can be presented to the president for his approval.

12/03/2007 - A bill (S. 2295) introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) that would establish a program for using advanced technology to meet border protection needs has been approved by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. It must now be taken up by the full House of Representatives to move forward.

12/03/2007 - A bill (S. 1053) that would make it illegal to discriminate against someone on the basis of genetic information has been approved by the Senate and has been referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. However, the committee is unlikely to consider the bill because of the backlog of funding and appropriations measures that must be considered by the committee before year's end.

12/03/2007 - A bipartisan group of Senators led by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has introduced legislation implementing the recommendations of the 9-11 Commission. The bill, unnamed at press time, essentially puts the 9-11 report recommendations into legislative language with one exception--the head of intelligence would not be in the White House, a change the commission concurred with based on concerns about the future politicization of intelligence.

11/29/2007 - Was a violent attack on a concertgoer foreseeable? Plus cases on retaliatory discharge and libel, maritime regulation, and a bioterror law.

11/29/2007 - Two bills that would curtail spyware passed the House of Representatives just before members adjourned to campaign for reelection. H.R. 2929, sponsored by Mary Bono (R-CA), criminalizes actions such as the "hijacking" of a browser, modifying bookmarks or a browser's start page, and installing any type of software program that would spy on a user's sessions. It would prohibit keystroke loggers, and make it illegal to use a "zombie" computer to damage another computer.

11/28/2007 - The Texas Attorney General has issued an opinion (No. GA-0228) that federal laws governing the use of e-signatures do not require county clerks to accept them for land records. The opinion states that federal law does not apply to real estate filings with the state. The opinion also notes that while the laws do apply to transactions between consenting private parties, there is no duty for county recorders to accept electronic signatures created in these private transactions.