110th Congress:  Action On Economy & Business

During the 110th Congress, I have agreed to co-sponsor the following selected measures which deal with our nation's economic well-being. This is not a comprehensive list of all the legislation I have co-sponsored related to economic and business issues. You can view a comprehensive list at the Legislation Co-Sponsored Section of this site or through the Library of Congress Thomas site.

Legislation I supported includes:

• S. 1673, a bill to facilitate the export of United States agricultural products to Cuba as authorized by the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000, to remove impediments to the export to Cuba of medical devices and medicines, to allow travel to Cuba by United States citizens, to establish an agricultural export promotion program with respect to Cuba, and for other purposes. Introduced June 21, 2007.
• S. 1630, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude certain tax-exempt financing of electric transmission facilities from the private business use test. Introduced June 14, 2007.
• S. 1621, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat certain farming business machinery and equipment as 5-year property for purposes of depreciation Introduced June 14, 2007.
• S. 1546, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat gold, silver, platinum, and palladium, in either coin or bar form, in the same manner as equities and mutual funds for purposes of the maximum capital gains rate for individuals. Introduced June 5, 2007.
• S. 1522, a bill to amend the Bonneville Power Administration portions of the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation Act of 2000 to authorize appropriations for fiscal years 2008 through 2014, and for other purposes. Introduced May 24, 2007.
• S. 1439, a bill to reauthorize the broadband loan and loan guarantee program under title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936. Introduced May 21, 2007.
• S. 1322, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to improve the operation of employee stock ownership plans, and for other purposes. Introduced May 7, 2007.
• S. 1145, a bill to amend Title 35, United States Code, to provide for patent reform. Introduced April 18, 2007.
• S. 1125, a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide incentives to encourage investment in the expansion of freight rail infrastructure capacity and to enhance modal tax equity.
• S. 953, a bill to amend Title 49, United States Code, to ensure competition in the rail industry, enable rail customers to obtain reliable rail service, and provide those customers with a reasonable process for challenging rate and service disputes. Introduced March 21, 2007.
• S. 929, a bill to streamline the regulation fo nonadmitted insurance and reinsurance, and for other purposes. Introduced March 20, 2007.

Other actions I have taken to support Idaho economic and business opportunities include:

• Advocated for critical economic and business projects in Idaho for the FY 2010 budget.
• Led Senate effort to support full funding for the Focus Research Center Program, which addresses challenges in the semiconductor industry. Click here to read a PDF file (992 KB) of the letter sent tot he Senate Appropriations Committee.

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