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April 6, 2001

Senate Accomplishments for the 107^th Congress,

Our First Eight Weeks

The following descriptions represent some of the successful efforts of the GOP-led Senate during the 107^th Congress's first eight weeks of legislating.

Abolishing Former President Clinton's Ergonomics Regulation
Public Law 107-5 (S. J. Res. 6)
Invalidates the Clinton Occupational Safety & Health Administration's ergonomics regulation, which would have eliminated jobs by fruitlessly exposing employers to excessive fines and litigation, even while a report by the National Academy of Sciences found none of the common musculoskeletal disorders is caused uniquely by work exposures.

Approving the Tax Relief Budget Blueprint
Passed Senate (H. Con. Res. 83)
Implements the broad outline of Republican priorities to continue to reduce the debt, and provide families with broad-based tax relief, stimulating the economy and reducing the record tax burden. Ensures that the Senate will take up and pass tax relief sufficient to incorporate the major pieces of the President's tax proposal.

Bankruptcy Reform Act
Passed Senate (S. 420)
Provides common-sense reforms to curb many abuses of the current bankruptcy system. Creditors lose more than $3 billion every year because of bankruptcies filed by persons who could repay some of their debts. Those costs are then passed along to all Americans in higher prices for goods, services, and credit.

Competitive Market Supervision Act
Passed Senate (S. 143)
Reduces excess user fees and taxes on investments that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) collects for registrations, mergers, and transactions of securities. The fees originally were enacted to fund the SEC but in recent years have dramatically exceeded the agency's funding needs. The reduction of these fees lowers the cost of savings and investment for consumers, and reduces the fee burden on businesses that raise capital in the securities markets.

International Child Abduction Treaty Compliance
Agreed to by Senate (H. Con. Res. 69)
Addresses the increasing number of parental child abductions from the United States to a foreign country (hundreds each year) by urging all countries that are signatories to a treaty on international child abduction to enforce the treaty so as to assure that abducted children be returned to their parents in their home country.

Pipeline Safety Improvement Act
Passed Senate (S. 235)
Strengthens the enforcement of pipeline safety law by providing requirements to reduce risks and enhance protection of the environment. The funds for carrying out the safety programs governing natural gas and hazardous liquid pipelines come from the Pipeline Safety Fund and the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund.

Strengthened Small Business Advocacy
Agreed to by Senate (S. 395)
Increases autonomy of the Small Business Administration's Office of Advocacy, which serves as the independent voice for the small business community within the Federal Government.

United Nations Peacekeeping Assessment Adjustment
Passed Senate (S. 248)
Because reforms mandated by Congress in 1999 to improve the workings of the United Nations largely have been met, this bill temporarily adjusts statutory limits on U.S. contributions to the U.N. Once this phase-in period has ended, the U.S. contributions will remain at no higher than 25 percent.

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