cheaptrix/billsum-US_congress_and_house huggingface dataset:
Second Chance for Students Act

To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize certain students in retain financial aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Second Chance for Students Act 2. Exception for certain convictions Section 484(r) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1091(r) (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (4); (2) in paragraph (1), by striking A student Subject to paragraph (3), a student (3) by adding at the end the following: (3) Exception A student whose eligibility has been suspended under paragraph (1), or whose eligibility, in the absence of this paragraph, would have been suspended under paragraph (1), due to a conviction of an offense involving the possession of marijuana, without the intent to distribute, may resume or retain eligibility before the end of the ineligibility period (or the period that would have been the ineligibility period) determined under such paragraph during the period of completion of a drug rehabilitation program described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2), except that such period of completion shall not exceed 6 months. .

Summary: Second Chance for Students Act This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify federal student aid eligibility for a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession. Under current law, a drug offense conviction involving the sale or possession of a controlled substance triggers a suspension of federal student aid eligibility for a specified period of time. This bill allows a student who is convicted of a drug offense involving marijuana possession, without the intent to distribute, to resume or retain federal student aid eligibility while completing a drug rehabilitation program.
ACTivate Act

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make certain improvements in scheduling veterans for health care appointments. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the ACT to Improve VA Timing and Efficiency ACTivate Act 2. Use of private entities to schedule and manage health care appointments (a) Findings Congress finds the following: (1) There have been problems with scheduling veterans for health appointments with the Department of Veterans Affairs. (2) There is no defined process for scheduling such appointments, thus inhibiting the quality of health care provided to veterans by the Department. (3) A report by the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs shows that 64 percent of such appointments are scheduled outside of the 30-day target for timely care. (4) A report by the Northern Virginia Technology Council found that the exam-scheduling processes of the Department are insufficient and are a contributing factor in the overall backlog at medical facilities of the Department. (b) Award of contracts The Secretary shall seek to award contracts to private entities to assist the Secretary with scheduling and managing appointments for hospital care and medical services by veterans enrolled in the patient enrollment system established by section 1705 of title 38, United States Code. (c) Scope The Secretary shall ensure that the assistance provided pursuant to a contract awarded under subsection (b) augments the process by which the Secretary schedules and manages appointments for hospital care and medical services, including initial appointments, home health care visits, and follow-up appointments (including with respect to appointments with or for physicians, laboratory work, and tests).

Summary: ACT to Improve VA Timing and Efficiency or the ACTivate Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) seek to award contracts to private entities to assist with scheduling and managing appointments for veterans enrolled in the VA health care system, and (2) ensure that such private entity assistance augments the VA's scheduling and appointment process.
To reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, and for other purposes.

To reauthorize the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004, and for other purposes. 1. Support for human rights and democracy programs Section 102(b)(1) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7812(b)(1) 2017 2022 2. Actions to promote freedom of information Subsections (b)(1) and (c) of section 104 of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7814 2017 2022 3. Special Envoy on North Korean human rights issues Section 107(d) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7817(d) 2017 2022 4. Report on United States humanitarian assistance Section 201(a) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7831(a) 2017 2022 5. Assistance provided outside of North Korea Section 203(c)(1) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7833(c)(1) 2013 through 2017 2018 through 2022 6. Annual reports Section 305(a) of the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 ( 22 U.S.C. 7845(a) 2017 2022

Summary: This bill amends the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to extend through FY2022 the authorization for the President to: (1) provide grants that promote democracy, human rights, the rule of law, and development of a market economy in North Korea; (2) take actions to increase the availability of non-government controlled information inside North Korea; and (3) provide assistance to support organizations or persons that provide humanitarian assistance to North Koreans who are outside of North Korea without the permission of the Government of North Korea. The bill extends through 2022 annual reporting requirements on: (1) such actions by the President; (2) activities of the Special Envoy for North Korean human rights issues; (3) U.S. Agency for International Development activities to promote U.S. humanitarian assistance to North Koreans inside and outside of North Korea and improvements in humanitarian transparency, monitoring, and access inside North Korea; and (4) the number of North Koreans seeking refugee status or political asylum in the United States.
Raising Accountability to Improve School Excellence Act

To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to strengthen accountability of authorized public chartering agencies and reduce charter school authorizing misconduct. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Raising Accountability to Improve School Excellence Act 2. Charter school authorizing Section 4303 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7221b (1) in subsection (f)— (A) in paragraph (1)— (i) in subparagraph (A)(xii)— (I) by striking and (II) by inserting at the end the following: (III) In the case of any State entity, a description of how the State entity will ensure that the State’s system of technical assistance and oversight, as described in subclause (I), will provide oversight of authorizing activity for each authorized public chartering agency that is an institution of higher education; ; (ii) in subparagraph (C)— (I) by redesignating subclauses (III) through (VI) as subclauses (IV) through (VII), respectively; and (II) by inserting after subclause (II), the following: (II) a description of how the eligible applicant will, prior to entering into a contract with an authorized public chartering agency, review the agency’s previous authorizing activity, including the number of approvals, renewals, and revocations of charter schools with which the agency has been involved; ; (B) in paragraph (2)(E)— (i) by striking and (ii) by adding at the end the following: (iv) ensuring that the authorized public chartering agency carries out authorizing activity in a manner that ensures high-quality student learning, as determined according to annual performance data described in clause (i); and (v) in the case of the poor performance of the schools authorized by an authorized public chartering agency with respect to the assessments, reviews, or requirements under clauses (i) through (iv), provisionally revoking the authorized public chartering agency’s ability to approve charter schools, including a plan to revoke authorizing authority to do so, in the case of continued poor performance; ; and (2) in subsection (g)(1)— (A) by striking and (B) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (E); and (C) by adding at the end the following: (G) the number of times the State entity applied under subsection (f) to receive a grant under this section and did not receive such grant. .

Summary: Raising Accountability to Improve School Excellence Act This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to: (1) require a charter school grant application to include additional information and assurances related to oversight of authorizing activity by a public chartering agency; and (2) expand grant selection criteria and priorities to include consideration of the number of times a state entity has applied for, and been denied, such a grant.
SCORE Act of 2016

To authorize the Department of Energy to assess and score new and existing homes for the cost-effective reduction in the energy use, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Scoring Calculations for Our Residential Energy Act of 2016 SCORE Act of 2016 2. Department of Energy Home Energy Score Program (a) In general The Secretary of Energy shall maintain a Home Energy Score Program to provide to homeowners and borrowers, on a voluntary basis at the request of the homeowner or borrower, a score document for the purpose of enabling the cost-effective reduction in the energy use of those homes. Score documents shall be available under the Program for both new and existing homes. A score document shall grade the home on its energy consumption for heating, cooling, water heating, and other variables the Secretary considers appropriate to enable achieving cost-effective reduction in the energy use of the home, so that it may be easily compared to other homes. The Program may include the alternate use of any comparable residential rating system, as approved by the Secretary of Energy through published guidelines. (b) Assessments The Program shall provide for home assessments, conducted pursuant to a request by a homeowner or borrower in accordance with section 2(a), by assessors who hold a relevant qualifying credential approved by the Secretary of Energy, to collect energy use information during an approved walk-through of the home for the purpose of creating a score document for the home. (c) Score document A score document under the Program shall include— (1) energy use information collected during an assessment described in subsection (b) for a home, differentiated by specific energy uses and provided on a relative scale based on benchmarks set within the Program; and (2) cost-effective recommendations of means to improve the score and energy efficiency of the home. 3. Definitions In this Act: (1) Home The term home (2) Manufactured home The term manufactured home 42 U.S.C. 5402 (3) Program The term Program (4) Score document The term score document

Summary: Scoring Calculations for Our Residential Energy Act of 2016 or the SCORE Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Energy to maintain a Home Energy Score Program that provides for: (1) home energy scores to homeowners and borrowers to enable cost-effective reduction in energy use in homes, and (2) home assessments that collect energy use information for energy scores. The energy scores must include cost-effective recommendations for improving the score and energy efficiency of homes.
To direct the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to perform an outreach program for the new markets tax credit to underserved communities, and for other purposes.

To direct the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund to perform an outreach program for the new markets tax credit to underserved communities, and for other purposes. 1. New markets tax credit outreach to underserved communities Subtitle A of title I of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 ( 12 U.S.C. 4701 et seq. 123. New markets tax credit outreach to underserved communities (a) In general The Secretary of the Treasury shall— (1) establish a program under which the Fund shall provide outreach and training with respect to the new markets tax credit in low-income communities with a disproportionately low amount of qualified low-income community investments by qualified community development entities; and (2) include questions to determine in the application for allocation of new markets tax credit limitation, and consider as an innovative use or a comparable incentive in the evaluation of such applications, the extent to which such entity intends to make qualified low-income community investments within Indian country; and (3) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that at least one qualified community development entity whose primary mission is to fund projects within or that directly benefit Indian country receives an allocation for each allocation round. (b) Definitions For purposes of this section— (1) New markets tax credit Any term used in this section which is also used in section 45D (2) Indian country The term Indian country .

Summary: This bill amends the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 to require the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund to provide outreach and training with respect to the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) in low-income communities with a disproportionately low amount of low-income community investments by community development entities. (The NMTC is a non-refundable tax credit intended to encourage private capital investment in low-income communities. NMTCs are allocated by the CDFI Fund, a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, using a competitive application process.) The CFDI Fund must also: (1) include in the application for the NMTC questions to determine and consider, as an innovative use or a comparable incentive in evaluating applications, the extent to which the applicant intends to make low-income community investments within Indian country; and (2) to the maximum extent practicable, ensure that at least one community development entity whose primary mission is to fund projects within or that directly benefit Indian country receives an allocation for each allocation round.
Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act

To provide for consideration of the extension under the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or surveillance systems. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act 2. Extension of nonapplication of No-Load Mode energy efficiency standards to certain security or life safety alarms or surveillance systems Section 325(u)(3)(E) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 6295(u)(3)(E) (1) in clause (ii), by striking manufactured before July 1, 2017, (2) in clause (iii)— (A) by striking and (B) by striking the period at the end of subclause (II) and inserting ; and (C) by adding at the end the following: (III) determine, no later than July 1, 2019, if a no-load standard for these products should be prescribed. .

Summary: Power And Security Systems (PASS) Act This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to revise energy conservation standards for devices operating in standby mode. Current law exempts the external power supplies of security or life safety systems from those standards until July 1, 2017. This bill makes permanent the exemption.
Medicaid Gap Relief Act of 2016

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exempt from the individual health insurance mandate certain low-income individuals residing in States that have not elected the Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Medicaid Gap Relief Act of 2016 2. Exemption from the individual mandate for certain low-income individuals residing in non-Medicaid-expansion States (a) In general Section 5000A(d) (1) in paragraph (1), by striking or (4) (4), or (5) (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: (5) Certain low-income individuals in non-Medicaid-expansion States Such term shall not include an individual for any month during which the individual— (A) is described in section 1902(a)(10)(A)(i)(VIII) of the Social Security Act, and (B) resides in a State that has not, for such month, made medical assistance available to the individuals described in such section under the State plan under title XIX of such Act (or under a waiver of such plan under section 1115 of such Act). . (b) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply with respect to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2016.

Summary: Medicaid Gap Relief Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt certain low-income residents of states that have not expanded Medicaid under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) from the ACA's individual mandate to maintain health insurance coverage.
State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 2015

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent the deduction of State and local general sales taxes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 2015 2. Permanent extension of deduction of State and local general sales taxes (a) In general Section 164(b)(5) (b) Effective date The amendment made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2014. April 6, 2015 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed

Summary: State and Local Sales Tax Deduction Fairness Act of 2015 (Sec. 2) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the taxpayer election to deduct state and local general sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes. (Sec. 3) Prohibits the budgetary effects of this Act from being entered on either PAYGO scorecard maintained under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.
Regulatory Fingerprints Act of 2016

To amend title 5, United States Code, to require publication of information pertaining to the persons participating in the rule making, and on the basis on which the rule is made, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Regulatory Fingerprints Act of 2016 2. Required publications pertaining to rule makings Section 553 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: (f) For all publications in the Federal Register pertaining to the rule, the agency shall include in such publication— (1) the name and title of officer or employee of the agency who participated in the rule making, and each person performing any work pertaining to the rule making under the terms of a contract with the agency; and (2) the specific legal authority that authorizes the agency to make the rule. (g) Each person whose name and title is published pursuant to subsection (f)(1), shall, during the period in which the rule making was ongoing, file a report (which the agency shall make available online) of each transaction required to be reported by a person under section 103(l) .

Summary: Regulatory Fingerprints Act of 2016 This bill requires a federal agency to include in each publication in the Federal Register pertaining to a rule: (1) the specific legal authority for the rule, and (2) the name and title of each agency officer or employee who participated in the rule making and each person performing any work pertaining to the rule under an agency contract. Each such officer, employee, or person shall, during the the rule making period, file a report (which the agency shall make available online) of each financial transaction required to be reported by a person under the Ethics in Government Act of 1978.
SAAFE Act

To amend title 28, United States Code, to provide that a national of the United States may only bring a claim against a foreign state for an injury which was caused by international terrorism and which occurred on September 11, 2001, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Safeguarding America’s Armed Forces and Effectiveness Act SAAFE Act 2. Limitation on claims by nationals of the United States against foreign states arising out of injury caused by international terrorism (a) In general Section 1605B(b) of title 28, United States Code, is amended by inserting after occurring in the United States on September 11, 2001 (b) Conforming amendment Section 7(2) of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act is amended by striking on or after September 11, 2001 on September 11, 2001

Summary: Safeguarding America's Armed Forces and Effectiveness Act or the SAAFE Act This bill amends the federal judicial code to limit civil claims against a foreign state for injuries, death, or damage that occurs inside the United States as a result of an act of international terrorism or a tortious act. Specifically, it limits such claims to only those for injuries, death, or damage that occurred on September 11, 2001.
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and modify the alternative fuel and alternative fuel mixture credits.

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend and modify the alternative fuel and alternative fuel mixture credits. 1. Extension and modification of alternative fuel and alternative fuel mixture credits (a) Extension and alternative fuel and alternative fuel mixture credits (1) Alternative fuel credit Section 6426(d)(5) December 31, 2016 December 31, 2021 (2) Alternative fuel mixture credit Section 6426(e)(3) of such Code is amended by striking December 31, 2016 December 31, 2021 (3) Outlay payments for alternative fuels Section 6427(e)(6)(C) is amended by striking December 31, 2016 December 31, 2021 (b) Alternative fuel credit allowed for fuel used in qualifying landscape equipment (1) In general Section 6426(d)(1) of such Code is amended by inserting sold by the taxpayer for use as fuel in qualifying landscape equipment, in aviation, (2) Qualifying landscape equipment Section 6426(d) of such Code, as amended by subsection (a)(1), is amended by redesignating paragraphs (4) and (5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively, and by inserting after paragraph (3) the following new paragraph: (4) Qualifying landscape equipment For purposes of this subsection, the term qualifying landscape equipment (A) is of a type used in landscaping or similar activities, (B) is powered by an engine capable of running only on alternative fuel, and (C) is not designed primarily for carrying or towing persons or loads from one place to another. . (c) Effective date The amendments made by this section shall apply to fuel sold or used after December 31, 2016.

Summary: This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2021: (1) the excise tax credit for alternative fuel, (2) the excise tax credit for alternative fuel mixtures, and (3) the payments that are equivalent to the alternative fuel excise tax credit. The bill also allows the alternative fuel excise tax credit to be used for fuel sold by the taxpayer for use as fuel in qualified landscaping equipment. Qualifying landscaping equipment is: (1) used in landscaping or similar activities, (2) powered by an engine capable of running only on alternative fuel, and (3) is not designed primarily for carrying or towing persons or loads from one place to another.