hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to provide for teacher acculturation, and for other purposes.

Bill: 109-s-1521
Sponsor: Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Economics and Public Finance
Educational innovations
Educational research
Elementary and secondary education
Federal aid to education
Higher education
Multicultural education
Scholarships
Teacher education

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Teacher Acculturation Act of 2005 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize the Secretary of Education to carry out a demonstration program to investigate, develop, and test methods to attempt to ameliorate the cultural mismatch between teachers and the students they teach.
 
Directs the Secretary to develop a measure of cultural mismatch.
 
Authorizes program grants to partnerships of local educational agencies and institutions of higher education, or organizations with expertise in multicultural education, for teacher preparation activities under practicum, induction, and in-service phase components.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to establish up to ten centers of excellence in multicultural education located within universities, colleges, or schools with approved teacher education programs. Allows such centers to form partnerships with specified entities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-02-10
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1070)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9288-9289)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9286-9288)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Hunting Heritage Protection Act

Bill: 109-s-1522
Sponsor: Sen. Chambliss, Saxby [R-GA]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Animals
Civil actions and liability
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Federal-state relations
Fishing
Government Operations and Politics
Hunting
Injunctions
Land use
Law
Legal fees
Licenses
Sports and Recreation
State laws
Trapping

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Hunting Heritage Protection Act - Requires that federal public lands be open to access and use for recreational hunting except: (1) as limited by the federal agency with responsibility for such lands for national security or public safety reasons, or for reasons authorized in applicable federal statutes as reasons for closure; and (2) as such hunting is limited by the state in which such lands are located. 
Directs the head of each federal agency with authority to manage a natural resource or public lands on which such a resource depends to exercise that authority in a manner so as to support, promote, and enhance recreational hunting opportunities. 
Declares that federal land management decisions and actions should result in no net loss of land area available for hunting opportunities on federal public lands. 
Requires the heads of federal agencies with authority to manage federal public lands on which recreational hunting occurs to report annually to specified congressional committees on areas administered that have been closed during the previous year to recreational hunting and reasons for such closures and on areas that were open to such hunting to compensate for closed areas. 
Prohibits a withdrawal, change of classification, or change of management status that effectively closes 5,000 or more acres of federal public land for use for recreational hunting from occurring unless the head of the federal agency with authority to manage the land has submitted written notice of the action to both Houses of Congress. 
Grants states the right to file civil actions in district courts in cases where federal agencies fail to comply with state authority to manage or regulate fish and wildlife.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9289-9290)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Expensing Permanency Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1523
Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Commerce
Computer software
Depreciation and amortization
Economics and Public Finance
Income tax
Indexing (Economic policy)
Science, Technology, Communications
Small business
Tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Small Business Expensing Permanency Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the increased expensing allowance ($100,000) for depreciable business assets and related provisions pertaining to phaseout amounts, inflation adjustments, and the period for revocation of an election.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9290)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9290)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to repeal the sunset on the reduction of capital gains rates for individuals and on the taxation of dividends of individuals at capital gain rates.

Bill: 109-s-1524
Sponsor: Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Capital gains tax
Congress
Dividends
Finance and Financial Sector
Income tax
Sunset legislation
Tax rates

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Repeals the termination date in the Jobs Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 for provisions reducing individual tax rates on capital gains and dividend income.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Medical Malpractice Insurance Antitrust Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1525
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Antitrust law
Commerce
Finance and Financial Sector
Health
Insurance companies
Insurance premiums
Liability insurance
Medical malpractice
Price fixing
Restrictive trade practices

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Medical Malpractice Insurance Antitrust Act of 2005 - Provides that: (1) nothing in the McCarran-Ferguson Act shall be construed to permit commercial insurers to engage in any form of price fixing, bid rigging, or market allocations in connection with the conduct of the business of providing medical malpractice insurance; and (2) such provision shall not apply to the information gathering and rate setting activities of any state insurance commissions or any other state regulatory body with authority to set insurance rates. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-06-20
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 109-557.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9290-9292)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Roads to Success Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1526
Sponsor: Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Career education
Curricula
Economics and Public Finance
Educational accountability
Educational counseling
Elementary and secondary education
Federal aid to education
Higher education
Labor and Employment
Nonprofit organizations
Secondary education
Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Roads to Success Act of 2005 - Directs the Secretary of Education to make a grant to a nonprofit educational organization, Roads to Success, to develop a higher education preparation program curriculum for students in grades 7-12. 
 
Requires the curriculum to provide such students with: (1) one class hour of higher education preparation each week; (2) information on higher education opportunities and importance; (3) career awareness development; (3) life skills building; and (4) education planning.
 
Requires the grantee to award subgrants to up to five state educational agencies to provide such students with higher education preparation programs using the curriculum.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9292)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Vaccine Access and Supply Act

Bill: 109-s-1527
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, Edward M. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Access to health care
Accounting
Child health
Clinics
Coinsurance
Commerce
Communication in medicine
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Drug industry
Economics and Public Finance
Employee health benefits
Epidemiology
Excise tax
Families
Federal aid to research
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Grants-in-aid
Health education
Health insurance continuation
Health planning
Indexing (Economic policy)
Influenza
Labor and Employment
Medicaid
Medical economics
Medically uninsured
Pharmaceutical research
Prices
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications
Social Welfare
Tax penalties
Taxation
Vaccination
Vaccines

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Vaccine Access and Supply Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to: (1) negotiate with producers of the influenza vaccine and other periodic-change vaccines to reach an agreement on the number of doses of the vaccine that each producer will manufacturer for the season; (2) purchase 50% of such a manufacturer's doses that are unsold for the season for the average sales price; and (3) establish a program for the distribution of qualified adult vaccine through states for providers to administer to eligible adults without charge to the state, providers, or eligible adults.
 
Requires each manufacturer or distributor of an approved vaccine to provide the Secretary with the location of vaccine supplies if the Secretary declares there is a shortage of the vaccine that constitutes a public health emergency.
 
Requires the Secretary to develop: (1) a response to potential vaccine supply shortages; and (2) a program to promote immunizations with federally recommended vaccines among the adult population.
 
Requires a manufacturer of an approved vaccine to notify the Secretary 12 months prior to discontinuing manufacture of the vaccine, with exceptions.
 
Requires the Secretary to submit a plan to Congress to facilitate the participation of manufacturers in maintaining a six-month supply of pediatric vaccines.
 
Amends Title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to prohibit a provider from imposing a copayment, cost sharing charge, or similar charge for administering to an eligible individual a vaccine that is included on the recommended vaccine schedule for adults. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9292-9293)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Equine Equity Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1528
Sponsor: Sen. McConnell, Mitch [R-KY]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Agricultural subsidies
Agriculture and Food
Animals
Capital gains tax
Depreciation and amortization
Disaster relief
Emergency Management
Feeds
Horse racing
Horses
Income tax
Livestock
Sports and Recreation
Tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Equine Equity Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) treat any race horse as three-year property for depreciation purposes; and (2) reduce to 12 months the holding period for capital gains treatment of horses.
 
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to include horses in livestock assistance, compensation, or feed programs. Amends certain agricultural acts to qualify horses for disaster and other assistance programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9293-9294)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9293)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Community Forestry Conservation Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1530
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Gordon H. [R-OR]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Animals
Capital gains tax
Conservation easements
Environmental Protection
Finance and Financial Sector
Forest conservation
Forest ecology
Forest health
Habitat conservation
Income tax
Land transfers
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Tax credits
Tax deductions
Tax exclusion
Tax exemption
Tax-exempt securities
Timber sales

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Community Forestry Conservation Act of 2005 - Provides for the treatment of qualified forest conservation bonds as tax-exempt facility bonds under the Internal Revenue Code. Defines &quot;qualified forest conservation bonds&quot; as bonds issued for certain forestry organizations within 36 months after the enactment of this Act. Requires 95 percent or more of the net proceeds of such bonds to be used for specified forestry project costs, including the acquisition of forest lands subject to a conservation restriction. 
 
Exempts from income tax income, gains, and other tax incidents generated by certain harvesting activity on forest lands purchased with qualified forest conservation bonds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Agroterrorism Prevention Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1532
Sponsor: Sen. Specter, Arlen [R-PA]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education
Agricultural estimating and reporting
Animal diseases
Animals
Armed Forces and National Security
Biological warfare
Capital punishment
Commerce
Commercial arbitration
Congress
Congressional reporting requirements
Crime and Law Enforcement
Education
Emergency Management
Emergency medicine
Farmers
Farms
Food safety
Germplasm resources
Government Operations and Politics
Government publicity
Governmental investigations
Health
Health planning
Health surveys
Laboratories
Livestock
Plant diseases
Poultry
Preventive medicine
Produce trade
Research and development facilities
Science, Technology, Communications
Seeds
Sentences (Criminal procedure)
Terrorism
Vaccines
Veterinary medicine
Virus diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Agroterrorism Prevention Act of 2005 - Amends federal criminal law to criminalize acts of agroterrorism (as defined by this Act).
 
Provides for related monitoring and intelligence enhancements.
 
Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security to expand and continue vulnerability assessments of the agriculture and food sectors. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to: (1) assist states and counties develop and implement plans for agricultural disease prevention and recovery (such plans to be modeled after the state animal response team); (2) assist states develop related regional and national response plans; (3) establish a public awareness campaign for agricultural producers that emphasizes heightened biosecurity and agricultural disease anomaly reporting; (4) develop guidelines to improve the monitoring of human traffic, vehicles, and materials entering or leaving farm or ranch operations, and disseminate such guidelines to agricultural producers; (5) develop a National Veterinary Stockpile; and (6) develop a National Plant Disease Recovery System.
 
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to report respecting: (1) the need to modernize or replace federal animal and plant disease laboratories: and (2) state capability as first responders to animal diseases that threaten U.S. agriculture.
 
States that if a livestock or poultry contract provides for arbitration, arbitration may be used to settle a controversy only if, after the controversy arises, both parties consent in writing to use arbitration to settle the controversy.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9296-9297)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Incentives to Educate American Children (I Teach) Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1533
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Education
Education of the disadvantaged
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Housing and Community Development
Income tax
Rural education
Secondary education
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Teachers

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Incentives to Educate American Children (I Teach) Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit a tax credit of $1,000 for: (1) teachers in public elementary or secondary schools or public kindergartens in rural areas or areas with high poverty; and (2) teachers certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. Grants a credit of $2,000 for a teacher meeting both criteria.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9297)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Loan Manageability for Armed Forces in Higher Eucation Act

Bill: 109-s-1536
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Armed Forces and National Security
Armed forces abroad
Armed forces reserves
Economics and Public Finance
Federal aid to education
Higher education
Military operations
Student loan funds

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Loan Manageability for Armed Forces in Higher Education Act - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) to provide certain members of the Armed Forces with a deferment of all student loan repayments under HEA title IV during the period of service and for six months after (with principal payments suspended, and accruing interest paid by the Secretary of Education). 

Requires any institution of higher education that participates in a title IV program to offer an option to reenroll when such service is completed to any student who is enrolled at the time such service begins.

Makes eligible, for such deferment and option, members of: (1) the Armed Forces serving in a combat operation or combat zone; or (2) a reserve component of the Armed Forces serving pursuant to a call or order to active duty for a period of more than 30 days.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for the establishment of Parkinson's Disease Research Education and Clinical Centers in the Veterans Health Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs and Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence.

Bill: 109-s-1537
Sponsor: Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Economics and Public Finance
Education
Federal aid to research
Health
Health information systems
Higher education
Medical education
Medical research
Medical statistics
Multiple sclerosis
Nervous system diseases
Parkinson's disease
Research centers
Research grants
Science, Technology, Communications
Veterans' hospitals
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate, establish, and operate at selected Department of Veterans Affairs health-care facilities: (1) at least six centers for Parkinson's disease research, education, and clinical activities; and (2) at least two Multiple Sclerosis Centers of Excellence.
 
Requires the Under Secretary for Health to: (1) assure appropriate geographical distribution of such facilities; and (2) establish a panel to assess the scientific and clinical merit of proposals submitted by a facility for the establishment of such a center.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2006-05-11
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9298)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9297-9298)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
America's Better Classroom Act of 2005

Bill: 109-s-1538
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2005-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Apprenticeship
Building construction
Charitable contributions
Collection of accounts
Commerce
Community and school
Construction costs
Construction industries
Construction workers
Corporate philanthropy
Curricula
Depressed areas
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational planning
Educational technology
Elementary and secondary education
Elementary education
Employee selection
Enterprise zones
Families
Finance and Financial Sector
Government Operations and Politics
Government contractors
Government paperwork
Government procurement
Higher education
Income tax
Indian education
Infrastructure
Interest
Labor and Employment
Maintenance and repair
Minorities
Public schools
School buildings
School districts
Science, Technology, Communications
Secondary education
Skilled labor
Social Welfare
Tax credits
Tax returns
Tax-exempt securities
Teacher education
Vocational and technical education
Volunteer workers
Wages

Summary:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: 
America's Better Classroom Act of 2005 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for investment in qualified public school modernization bonds, defined to include: (1) bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a public school facility or for the acquisition of land for such facility (qualified school construction bonds); (2) bonds to finance certain academic programs below the postsecondary level in empowerment zones or enterprise communities (qualified zone academy bonds); and (3) bonds for the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of certain Indian tribal schools (qualified tribal school modernization bonds). Establishes a national limitation on the issuance of such bonds and provides for the allocation of bond amounts among the states according to a specified formula. Limits the term of such bonds to 15 years and terminates the authority for issuance of such bonds after September 30, 2007 (December 31, 2012, for qualified tribal school modernization bonds).
 
Amends the General Education Provisions Act to apply certain labor standards to public school construction projects financed by this Act.
 
Amends the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 to require states to establish employment and training programs relating to the construction or reconstruction of public school facilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9299)
action_date: 2005-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate