hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Building Star Energy Efficiency Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3079
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2010-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Building construction
Department of Energy
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government lending and loan guarantees
Housing industry and standards
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: 
Building Star Energy Efficiency Act of 2010 - Establishes in the Department of Energy (DOE) the Building Star Energy Efficiency Rebate Program of 2010. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Energy to issue rebates to building owners to offset a portion of the cost of purchasing and installing qualifying equipment or materials or undertaking qualifying services to enhance the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings and multifamily residential buildings.
 
Prescribes rebates for the purchase and installation of qualifying: (1) insulation, windows, and qualified high-efficiency window films and screens; (2) new energy efficient equipment, such as boilers, furnaces, and water heaters; (3) unitary air conditioners and unitary heat pumps; (4) variable speed drives for motors; and (5) interior lighting.
 
Prescribes calculations for reductions in: (1) installed lighting power resulting from installation of qualified interior lighting; and (2) annual energy usage resulting from installation of qualified exterior lighting.
 
 Prescribes calculations also for rebates for qualified: (1) replacement chillers; (2) qualifying services to enhance the energy efficiency of buildings; (3) energy-efficient building operation and maintenance training; (4) service on space heating equipment and cooling systems, (5) energy monitoring and management systems with analog controls; and (6) HVAC testing, balancing, and duct sealing.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a Building Star Energy Efficiency Loan Program to make grants to states to support financial assistance provided by qualified program delivery entities for making energy efficiency and renewable energy improvements to existing buildings that qualify under the Building Star energy retrofit program.
 
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) direct the Secretary to make guarantees for energy efficiency projects, including projects to retrofit residential, commercial, and industrial buildings, facilities, and equipment; and (2) authorize the Secretary, in the case of programs that finance such retrofitting, to offer loan guarantees for portfolios of debt obligations, and to purchase or make commitments to purchase portfolios of debt obligations.
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-11
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1175-1180)
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1175)
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Unfair Foreign Competition Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3080
Sponsor: Sen. Specter, Arlen [D-PA]
Introduced: 2010-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Canada
Civil actions and liability
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Government studies and investigations
Latin America
Mexico
Tariffs
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: 
Unfair Foreign Competition Act of 2010 - Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to authorize a petitioning party, in an antidumping or countervailing duty investigation, to elect, within 30 days after the investigation has started, to bring a civil action in a U.S. district court for determination that a U.S. industry is materially injured or is threatened with material injury, or the establishment of an industry in the United States is materially retarded, by reason of imports, or sales (or the likelihood of sales) for importation, of the merchandise subject to the investigation, and that imports of the subject merchandise are not negligible. 
 
Authorizes such a petitioning party, within 30 days after a five-year review of an antidumping or countervailing duty order is initiated, to bring a civil action in a U.S. district court for determination of whether revocation of the antidumping or countervailing duty order, or termination of a suspended investigation, would likely lead to continuation or recurrence of material injury.
 
Provides for preliminary relief and expedited action.
 
Applies this Act to goods from Canada and Mexico.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1180-1181)
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3081
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2010-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Detention of persons
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Military law
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: 
Enemy Belligerent Interrogation, Detention, and Prosecution Act of 2010 - Requires an individual who is suspected of engaging in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners through an act of terrorism and who may be an unprivileged enemy belligerent to be placed in military custody for purposes of initial interrogation and determination of status. Allows the detention and interrogation of such individuals for a reasonable time after capture or coming into custody. Defines &quot;unprivileged enemy belligerent&quot; as an individual who: (1) has engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; (2) has purposely and materially supported hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or (3) was a part of al Qaeda at the time of capture. 
 
Authorizes the President to establish an interagency team composed of executive branch personnel with expertise in national security, terrorism, intelligence, interrogation, or law enforcement to interrogate an individual placed in military custody and to determine if such individual is an unprivileged enemy belligerent. Designates such team as a high-value detainee interrogation group.
 
Designates certain individuals in military custody as high value detainees based upon the potential threat such individuals pose for an attack on the United States, its citizens, or military personnel, the potential intelligence value of such individuals, or membership in al Qaeda or an affiliated terrorist group. Directs the high-value detainee interrogation group to conduct interrogations of such individuals and make preliminary determinations whether such individuals are unprivileged enemy belligerents. Deems as the paramount purpose of such interrogations the protection of U.S. civilians and facilities through thorough and professional interrogation for intelligence purposes. 
 
Prohibits the use of Department of Justice (DOJ) appropriated funds to prosecute an unprivileged enemy belligerent in an Article III court.
 
Allows the detention of an unprivileged enemy belligerent without criminal charges or trial for the duration of hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners in which the individual has engaged or which the individual has purposely and materially supported.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1181-1182)
action_date: 2010-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to authorize individuals who are pursuing programs of rehabilitation, education, or training under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to receive work-study allowances for certain outreach services provided through congressional offices, and for other purposes.

Bill: 111-s-3082
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2010-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional officers and employees
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: 
Includes within authorized work-study activities, for individuals entitled to work-study allowances through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in connection with VA rehabilitation, education, or training programs, the following activities carried out at offices of Members of Congress: (1) the distribution of information to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and their dependents concerning available benefits and services under governmental and nongovernmental programs; and (2) the preparation and processing of papers and other documents, including those used to assist in the preparation and presentation of veterans' benefits claims. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1230)
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1230)
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Main Street Revitalization Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3083
Sponsor: Sen. Bennett, Robert F. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2010-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business investment and capital
Computers and information technology
Department of the Treasury
Income tax deductions
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: 
Main Street Revitalization Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow small businesses to elect a 10-year carryback of net operation losses incurred in 2010 and 2011; (2) make permanent the increased ($250,000) expensing allowance for depreciable business assets; (3) expand the types of assets eligible for expensing; and (4) increase the tax deduction for business start-up expenditures. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1230-1232, S1232-1233)
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Rural Access to Credit Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3085
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2010-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Government lending and loan guarantees
Rural conditions and development
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: 
Rural Access to Credit Act of 2010 - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use commercial lending standards in determining equity requirements for rural entity direct or guaranteed loans. 
 
Directs the Secretary, through December 31, 2011, to guarantee up to 90% of high priority business and industry loans up to $10 million. Authorizes the Secretary, beginning on January 1, 2012, to guarantee up to 80% or 90% of high priority business and industry loans up to $10 million. Directs the Secretary to guarantee related line-of-credit loans.
 
Authorizes business and industry loans to be used for refinancing.
 
Waives audit requirements for business and industry loans under $1 million. Authorizes audit waiver for loans of at least $1 million.
 
Directs the Secretary to use the Small Business Administration (SBA) calculation method in calculating the delinquency rate for business and industry loans.
 
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that in allocating discretionary funds the Secretary should give priority to the rural microentrepreneur assistance program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2010-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Equity in Excellence Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3086
Sponsor: Sen. Dodd, Christopher J. [D-CT]
Introduced: 2010-03-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Adult education and literacy
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Family relationships
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: 
Equity in Excellence Act of 2010 - Amends title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish an Equity in Excellence Grant program authorizing the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities for efforts to ensure that the academic achievement rates of high-achieving students in grades one through four, who are from impoverished families and served by high-need local educational agencies (LEAs), do not fall behind the achievement rates of their more advantaged, high-achieving peers.
 
Lists as eligible grantees: (1) high-need LEAs; (2) consortia of LEAs that include high-need LEAs; and (3) partnerships composed of high-need LEAs and institutions of higher education or nonprofits that have expertise in educating gifted students.
 
Requires the use of grant funds to: (1) ensure that assessments provide diagnostic information that informs the instruction of high-achieving students; (2) implement evidence-based, innovative educational strategies, such as enrichment programs and academic acceleration strategies; (3) procure or use high-quality instructional materials; (4) train school personnel involved in teaching high-achieving students from impoverished families; and (5) conduct education and training for such students' parents that supports their children's excellence.
 
Allows the Secretary to extend such grants based on recipient performance.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) collect data annually comparing the longitudinal achievement levels of the students served by this Act's grants with their more advantaged peers; and (2) release such data for analysis to independent research institutions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1262-1263)
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Reduce Bureaucracy Act

Bill: 111-s-3088
Sponsor: Sen. Feingold, Russell D. [D-WI]
Introduced: 2010-03-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: 
Reduce Bureaucracy Act - Directs the President, acting through the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), to take such actions as necessary to ensure that the total number of political appointees shall not exceed 2,000. Defines &quot;political appointee&quot; to mean any individual who: (1) is employed in specified positions at Levels I through V of the Executive Schedule; (2) is a limited term appointee, limited emergency appointee, or noncareer appointee in the senior executive service; or (3) is employed in a position in the executive branch of a confidential or policy-determining character.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1263)
action_date: 2010-03-08
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require a study and report by the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration regarding the effects of proposed changes in patent law.

Bill: 111-s-3089
Sponsor: Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Government studies and investigations
Intellectual property
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
Directs the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to study, and report to the congressional small business and judiciary committees on, the effects on the ability of small businesses to obtain patents that would result from changing from a first-to-invent to a first-to-file invention priority system under federal patent law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1313)
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1312-1313)
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to expand the availability of the saver's credit and to make the credit refundable.

Bill: 111-s-3090
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Income tax credits

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) increase the rate of the tax credit for retirement savings contributions (saver's credit); and (2) make such credit refundable. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Adoption Fairness Act

Bill: 111-s-3091
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Citizenship and naturalization
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
Adoption Fairness Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from charging a fee for the issuance of a Certificate of Citizenship for a child who is adopted by a U.S.-citizen parent and who is eligible for automatic citizenship regardless of whether the child's adoption was finalized in the United States or in a foreign country.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) implement measures to facilitate the timely issuance of such Certificates; and (2) report to Congress regarding recommendations to streamline the Certificate process.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the "Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building".

Bill: 111-s-3092
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional tributes
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Nevada
Postal service

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 5070 Vegas Valley Drive in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the "Joseph A. Ryan Post Office Building."

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-10
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 311.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1313)
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
National Child Hunger Relief Act

Bill: 111-s-3093
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Child care and development
Elementary and secondary education
Food assistance and relief
Inflation and prices
Nutrition and diet

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
National Child Hunger Relief Act - Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to provide semiannual reimbursement rate adjustments for: (1) national school lunch and breakfast programs; (2) the special milk program; (3) the child and adult day care program; and (4) the summer food service program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to allow individuals to elect to opt out of the Medicare part A benefits.

Bill: 111-s-3094
Sponsor: Sen. Bunning, Jim [R-KY]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Medicare
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
Declares that no individual who elects to opt out of benefits under part A (Hospital Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSA) shall be required to: (1) opt out of benefits under SSA title II (Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) as a condition for making such election; or (2) repay any amount paid under Medicare part A for items and services furnished prior to making such election.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Honest Expenditure Limitation Program Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3095
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2010-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Appropriations
Budget deficits and national debt
Budget process
Congressional oversight
Legislative rules and procedure

Summary:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: 
Honest Expenditure Limitation Program Act of 2010 or HELP Act - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to make it out of order in the House of Representatives or the Senate to consider any bill, joint resolution, amendment, or conference report that includes any provision that would exceed specified non-security discretionary spending limits for FY2011-FY2020.
 
Limits non-security discretionary spending limits for FY2011-FY2015 to the level provided in FY2010, but reduced each year on a pro rata basis so that the level for FY2015 does not exceed the level for FY2008. Limits the spending levels for FY2016-FY2020 to the FY2015 spending level.
 
Defines &quot;non-security discretionary spending&quot; as discretionary spending other than spending for the Department of Defense (DOD), homeland security activities, intelligence-related activities within the Department of State, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and national security related activities in the Department of Energy (DOE).
 
Requires the President to issue a sequestration order, effective on issuance, if the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in its Final Discretionary Sequestration Report estimates that any sequestration is required.
 
Subjects to permanent cancellation any budgetary resources sequestered from any account, except those in special fund accounts or offsetting collections sequestered in appropriation accounts. Applies the same percentage sequestration to all programs, projects, and activities within a budget account.
 
Requires Discretionary Sequestration Preview Reports by: (1) OMB to the President and Congress; and (2) the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to Congress. Requires the OMB report to explain the difference between OMB and CBO estimates for each item.
 
Requires the Final Discretionary Sequestration Reports to set forth estimates for: (1) the current year and each subsequent year through 2014; (2) the current year, if applicable, and, the budget year, the new budget authority and the breach, if any; (3) the sequestration percentages necessary to eliminate the breach; and (4) the level of enacted sequesterable budget authority, and resulting estimated outlays to be sequestered for each account.
 
Sets forth sequestration enforcement mechanisms.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1313-1315)
action_date: 2010-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate