hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1606
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Economic performance and conditions
Judicial review and appeals
Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Regulatory Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Administrative Procedure Act to revise and expand the requirements for federal agency rulemaking by requiring agencies, in making a rule, to base all preliminary and final determinations on evidence and to consider the legal authority under which the rule may be proposed, the specific nature and significance of the problem the agency may address with the rule, any reasonable alternatives for the rule, and the potential costs and benefits associated with such alternatives.
 
Requires agencies to publish advance notice of proposed rulemaking for major rules and for high-impact rules (rules having an annual cost on the economy of $100 million or $1 billion or more, respectively), which shall include a written statement identifying the nature and significance of the problem the agency may address with a rule, the legal authority under which the rule may be proposed, and a solicitation for written data and comments from interested persons.
 
Sets forth criteria for issuing major guidance (agency guidance that is likely to lead to an annual cost on the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in cost or prices, or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or ability to compete).
 
Expands the scope of judicial review of agency rulemaking by allowing immediate review of rulemaking not in compliance with notice requirements and establishing a substantial evidence standard for affirming agency rulemaking decisions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Shellfish Equity Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1607
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural insurance
Aquaculture
Disaster relief and insurance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Shellfish Equity Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to include shellfish as an eligible crop in the noninsured crop disaster assistance program.
 
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to include shellfish producers in the emergency assistance for livestock program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1608
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the aiming of the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft or in its flight path. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to five years.
 
Exempts from such prohibition: (1) individuals conducting research and development or flight test operations for an aircraft manufacturer or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (2) Department of Defense (DOD) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel conducting research, development, operations, testing or training; or (3) an individual using a laser emergency signaling device to send a distress signal.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5894-5895)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act

Bill: 112-s-1609
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Lawyers and legal services
Minority health

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Medical-Legal Partnership for Health Act - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a nationwide demonstration project to: (1) award matching grants or enter into contracts with medical-legal partnerships to assist patients and their families in navigating health-related programs and activities, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of such partnerships.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to provide technical assistance to grantees to support the establishment and sustainability of medical-legal partnerships.
 
Requires amounts received under this Act to be used to achieve one or more of the following goals: (1) enhancing access to health care services, (2) improving health outcomes for low-income individuals, (3) reducing health disparities among health disparities populations, (4) enhancing wellness and prevention of chronic conditions and other health problems, (5) reducing cost of care to the health care system, (6) addressing the social determinants of health, and (7) addressing situational contributing factors.
 
Prohibits funds under this Act from being used: (1) for any medical malpractice action or proceeding, (2) to provide any support to an alien who is not a qualified alien or a nonimmigrant under the Immigration and Nationality Act or an alien who is paroled into the United States under such Act for less than one year, (3) to provide legal assistance with respect to any proceeding or litigation which seeks to procure an abortion or to compel any individual or institution to perform or assist in the performance of an abortion, or (4) to initiate or participate in a class action lawsuit.
 
Requires the Secretary to study and report to Congress on the results of such project.
 
to provide any state or local public benefit support to an alien who is ineligible for such a benefit


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5907-5908)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5906-5907)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Cement Sector Regulatory Relief Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1610
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Energy efficiency and conservation
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Environmental technology
Industrial facilities
Manufacturing
Solid waste and recycling

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Cement Regulatory Relief Act of 2011 - Provides that the following rules shall have no force or effect and shall be treated as though they had never taken effect: (1) the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants from the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry and Standards of Performance for Portland Cement Plants; and (2) the Standards of Performance for New Stationary Sources and Emission Guidelines for Existing Sources: Commercial and Industrial Solid Waste Incineration Units, and the rule entitled &quot;Identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials that are Solid Waste,&quot; to the extent that such rules apply to the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants. 
 Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in lieu of such rules, to promulgate within 15 months (or such later date as may be determined by the Administrator) regulations for the Portland cement manufacturing industry and Portland cement plants subject to such rules, that: (1) establish maximum achievable control technology standards, performance standards, and other requirements for hazardous air pollutants or solid waste combustion under the Clean Air Act; and (2) identify nonhazardous secondary materials that, when used as fuels in combustion units of that industry and those plants, qualify as solid waste under the Solid Waste Disposal Act for purposes of determining the extent to which such combustion units are required to meet emission standards for such pollutants under such Act or the Clean Air Act. Requires the Administrator, after considering the costs of achieving emission reductions, non-air quality health and environmental impacts and energy requirements, feasibility of implementation, the availability of equipment, suppliers, and labor, and potential net employment impacts, to establish dates for compliance with standards and requirements under such regulations no earlier than five years after the effective date of the regulation. 
Sets forth guidelines for such rules and regulations, including requiring the Administrator to: (1) ensure that emission standards for existing and new sources can be met under actual operating conditions consistently and concurrently with emission standards for all other air pollutants covered by regulations applicable to the source category, and (2) impose the least burdensome regulatory alternative for each regulation promulgated.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1611
Sponsor: Sen. Johnson, Ron [R-WI]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Reducing the Size of the Federal Government Through Attrition Act of 2011 - Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to take appropriate measures to ensure that: (1) the total number of federal employees, beginning in FY2015, does not exceed 90% of the total number of such employees as of September 30, 2011; (2) agencies do not appoint, until the end of FY 2014, more than one employee for every three employees retiring or otherwise separating from government service; and (3) there is no increase in the procurement of service contracts due to this Act unless a cost comparison demonstrates that such contracts would be financially advantageous to the federal government. Requires OMB to continuously monitor all agencies and make a determination whether the total number of federal employees exceeds the limitation imposed by this Act. 
 
Prohibits a federal agency from filling any vacancy unless OMB provides written notice to the President and Congress that the number of federal employees does not exceed the limitation established by this Act. 
 
Allows the President to waive the workforce limitations imposed by this Act if the President determines that the existence of a state of war or other national security concern or the existence of an extraordinary emergency threatening life, health, public safety, property, or the environment so requires. Allows the President additional discretion to waive such workforce limitations if the President determines that the efficiency of a federal agency or the performance of its critical mission so requires.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1613
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Child health
Health care coverage and access
Health programs administration and funding
Medical education
Medical research
Mental health
Minority health
Research administration and funding
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Pediatric, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivorship Research and Quality of Life Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make grants to eligible entities to establish pilot programs to develop, study, or evaluate model systems for monitoring and caring for childhood cancer survivors. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to convene a Workforce Development Collaborative on Medical and Psychosocial Care for Pediatric Cancer to establish a plan to meet specified objectives relating to medical and psychosocial care workforce development, including: (1) disseminating to health care educators information relevant to providing medical and psychosocial services to individuals with pediatric cancers; (2) adapting curricula for continuing education of the existing workforce; and (3) strengthening the emphasis on psychosocial health care in educational accreditation standards and professional licensing and certification. 
 
Reauthorizes and expands the National Cancer Institute's pediatric cancer research and awareness program to include research onfollow-up care for pediatric cancer survivors. Authorizes the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to make grants for pediatric cancer research, including research related to: (1) pediatric cancer survivors within minority or other medically underserved populations, and (2) health disparities in pediatric cancer survivorship outcomes. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5909-5910)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5909)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Computer Science Education Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1614
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Advisory bodies
Computers and information technology
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Licensing and registrations
Performance measurement
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Computer Science Education Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award states: (1) two-year formula grants to develop comprehensive plans to strengthen elementary and secondary computer science education, and (2) competitive five-year matching grants to implement the improvements proposed in their comprehensive plans.
 
Requires such improvements to include: (1) challenging and grade-appropriate academic content standards for computer science, (2) grade-appropriate assessments of computer science learning, (3) programs to increase disadvantaged students' access to computer science courses, (4) computer science teacher training programs, (5) improved certification or licensure requirements and processes for such teachers, (6) programs to ensure that computer science courses are considered an integral part of the secondary school curriculum, (7) effective computer science curricula, and (8) computer science distance learning programs.
 
Requires states to partner with institutions of higher education (IHEs) and local educational agencies in implementing such measures.
 
Favors implementation grant applicants that emphasize serving low-performing schools and increasing the participation in computer science by students underrepresented in computing.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a Blue Ribbon Commission on Computer Science Education to provide recommendations to the Secretary and Congress for expanding and improving computer science education.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to award five-year grants to IHEs to improve computer science teacher training.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1615
Sponsor: Sen. Shelby, Richard C. [R-AL]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Congressional oversight
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Department of the Treasury
Economic performance and conditions
Economic theory
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Housing Finance Agency
Federal Reserve System
Financial Stability Oversight Council
Government information and archives
Judicial review and appeals
National Credit Union Administration
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Financial Regulatory Responsibility Act of 2011- Prohibits a federal financial regulatory agency from issuing notices of proposed or final rulemakings unless specified analyses have been included in them. 
 
Prohibits an agency from publishing a notice of final rulemaking if it determines that the quantified costs are greater than the quantified benefits. 
 
Requires an agency to make available on its public website sufficient information about the data, methodologies, and assumptions underlying its analyses so that its analytical results are capable of being substantially reproduced.
 
Requires the chief economist of an agency, within five years after publication in the Federal Register of a notice of final rulemaking, to report to certain congressional committees on the economic impact of the subject regulation, including its direct and indirect costs and benefits.
 
Requires each federal agency to develop, report to certain congressional committees, and post on its public website a plan to modify, streamline, expand, or repeal existing regulations so as to make the agency's regulatory program more effective or less burdensome in achieving its regulatory objectives.
 
Authorizes judicial review for a person adversely affected or aggrieved by a regulation. 
 
Establishes the Chief Economists Council to report to certain congressional committees on activities of the financial regulatory agencies.
 
Requires the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to report separately to certain congressional committees their plans for subjecting to the requirements of this Act the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board, and registered national securities associations on the one hand, and registered futures associations on the other.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1616
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Financial services and investments
Real estate business
Securities
Taxation of foreign income
U.S. and foreign investments

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Real Estate Investment and Jobs Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from 5% to 10% the allowable ownership interest in real estate investment trust (REIT) stock for purposes of tax exemptions allowed by the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act relating to foreign investment in United States real property interests.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5910)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Healthy Housing Council Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1617
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Consumer affairs
Energy efficiency and conservation
Environmental health
Executive agency funding and structure
Housing and community development funding
Housing industry and standards
Low- and moderate-income housing

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
Healthy Housing Council Act of 2011 - Establishes in the executive branch an independent Interagency Council on Healthy Housing.
 
Requires the Council to: (1) review federal programs and services that provide housing, health, energy, or environmental services to families and individuals; (2) monitor, evaluate, and recommend improvements in programs and services administered, funded, or financed by federal, state, and local agencies; (3) recommend ways to reduce duplication among federal programs and services; and (4) ensure collaboration among and within agencies in the provision and availability of such programs and services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5911-5913)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5910-5911)
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1618
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2011-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Citizenship and naturalization
Crime victims
Human trafficking
Immigrant health and welfare
Poverty and welfare assistance
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
User charges and fees
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: 
SSI Extension for Elderly and Disabled Refugees Act of 2011 - Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 to extend through FY2012 the eligibility period for benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act for certain aliens and victims of trafficking. 
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a diversity immigrant VISA petition fee of $25, which shall be deposited directly in the general fund of the Treasury. Applies such fees only to petitions filed before October 1, 2013.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate