hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to require that the United States Government prioritize all obligations on the debt held by the public, Social Security benefits, and military pay in the event that the debt limit is reached, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-1420
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2011-07-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Military personnel and dependents
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-26
text: 
Ensuring the Full Faith and Credit of the United States and Protecting America's Soldiers and Seniors Act - Requires the following to take equal priority over all other federally incurred obligations in the event that the public debt reaches the statutory limit: (1) the authority of the Department of the Treasury to pay with legal tender the principal and interest on debt held by the public; (2) the authority of the Commissioner of Social Security to pay monthly Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act; and (3) the payment of pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces on active duty.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 112.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4936-4937)
action_date: 2011-07-26
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2011-07-26
text: Introduced in Senate
STARS Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1422
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Child safety and welfare
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Government information and archives
Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Students Taking Action for Road Safety Act of 2011 or STARS Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a teen traffic safety grant program to award formula grants to states to implement statewide programs to improve the traffic safety of teen drivers.
 
Authorizes a state to use grant funds to implement such statewide program to improve the traffic safety of teen drivers, including activities to support peer-to-peer education and prevention strategies in schools and communities to increase safety belt use and reduce speeding, impaired and distracted driving, underage drinking, and other destructive teen driver decisions that lead to injuries and fatalities.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a national, nonprofit organization to establish a technical assistance center to provide training and technical assistance to state and local officials, student leaders, school advisors, and other entities associated with the grant program. Authorizes the center to operate a national teen traffic safety clearinghouse.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish the National Teen Driver Advisory Council to study and develop an education and prevention strategy to reduce teen driver injuries and fatalities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1423
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Prescription drugs
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Preserving Access to Orphan Drugs Act of 2011 - Amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to exclude any drug or biological product which is approved or licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for marketing solely for one or more rare diseases or conditions from the annual fee on manufacturers or importers with branded prescription drug sales exceeding $5 million. 
 
Makes this Act effective as if included in PPACA. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Off-Reservation Land Acquisition Guidance Act

Bill: 112-s-1424
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Department of the Interior
Federal-Indian relations
Gambling
Indian lands and resources rights
Land use and conservation

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
 Off-Reservation Land Acquisition Guidance Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to consider anticipated tribal benefits and applicable state and local government concerns before taking off-reservation land into trust for Indian tribes.
 
Defines &quot;off-reservation land&quot; as land that is beyond a reasonable commuting distance from the applicable tribe's reservation and likely to be used for gaming.
 
Requires an Indian tribe requesting that such land be taken into trust for the tribe to disclose and submit to the Secretary: (1) any plan, contract, agreement, or other information relating to the use, or intended use, of such land by the tribe; (2) a request for a written opinion from the Office of Indian Gaming that the land is eligible for gaming; and (3) any other information the Secretary requires in rendering a decision.
 
Requires a tribe's proposed use of the land to be compatible with state and local planning and zoning, and public health and safety requirements. 
 
Directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations to carry out this Act before approving any application to take off-reservation land into trust for Indian tribes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Fair Representation in Elections Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1425
Sponsor: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Labor-management relations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Fair Representation in Elections Act of 2011 - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to decide, before the election of a labor organization as the exclusive collective bargaining representative of all employees of an appropriate unit, whether such unit shall be the employer unit, craft unit, plant unit, or subdivision unit.
 
Requires the NLRB to provide for a hearing upon 14 days advance notice in cases where it is investigating an election petition that gives it reasonable cause to believe that a question of representation affecting commerce exists.
 
Revises the requirement that the NLRB direct an election by secret ballot, and certify its results, whenever it finds upon the record of such a hearing that a question of representation exists. Adds a requirement that the NLRB also review all post-hearing appeals before finding that such a question exists.
 
Prohibits an election less than 40 calendar days following the filing of an election petition. Requires an employer to provide the NLRB a list of employee names and home addresses of all eligible voters within 7 days following the NLRB's determination of the appropriate unit or following any agreement between the employer and the labor organization regarding eligible voters.
 
Prohibits an election from taking place after the filing of a petition unless and until: (1) a hearing is conducted before a qualified hearing officer; and (2) the issues are resolved by a regional Director, subject to appeal and review, or by the NLRB.
 
Declares that election results shall not be final nor any labor organization be certified as the bargaining representative of the employees in an appropriate unit unless the NLRB has ruled on: (1) each pre-election issue not resolved before the election; and (2) the resolution, following a hearing, of each issue pertaining to the conduct or results of the election.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Farming Flexibility Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1427
Sponsor: Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Fruit and vegetables

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Farming Flexibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to consider mung beans and pulse crops as covered commodities whose planting on base acres is prohibited unless the commodity, if planted, is destroyed before harvest.
 
 
Provides that: (1) as of crop year 2012 producers on a farm may reduce the base acres for any covered commodity for a crop year by one acre for each acre used for the production of fruits or vegetables (other than potatoes) for processing; (2) such acres devoted to fruits or vegetables shall be included in base acres for the covered commodity for the subsequent crop year unless the producers on the farm make the election to produce fruits and vegetables for the subsequent crop year; and (3) if a farm's base acres are recalculated the production of fruits or vegetables shall be considered to be the same as the planting, prevented planting, or production of a covered commodity.
 
Requires producers to: (1) demonstrate that they have entered into a contract to produce a fruit or vegetable crop for processing, (2) produce such crop as part of a crop rotation program to achieve agronomic and pest and disease management benefits, and (3) provide evidence of the crop's disposition.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Outsourcing Security Act

Bill: 112-s-1428
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Afghanistan
Asia
Congressional oversight
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Iraq
Middle East
Military operations and strategy
Military procurement, research, weapons development
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Stop Outsourcing Security Act - Directs the Secretary of State to ensure that only U.S. government personnel provide diplomatic security services to personnel working on behalf of the United States at U.S. diplomatic or consular missions in areas of: (1) contingency operations; and (2) other significant military operations, other than combat operations, where security personnel may be called upon to use deadly force. 
 
Requires the President to report to Congress, by June 1, 2012, on the status of planning for the transition away from the use of private contractors for specified mission critical or emergency essential functions by January 1, 2013, in all areas of such operations. Directs any individual or entity under contract with the federal government to provide mission critical or emergency essential functions after such date to allow Congress to examine their accounting practices. Outlines additional requirements relating to renewals of such contracts.
 
Authorizes specified congressional access to contracts and task orders in excess of $5 million entered into by the Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of State, the Department of the Interior, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) during the period beginning October 1, 2001, and ending on the last day of the month during which this Act is enacted for work to be performed in areas of such operations.
 
Requires certain reports to Congress regarding contracts for the performance of work in areas of such operations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1429
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Alabama
Disaster relief and insurance
Florida
Government trust funds
Housing industry and standards
Insurance industry and regulation
Life, casualty, property insurance
Louisiana
Mississippi
Natural disasters
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance Act of 20011 - Establishes the bipartisan Commission on Catastrophic Disaster Risk and Insurance to assess: (1) the condition of the property and casualty insurance and reinsurance markets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Rita, and Wilma in 2005, and the four major hurricanes that struck the United States in 2004; (2) the ongoing exposure of the United States to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and floods; and (3) recommend and report legislative and regulatory changes to improve the domestic and international financial health and competitiveness of such markets.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Rural Health Care Capital Access Reauthorization Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1431
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Government lending and loan guarantees
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Housing finance and home ownership
Rural conditions and development

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Rural Health Care Capital Access Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the National Housing Act to extend from July 31, 2011 to July 31, 2016, the exemption for critical access hospitals from the limit on patient days customarily assignable to specified categories of care under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) (Federal Housing Administration [FHA]) hospital mortgage insurance program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4961-4962)
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to modify the exception from the 10 percent penalty for early withdrawals from governmental plans for Federal and State qualified public safety employees.

Bill: 112-s-1432
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Emergency medical services and trauma care
Fires
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Health personnel
Income tax exclusion
Law enforcement officers
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) modify the exemption from the 10% penalty for premature distributions from governmental employee benefit plans to qualified public safety employees to eliminate the restriction that such plans be defined benefit plans; (2) expand the definition of &quot;qualified public safety employee&quot; to include federal employees; and (3) exempt from tax penalties certain periodic payments made to qualified public safety employees before the enactment of the Pension Protection Act of 2006 (i.e., August 17, 2006).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Aviation Employees Protection Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1433
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2011-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Department of Transportation
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government trust funds
Transportation employees

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: 
Federal Aviation Employees Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make amounts in the Airport and Airway Trust Fund available to pay personnel compensation and benefits for Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) employees funded from appropriations or authorizations provided on or before July 22, 2011.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2011-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Data Security Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1434
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2011-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Computer security and identity theft
Consumer credit
Department of the Treasury
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal Reserve System
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Federal preemption
Government information and archives
Insurance industry and regulation
National Credit Union Administration
Right of privacy
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: 
Data Security Act of 2011 - Prescribes security procedures which an entity that maintains or communicates sensitive account or personal information must implement and enforce in order to protect the information from an unauthorized use likely to result in substantial harm or inconvenience to the consumer.
 
Grants exclusive enforcement powers to specified federal regulatory agencies with oversight of financial institutions. 
 
Denies a private right of action, including a class action, regarding any act or practice regulated under this Act.
 
Prohibits any civil or criminal action in state court or under state law relating to any act or practice governed under this Act.
 
Prescribes data security standards to be implemented by federal agencies.
 
Preempts state law with respect to the responsibilities of any person to protect against and investigate such data security breaches and mitigate any losses or harm resulting from them.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Children First Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1435
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2011-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Appropriations
Business records
Child care and development
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Employment and training programs
Poverty and welfare assistance
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: 
Children First Act of 2011 - Amends part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to: (1) exclude child care assistance from the determination of the five-year limit on assistance under TANF, and (2) increase funding for child care.
 
Requires the plans submitted to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) by eligible states to contain provisions for certification of procedures to ensure that child care providers comply with applicable state or local health and safety standards. 
 
 Increases from 6 to 13 the maximum age allowed of a child under the care of a single custodial parent or other individual with custody who will not be subject to a reduction or termination of TANF assistance as a result of a refusal of the individual to engage in work.
 
Subjects to the individual and case data reporting requirements of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 any TANF funds expended for child care, whether or not transferred to that Act, and exempts such funds from SSA reporting requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5019)
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
TRIP Bonds Act

Bill: 112-s-1436
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2011-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Customs enforcement
Government trust funds
Income tax credits
Infrastructure development
Intergovernmental relations
Marine and inland water transportation
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Public transit
Railroads
Roads and highways
Securities
State and local finance
Transportation programs funding
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: 
Transportation and Regional Infrastructure Project Bonds Act of 2011 or TRIP Bonds Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an income tax credit for any TRIP bond issued by a state infrastructure bank as part of an issue, if 100% of the available project proceeds from such issue are to be used for expenditures incurred for one or more qualified projects. Requires proceeds from the sale of bonds issued under this Act to be held in a TRIP Bonds Trust Account. 
 
Defines &quot;qualified project&quot; as the capital improvements to any transportation infrastructure project (including roads, bridges, rail and transit systems, ports, and inland waterways) proposed and approved by a state infrastructure bank. 
 
Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend certain customs fees for the processing of merchandise entered into the United States through specified dates in 2048. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1437
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2011-07-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Crimes against women
Family planning and birth control
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Immigrant health and welfare
Indian social and development programs
Juvenile crime and gang violence
Minority health
Sex and reproductive health
Sex offenses
Teenage pregnancy
Violent crime
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: 
 Communities of Color Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for programs to provide youth in racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities the information and skills needed to avoid teen pregnancy and develop healthy relationships. 
 
Allows up to 10% of amounts made available for this Act to be allotted for a rigorous, independent evaluation of grant activities. 
 
Requires the Secretary to award grants for multimedia campaigns to provide public education and increase public awareness regarding teenage pregnancy and related social and emotional issues.
 
Requires the Director of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to make grants for research on teen pregnancy, dating violence, and healthy relationships among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities.
 
Requires the Secretary to direct the interagency adolescent health workgroup within the Office of Adolescent Health to include teen dating violence prevention and healthy teen relationship strategies in the work of such group, with a particular focus among racial or ethnic minority or immigrant communities, in consultation with the Federal Interagency Workgroup on Teen Dating Violence chaired by the Department of Justice (DOJ).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5019-5020)
action_date: 2011-07-28
text: Introduced in Senate