hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3287
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2012-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Civil actions and liability
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Evidence and witnesses
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-12
text: 
Preserving Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act of 2012 - Prohibits a person or entity acting under the authority of (or funded in whole or in part by) the federal government from using a drone to gather evidence or other information pertaining to criminal conduct or conduct in violation of a statute or regulation except to the extent authorized in a warrant satisfying the requirements of the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution.
 
Defines a &quot;drone&quot; as any powered, aerial vehicle that: (1) does not carry a human operator; (2) uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift; and (3) can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, be expendable or recoverable, and carry a lethal or nonlethal payload.
 
Exempts from such prohibition the use of drones to: (1) patrol national borders to prevent or deter illegal entry of any persons or illegal substances, (2) prevent imminent danger to life when drones are used by law enforcement under exigent circumstances, or (3) counter a high risk of a terrorist attack by a specific individual or organization based on credible intelligence determined by the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS).
 
Authorizes civil actions by aggrieved parties. 
 
Prohibits evidence obtained or collected in violation of this Act from being admissible in a criminal prosecution in any court in the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Black Hills Cemetery Act

Bill: 112-s-3288
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2012-06-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Forests, forestry, trees
Land transfers
South Dakota

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: 
 
Black Hills Cemetery Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey, to the local communities in South Dakota that are currently managing specified community cemeteries, all interest of the United States in: (1) the parcels of National Forest System land that contain the cemeteries, and (2) up to an additional two acres adjoining each cemetery to ensure that such conveyances include unmarked gravesites and allow for the expansion of those cemeteries. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Children's Mental Health Accessibility Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3289
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-06-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child health
Disability and paralysis
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Medicaid
Mental health

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: 
Children's Mental Health Accessibility Act of 2012 - Amends title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act to: (1) expand the Medicaid home and community-based services waiver to include youth in need of services provided in a psychiatric residential treatment facility; (2) limit, under the waiver, the total number of Medicaid inpatient bed days at psychiatric residential treatment facilities during each fiscal year to the total number for the previous fiscal year as increased by the estimated percentage increase (if any) in the population of individuals under 21 residing in the state over the preceding 12-month period; and (3) change references to mental retardation to references to an intellectual disability. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4153)
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3291
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2012-06-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Consumer affairs
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Telecommunication rates and fees
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: 
Fair Telephone Billing Act of 2012 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit local exchange carriers or providers of interconnected VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) service from placing a third-party charge that is not directly related to the provision of telephone services on the bill of a customer, unless the third-party charge is: (1) from a certified third-party vendor, (2) for a product or service that the carrier or provider markets or sells jointly with its own service, and (3) consented to and believed to be requested by the customer. 
 
Defines a &quot;third-party charge&quot; as a charge for a product or service not provided by a local exchange carrier or a provider of interconnected VoIP service that is included on a bill for the services the local exchange carrier or provider of interconnected VoIP service offers to its customers.
 
Subjects violators to civil forfeiture and specified penalties.
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate rules to: (1) ensure that a provider of wireless services gives each customer the means to avoid receiving third-party charges on the wireless customer's wireless bill and discloses such an option clearly and conspicuously, (2) establish procedures for such a provider to ensure that third-party charges have been authorized by the wireless customer; and (3) enable a wireless customer to seek and receive reimbursement from the provider for any unauthorized third-party charges.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Temporary Duty Suspension Process Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3292
Sponsor: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]
Introduced: 2012-06-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Congressional oversight
Economic performance and conditions
Tariffs
U.S. International Trade Commission

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: 
Temporary Duty Suspension Process Act of 2012 - Directs the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) to establish a process in which it will: (1) review each article in which a temporary duty suspension or reduction has been recommended at its own initiative or pusuant to a petition, and (2) submit a draft bill to the appropriate congressional committees containing each duty suspension or reduction that meets certain requirements.
 
Requires the USITC to report to appropriate congressional committees on: (1) recommendations with respect to sectors of the U.S. economy that could benefit from duty suspensions or reductions without causing harm to other domestic interests, and (2) the feasibility of suspending or reducing duties on a sectoral basis rather than on individual articles.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-06-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Divisional Realignment Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3293
Sponsor: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Federal district courts
Judicial procedure and administration
Mississippi
Missouri

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Divisional Realignment Act of 2012 - Amends the federal judicial code to realign counties comprising judicial divisions within the Eastern District of Missouri and the Northern District of Mississippi.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
SAVE Elders Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3294
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Scott P. [R-MA]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Aging
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Law enforcement administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Stop Abuse, Violence, and Exploitation of Elders Act of 2012 or the SAVE Elders Act of 2012 - Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to designate specified funds from the Crime Victims Fund for grants for compensation and assistance to victims of elder abuse. 
 
Defines &quot;elder abuse&quot; under that Act: (1) to mean the abuse, exploitation, or neglect of an individual who is age 65 or older and lawfully present in the United States; and (2) with respect to a state that receives a grant, to include any other conduct that is defined as such under the laws of the state.
 
Requires the Director of the Office of Victims of Crime to use such funds to make grants to states to support: (1) eligible crime victim assistance programs that provide assistance to victims of elder abuse; and (2) programs that improve the investigation, handling, and prosecution of cases of elder abuse.
 
Apportions specified percentages of grant amounts among the states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands and requires the amounts remaining after such apportionment to be distributed among the states based on: (1) the population of individuals age 65 or older in a state relative to the population of such individuals in all states, (2) the population of individuals age 65 or older in a state in relation to the population of the state, and (3) the overall rate of crime in a state. 
 
Requires the Attorney General: (1) acting through the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ), to periodically review all DOJ grants to ensure the purposes of the grants are achieved in the most efficient manner possible; (2) to submit an assessment of each DOJ grant program to determine the extent of overlap and duplication; and (3) to direct any DOJ office that carries out a grant program to coordinate with other offices to review anticipated grant awards. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
Flag Protection Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3296
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: National symbols
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Flag Protection Act of 2012 - Replaces provisions regarding desecration of the flag of the United States with provisions that subject any person who: (1) destroys or damages a U.S. flag with the primary purpose and intent to incite or produce imminent violence or a breach of the peace to a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment for up to 1 year, or both; (2) intentionally threatens or intimidates any person or group of persons by burning a U.S. flag to a fine of up to $100,000, imprisonment for up to 1 year, or both; (3) steals or knowingly converts to his or her use, or the use of another, a U.S. flag belonging to the United States and intentionally destroys or damages that flag to a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment for up to 2 years, or both; and (4) steals or knowingly converts to his or her use, or the use of another, a U.S. flag belonging to the United States and intentionally destroys or damags that flag within any lands reserved for the use of, or under the exclusive or concurrent jurisdiction of, the United States to a fine of up to $250,000, imprisonment for up to 2 years, or both.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
Forewarn Act

Bill: 112-s-3297
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Employee benefits and pensions
Employment and training programs
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Trade adjustment assistance
Unemployment
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Forewarn Act - Amends the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act to: (1) redefine the terms &quot;employer,&quot; &quot;plant closing,&quot; and &quot;mass layoff&quot; for purposes of the Act; and, among other things, (2) apply it to employers of 75 or more employees (currently, 100 employees), including any parent company of which the business enterprise is a subsidiary. 
 
Requires an employer to: (1) give 90-day (currently, 60-day) written notice to employees and appropriate state and local governments before ordering a plant closing or mass layoff; (2) notify the Secretary of Labor and the governor of the state in which the closing or layoff will occur; and (3) provide affected employees with information regarding benefits and services available to them, including unemployment compensation, trade adjustment assistance, COBRA benefits, onsite access to rapid response teams, and certain other services. 
 
Exempts from such notice requirements any plant closings or mass layoffs which are due directly to a terrorist attack.
 
Requires the Secretary to notify the appropriate U.S. Senators and Members of the House of Representatives who represent the area where such closing or mass layoff is to occur.
 
Makes an employer who violates such notice requirements liable to the employee for, among other things, two days pay (currently, back pay for each day of violation) multiplied by the number of calendar days for which the employer was required but failed to provide notice, including interest on such pay. 
 
Authorizes an affected employee to file a complaint with the Secretary alleging a violation of the notice requirements. Requires the Secretary to investigate and attempt to resolve such complaints. Authorizes the Secretary to bring an action in court to recover on behalf of an affected employee any backpay (including interest), benefits, and liquidated damages due.
 
Requires an employer to post conspicuously upon its premises pertinent provisions of this Act and information on the filing of a complaint. Requires the Secretary to maintain a guide on the benefits and services available to affected employees.
 
Prohibits the waiver of rights and remedies provided under this Act (including the right to maintain a civil action) by any agreement or settlement negotiated on behalf of affected employees. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3298
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Accidents
Atmospheric science and weather
Coast guard
Congressional oversight
Ecology
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental technology
Executive agency funding and structure
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Oil and gas
Research and development
Technology assessment
Water quality
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Oil Spill Technology and Research Act of 2012 - Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to replace provisions establishing the Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research with provisions establishing a Federal Oil Spill Research Committee for the same purpose. 
 
Requires the Committee to: (1) submit to Congress within 180 days and update every five years a report on the state of oil discharge prevention and response capabilities; (2) establish an oil pollution research and development program that provides for research, development, and demonstration of technologies and methods that are effective in preventing, detecting, responding to, mitigating, and restoring damage from oil discharges and that protect the environment; and (3) submit a plan for the implementation of such program to Congress within 180 days after submitting such report. 
 
Requires the Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere to: (1) designate a Chairperson from among committee members, and (2) manage a program of competitive grants to universities or research institutions for conducting such program.
 
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to require vessel and facility response plans for responding to a worst case discharge of oil or a hazardous substance to: (1) be updated at least every five years and resubmitted for approval upon each update; (2) require the use of the best available technology and methods to contain and remove a worst-case discharge and to mitigate or prevent a substantial threat of such a discharge; and (3) include investments in research relating to oil discharges, risk assessment, and development of technologies for oil discharge response and prevention.
 
Requires: (1) the Secretary of the Department in which the Coast Guard is operating to establish a program for the formal evaluation and validation of oil pollution containment and removal methods and technologies, and (2) each technology and method validated to be included in the comprehensive list of discharge removal resources maintained through the Coast Guard's National Response Unit.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow Indian tribes to receive charitable contributions of apparently wholesome food.

Bill: 112-s-3299
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Food assistance and relief
Income tax deductions
Indian social and development programs
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) qualify Indian tribes as eligible recipients of tax deductible contributions of "apparently wholesome food," as defined by the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act; and (2) extend through 2013 the special rule allowing a tax deduction for contributions of apparently wholesome food by taxpayers other than C corporations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act

Bill: 112-s-3300
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Historic sites and heritage areas
Land transfers
Military history
Military procurement, research, weapons development
New Mexico
Nuclear weapons
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Tennessee
Washington State

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Manhattan Project National Historical Park Act - Establishes the Manhattan Project National Historical Park as a unit of the National Park System, which may be composed of specified facilities, lands, or interests in one or more eligible areas or parts of such areas in Oak Ridge, Tennessee; Los Alamos, New Mexico; and Hanford, Washington. 
 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior (the Secretary) and the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to enter into an agreement to govern their respective roles in administering the facilities, lands, or interests in land under the DOE's jurisdiction to be included in the Park. 
 
Adds to the Park lands, interests in land, or facilities within the eligible areas which are acquired by the Secretary or are included in an amendment to the agreement. 
 
Requires the Secretary to develop a general management plan for the Park. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) provide interpretive tours of historically significant Manhattan Project sites and resources in Tennessee, New Mexico, and Washington state that are located outside the boundary of the Park; and (2) enter into one or more agreements with the head of a federal agency to provide public access to, and management, interpretation, and historic preservation of, historically significant Project resources under the agency's control.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-27
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 112-578.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require security screening of passengers at airports to be carried out by private screening companies, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-3303
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2012-06-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Department of Homeland Security
Employee hiring
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Labor-management relations
Public contracts and procurement
Public-private cooperation
Terrorism
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: 
Requires the screening of passengers on flights and flight segments originating in the United States to be conducted by employees of a private screening company.
 
Directs the Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security (Transportation Security Administration [TSA]) to enter into contracts with private screening companies for such services. Grants airport operators and private screening companies the authority to employ and terminate passenger screeners.
 
Requires the Assistant Secretary (currently, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security [Department of Transportation (DOT)]) to approve all airport operator applications to have the airport screening of passengers and property carried out by a qualified private screening company. (Thus transfers the security screening opt-out program from DOT to the Department of Homeland Security [DHS], and denies the Assistant Secretary authority to deny any opt-out application.)
 
Amends the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to declare that provisions allowing an employer to make an agreement with a labor organization to require union membership as a condition of employment shall not apply to airport or railway private passenger screening company employers or employees (right to work).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-06-14
text: Introduced in Senate