hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Middle Class Tax Cut Act

Bill: 112-s-3393
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2012-07-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Capital gains tax
Computers and information technology
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Income tax rates
Poverty and welfare assistance
Student aid and college costs
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax treatment of families
Transfer and inheritance taxes
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: 
Middle Class Tax Cut Act - Extends through 2013 for a taxpayer whose income is $200,000 or less ($250,000 for married couples filing jointly): (1) the tax rate reductions and other tax benefits of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and (2) the reduction in the tax rate for dividend and capital gain income enacted by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. Increases income tax rates and phases-out personal exemptions and itemized deductions for certain high-income taxpayers. 
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2013: (1) the increased American Opportunity tax credit, (2) the increase in the refundable portion of the child tax credit, (3) the increased earned income tax credit percentage for three or more qualifying children, (4) the disregard of tax refunds in determining eligibility for federal and federally-assisted programs, and (5) the election to expense depreciable business assets.
 
Modifies estate tax provisions to establish: (1) an estate tax exclusion of $3.5 million, and (2) a maximum 45% estate tax rate. 
 
Extends for one year: (1) the increased exemption amount for the alternative minimum tax (AMT), and (2) the offset against the AMT of certain nonrefundable personal tax credits. 
 
Provides that the budgetary effects of this Act shall not be taken into account under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 457.
action_date: 2012-07-17
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 S5087-5089)
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to address fee disclosure requirements under the Electronic Fund Transfer Act, to amend the Federal Deposit Insurance Act with respect to information provided to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-3394
Sponsor: Sen. Johnson, Tim [D-SD]
Introduced: 2012-07-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer credit
Government information and archives

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: 
Amends the Electronic Fund Transfer Act with respect to mandatory fee disclosures on automated teller machines (ATMs) operated by a person other than a financial institution holding a consumer's account. 
 
Repeals the requirement that such a fee disclosure appear in a prominent and conspicuous location on or at the ATM. Limits such requirement to appearance of a fee disclosureon the ATM screen.
 
Amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to make the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) a &quot;covered agency&quot; that may share information with another covered agency or any other federal agency without waiving any privilege applicable to the information. 
 
Prohibits information submitted to the CFPB in the course of its supervisory or regulatory process from being construed as waiving, destroying, or affecting any privilege that may be claimed with respect to such information under federal or state law as to any person or entity other than the CFPB, another federal banking agency, a state bank supervisor, or a foreign banking authority.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Wildfire and Drought Relief for Ranchers and Farmers Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3395
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2012-07-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Disaster relief and insurance
Government trust funds

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: 
 Wildfire and Drought Relief for Ranchers and Farmers Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds in FY2012 for the following supplemental agricultural disaster programs: (1) the livestock indemnity program; (2) the livestock forage disaster program; (3) the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish program; and (4) the tree assistance program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2012-07-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3396
Sponsor: Sen. Sessions, Jeff [R-AL]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Birth defects
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Child health
Department of Health and Human Services
Health promotion and preventive care
Medical research
Minority health
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Research administration and funding
Surgery and anesthesia

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Research Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a national campaign to increase public awareness and knowledge of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, including through: (1) the dissemination of information on the definition of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia and on good neonatal care of Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia patients, (2) outreach to minority populations regarding Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, and (3) the promotion of good prenatal care and ultrasound to detect Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in utero.
 
Requires the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to evaluate the amount of federal assistance provided for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia research at NIH to determine whether funding levels are adequate.
 
Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Director should consider allocating funds and other resources for Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia research.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5135-5136)
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3397
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Health and Human Services
Employment and training programs
Intergovernmental relations
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
Preserving Work Requirements for Welfare Programs Act of 2012 - Prohibits the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from finalizing, implementing, enforcing, or otherwise taking any action to give effect to the Information Memorandum dated July 12, 2012 (Transmittal No. TANF-ACF-IM-2012-03), or to any administrative action relating to the same subject matter or that reflects the same or similar policies.
 
Prohibits the Secretary also from authorizing, approving, modifying, or extending any experimental, pilot, or demonstration project under the Social Security Act (SSA) that: (1) waives compliance with mandatory work requirements of SSA title IV part A (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF), or (2) authorizes an expenditure not otherwise allowable under a state TANF program with respect to compliance with such work requirements.
 
Rescinds and nullifies any waiver relating to the subject matter of the Information Memorandum granted before the enactment of this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5136)
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
National Park Service Critical Authorities Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3398
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Atmospheric science and weather
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Department of Transportation
Department of the Interior
District of Columbia
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pedestrians and bicycling
Roads and highways
Transportation safety and security
Virginia

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
National Park Service Critical Authorities Act of 2012 - Revises provisions regarding the removal of snow and ice around federal buildings in the District of Columbia. 
 
Permits the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and the National Park Service (NPS) to exchange lands in Virginia along the George Washington Memorial Parkway affecting access to the Claude Moore Historical Farm and security at the FHA's Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) complex adjacent to the farm.
 
Revises specified current penalty provisions applicable to the National Park System to provide for the uniform application throughout the System of specified penalty provisions of the National Park Service Organic Act and the federal criminal code.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5136-5138)
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
National Park Service Study Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3399
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Congressional oversight
Detention of persons
Florida
Georgia
Government studies and investigations
Hawaii
Historic sites and heritage areas
Lakes and rivers
Military history
Military personnel and dependents
Mining
Nevada
New Mexico
New York State
Northern Mariana Islands
Palau
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Racial and ethnic relations
Television and film
Texas
U.S. history
Utah
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
National Park Service Study Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct special resource studies of: (1) the Kau coast, on the island of Hawaii; (2) on request, the island of Rota in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; (3) sites in Alaska associated with the forced abandonment of the Aleut villages of Makushin, Kashega, and Biorka around Unalaska Island and Attu on Attu Island during World War II; (4) the five relocation sites in Alaska at Funter Bay, Burnett Inlet, Killisnoo, Ward Lake and the Wrangell Institute; (5) specified World War II Japanese American Relocation Center sites; (6) American Latino sites in the San Luis Valley and Central Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado and New Mexico; (7) the town of Goldfield and outlying mining sites in Nevada; (8) the Hudson River Valley in New York; (9) the Norman Studios in Jacksonville, Florida, at which African-American casts and crews were used in the production of silent films; (10) the Mobile-Tensaw River Delta in Alabama; and (11) Galveston Bay in Texas.
 
Requires updates of: (1) the study authorized by the National Park Service Studies Act of 1999 relating to World War II sites, Republic of Palau; and (2) the 1979 study entitled &quot;Vermejo Ranch, New Mexico/Colorado: Study of Management Options.&quot;
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) study alternatives for commemorating and interpreting the role of the Buffalo Soldiers in the early years of the National Parks, (2) conduct a national historic landmark theme study to identify sites and resources in the southern United States that are significant to the Reconstruction era, and (3) study the feasibility of including 45 miles of the Chattahoochee River and land along the river corridor within the boundary of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area located in Georgia.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5136-5138)
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3400
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Colorado
Ecology
Economic development
Fishes
Forests, forestry, trees
Lakes and rivers
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Mining
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Water quality
Water use and supply
Watersheds
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act of 2012 - Designates specified federal lands in San Juan National Forest as: (1) the Hermosa Creek Watershed and Protection Area, and (2) the Hermosa Creek Special Management Area. 
 
Designates specified land within the Protection Area as the Hermosa Creek Wilderness. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5138-5139)
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Tax Relief Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3401
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Economic performance and conditions
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Income tax rates
Tax reform and tax simplification
U.S. territories and protectorates

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
Tax Relief Act of 2012 - Extends through 2013: (1) the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001, and (2) the reduction in the tax rates for dividend and capital gain income enacted by the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003. 
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for an additional two years: (1) the increased exemption amount for the alternative minimum tax (AMT); (2) the offset against the AMT for certain nonrefundable personal tax credits; and (3) the increased expensing allowance for depreciable business assets, including computer software.
 
Directs the Senate Committee on Finance to report tax reform legislation not later than 12 months after the enactment of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 460.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3402
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2012-07-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business records
Consumer affairs
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Military procurement, research, weapons development
Public contracts and procurement
Telephone and wireless communication
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: 
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2012 - Requires a business enterprise that employs 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, in a call center to notify the Secretary of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day. Directs the Secretary to establish, maintain, and make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. Authorizes the Secretary to remove from the list an employer that has relocated the call center from a location outside the United States to a location inside the United States.
 
Requires such an employer to remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. Makes such an employer ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Requires the head of federal or state executive agency or military department, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, to give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list.
 
 Requires a business entity that initiates or receives a customer service communication to require each of its employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. Exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Requires such a business entity, upon request, to transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States.
 
Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer services communications from the requirements of this Act under exceptionally compelling circumstances. Sets forth enforcement provisions.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-07-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Death Tax Repeal Act

Bill: 112-s-3403
Sponsor: Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]
Introduced: 2012-07-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Transfer and inheritance taxes

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: 
Death Tax Repeal Act - Repeals the federal estate, gift, and generation-skipping transfer taxes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Introduced in Senate
Department of Energy Reorganization Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3404
Sponsor: Sen. Coats, Daniel [R-IN]
Introduced: 2012-07-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alternative and renewable resources
Department of Energy
Department of the Interior
Environmental regulatory procedures
Executive agency funding and structure
Government liability
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: 
Department of Energy Reorganization Act of 2012 - Establishes within the Department of Energy (DOE) an Office of Federal Energy Production, headed by a Director appointed by the Secretary of Energy.
 
Transfers to such Director the current functions of the Directors of: (1) the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, (2) the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, and (3) the Bureau of Land Management of the Department of the Interior with respect to oil and gas development and renewable energy production.
 
Establishes within DOE the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, to whose Director are transferred the functions and regulatory authority of the Director of the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement of the Department of the Interior. Terminates the latter Bureau upon completion of all transfers.
 
Establishes within DOE the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, to whose Director are transferred the functions of the Director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management of the Department of the Interior. Terminates the latter Bureau upon completion of all transfers.
 
Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, with respect to the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) oil and gas leasing program, to require the Secretary to certify that the oil and gas leasing program prepared will best meet national energy needs for the five-year period following its approval or reapproval. Directs the Secretary to amend the program to include additional lease sales in additional areas if it is determined that the United States will require more than one million barrels of oil per day for the next fiscal year from foreign sources other than Canada and Mexico.
 
Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to authorize appropriations to the Secretary to implement oil shale and gilsonite leases and permits.
 
Exempts DOE from the jurisdiction of the Equal Access to Justice Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans Small Business Protection Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3405
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2012-07-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Military personnel and dependents
Public contracts and procurement
Small business
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: 
Veterans Small Business Protection Act of 2012 - Treats a small business acquired by the surviving spouse or dependent from a member of the Armed Forces killed during active duty as a small business owned and controlled by a service-disabled veteran, for purposes of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) small business contracting goals and preferences. Continues such treatment for the period beginning on the date of the member's death and ending on the earlier of: (1) the date on which the surviving spouse remarries or relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death, or (2) the date on which the surviving dependent relinquishes such ownership interest or ten years after the member's death.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5213-5214)
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the Secretary of Energy from enforcing regulations pertaining to certain battery chargers.

Bill: 112-s-3408
Sponsor: Sen. Johanns, Mike [R-NE]
Introduced: 2012-07-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Energy
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand

Summary:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: 
Prohibits the Secretary of Energy from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a proposed rule entitled "Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Battery Chargers and External Power Supplies," or any substantially similar regulation, regarding product class 7 (certain high-energy battery chargers described in such proposed rule). 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-07-19
text: Introduced in Senate