hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2144
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2012-02-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Housing finance and home ownership
Income tax exclusion

Summary:
action_date: 2012-02-29
text: 
Mortgage Cancellation Relief Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a permanent exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to the discharge of qualified residential indebtedness, in the case of an individual (currently, limited to principal residence indebtedness discharged before January 1, 2013). 
 
Defines &quot;qualified residential indebtedness&quot; to mean indebtedness, including indebtedness from refinancing, that was incurred or assumed: (1) in connection with real property used as a residence and that is secured by such real property; and (2) to acquire, construct, reconstruct, or substantially improve such property. 
 
Limits the amount of such exclusion to the excess (if any) of the outstanding principal amount of such indebtedness (immediately before the discharge) over the sum of: (1) the amount realized from the sale of such real property reduced by the cost of the sale, and (2) the outstanding principal amount of any other indebtedness secured by such property.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-02-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-02-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Fair Playing Field Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2145
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-03-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Census and government statistics
Contracts and agency
Department of the Treasury
Employment taxes
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: 
Fair Playing Field Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor). 
 
Provides that for purposes of determining whether a registered representative of a securities broker-dealer is an employee for employment tax purposes, no weight shall be given to instructions from a service recipient which are imposed only in compliance with investor protection standards. Makes this rule applicable to services performed by a broker-dealer after December 31, 1997.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2146
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2012-03-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congressional oversight
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Nuclear power
Oil and gas
Public utilities and utility rates
Solid waste and recycling

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: 
 Clean Energy Standard Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require, beginning in calendar 2015, each electric utility that sells electric energy to electric consumers in a state (other than Alaska or Hawaii) to obtain a percentage of such electric energy from clean energy.
 
Prescribes a schedule for calendar year minimum annual percentages.
 
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to: (1) establish a federal clean energy credit trading program under which electric utilities may submit clean energy credits to certify their compliance, and (2) issue to each generator of electric energy a quantity of clean energy credits determined in accordance with this Act.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to delegate: (1) administration of a national clean energy credit market for purposes of establishing a transparent national market for the sale or trade of clean energy credits; and (2) the tracking of dispatch of clean generation.
 
Subjects to a civil penalty an electric utility that fails to meet the requirements of this Act.
 
Requires the Secretary to establish a state energy efficiency funding program.
 
Exempts from this Act any electric utility that sold less than the prescribed quantity of megawatt-hours of electric energy to electric consumers during the preceding calendar year.
 
Requires the Secretary to report to Congress on mechanisms to supplement the standard under this Act by addressing clean energy resources that do not generate electric energy but that may substantially reduce electric energy loads, including energy efficiency, biomass converted to thermal energy, geothermal energy collected using heat pumps, thermal energy delivered through district heating systems, and waste heat used as industrial process heat.
 
Directs the Secretary to submit a report to Congress that: (1) quantifies the losses of natural gas during its production and transportation, and (2) recommends programs and policies to promote conservation of natural gas for beneficial use. 
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-05-17
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-466.
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1197-1199)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1196-1197)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2147
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2012-03-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Alaska
Arctic Ocean
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Ecology
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fishes
Mammals
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Research administration and funding
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: 
Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observing Act of 2012 - Establishes the Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observation Program to be administered by the North Pacific Research Board with input and assistance from the Arctic Research Commission.
 
Requires the Program to include marine, coastal, and estuarine: (1) research of fisheries, ecosystem food webs, and spatial distributions of fish and other wildlife; (2) monitoring and observation, including expansion of the Alaska Ocean Observing System in the Arctic; (3) research, monitoring, observation, and modeling to support planning, environmental review, decisionmaking, evaluation, impact and natural resources damage assessment, and adaptive management with respect to industrial and other human activities in the Arctic, environmental change, and the interactive and cumulative effects in the Arctic.
 
Directs: (1) the Board and Commission to jointly prepare an Arctic Ocean science plan, and (2) the Board to submit the plan to the National Research Council. Requires that the plan be reviewed and updated at least once every five years. 
 
Establishes a grant program to award grants for research, monitoring, and observation under the science plan.
 
Directs the Commission to annually review and recommend to the Board ongoing and future strategies and priorities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1199-1200)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1199)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Introduced in Senate
Medical Debt Responsibility Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2149
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2012-03-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Consumer credit
Health care costs and insurance

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: 
Medical Debt Responsibility Act of 2012 - Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from making any report containing information related to a fully paid or settled medical debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection which, from the date of payment or settlement, antedates the report by more than 45 days.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title XVI of the Social Security Act to clarify that the value of certain funeral and burial arrangements are not to be considered available resources under the supplemental security income program.

Bill: 112-s-2150
Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2012-03-01 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: 
Amends title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) (SSI) of the Social Security Act to provide that the value of certain prepaid funeral and burial arrangements involving an irrevocable trust whose named beneficiary is the funeral provider are not to be considered, under the SSI program, as resources available to the individual.
 
Includes among such arrangements a life insurance policy irrevocably assigning benefits covering funeral goods and services to: (1) a funeral provider, or (2) an irrevocable trust fully funding such goods and services and naming the funeral provider as the trust beneficiary.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1201)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1200-1201)
action_date: 2012-03-01
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to apply the countervailing duty provisions of the Tariff Act of 1930 to nonmarket economy countries, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-2153
Sponsor: Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT]
Introduced: 2012-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Free trade and trade barriers
Government studies and investigations
Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: 
Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 regarding the imposition of countervailing duties on imports into the United States from a country subsidizing, directly or indirectly, the manufacture, production, or export of merchandise which materially injures a U.S. industry or threatens to.
 
Declares that merchandise on which countervailing duties must be imposed includes merchandise from a nonmarket country, unless the administering authority cannot identify and measure subsidies provided by the government of the nonmarket economy country (or a public entity within its territory) because the economy of that country is essentially composed of a single entity.
 
Requires the administering authority to reduce the antidumping duty on a class or kind of merchandise from a nonmarket economy country in cases where: (1) such country (or a public entity within its territory) has provided the merchandise with a countervailable subsidy (other than an export subsidy); (2) the subsidy has reduced the average price of imports of that class or kind of merchandise during the relevant period; and (3) the extent to which the subsidy, in combination with the use of normal value, has increased the weighted average dumping margin for such merchandise can be reasonably estimated.
 
Requires the administering authority, in such cases, to reduce the antidumping duty by the amount of the increase in the weighted average dumping margin estimated (but not by more than the portion of the countervailing duty rate attributable to the countervailable subsidy).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-07
text: See also H.R. 4105.
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S1375-1376; text as passed Senate: CR S1375-1376)
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S1375-1376; text as passed Senate: CR S1375-1376)
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Arctic Science Endowment Act

Bill: 112-s-2154
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2012-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Alaska
Arctic Ocean
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Ecology
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fishes
Government trust funds
Mammals
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine and inland water transportation
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Research administration and funding
Sales and excise taxes
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: 
Arctic Science Endowment Act - Establishes the Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observation Program to be administered by the North Pacific Research Board with input and assistance from the Arctic Research Commission.
 
Requires the Program to include marine, coastal, and estuarine: (1) research of fisheries, ecosystem food webs, and spatial distributions of fish and other wildlife; (2) monitoring and observation, including expansion of the Alaska Ocean Observing System in the Arctic; (3) research, monitoring, observation, and modeling to support planning, environmental review, decisionmaking, evaluation, impact and natural resources damage assessment, and adaptive management with respect to industrial and other human activities in the Arctic, environmental change, and the interactive and cumulative effects in the Arctic.
 
Directs: (1) the Board and Commission to jointly prepare an Arctic Ocean science plan, and (2) the Board to submit the plan to the National Research Council. Requires that the plan be reviewed and updated at least once every five years. 
 
Establishes a grant program to award grants for research, monitoring, and observation under the science plan.
 
Directs the Commission to annually review and recommend to the Board ongoing and future strategies and priorities.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish in the Treasury the Arctic Ocean Research, Monitoring, and Observation Trust Fund to carry out the Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to promote biobased manufacturing.

Bill: 112-s-2155
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2012-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural practices and innovations
Agricultural research
Alternative and renewable resources
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Manufacturing
Product development and innovation
Public contracts and procurement
Research and development
Solid waste and recycling

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: 
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include facilities that convert renewable biomass into renewable chemicals in the definitions of &quot;biomass conversion facility&quot; and &quot;biorefinery.&quot;
 
Defines &quot;renewable chemical&quot; as a monomer, polymer, plastic, or formulated product produced from renewable biomass. 
 
Amends the biobased markets program to: (1) require federal procuring agencies to issue a certain number of biobased-only contracts; and (2) require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to designate intermediate ingredients or feedstocks and assembled and finished biobased products in the program guidelines; (3) require the Secretary to issue criteria for determining which assembled and finished products may carry the USDA Certified Biobased Product label; (4) require the Secretary to assess the economic impact of the biobased products industry; (5) authorize the Secretary to carry out outreach, education, and promotion activities; and (6) authorize the Secretary to perform audits.
 
Makes renewable chemicals and biobased product manufacturing eligible for grant and loan guarantee assistance.
 
Eliminates feedstocks research, development, and demonstration activities from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2012-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Shuttle Workforce Revitalization Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2157
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2012-03-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Economic development
Florida
Public contracts and procurement
Space flight and exploration

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: 
Shuttle Workforce Revitalization Act of 2012 - Makes Brevard County, Florida, a HUBZone (heavily underutilized business zone) until no earlier than January 1, 2020.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway National Heritage Area Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2158
Sponsor: Sen. Kohl, Herb [D-WI]
Introduced: 2012-03-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Historic sites and heritage areas
Land use and conservation
Wisconsin

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: 
 Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway National Heritage Area Act of 2012 - Establishes the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway National Heritage Area in Wisconsin. 
 
Designates the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway as the local coordinating entity for the Heritage Area.
 
Requires the Fox-Wisconsin Heritage Parkway to prepare and submit a management plan for the Heritage Area.
 
Sets forth requirements for the approval or disapproval of the management plan. 


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: 2012-03-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1423)
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to extend the authorization of the Drug-Free Communities Support Program through fiscal year 2017.

Bill: 112-s-2159
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2012-03-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Health programs administration and funding
Law enforcement administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: 
Amends the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program for FY2013-FY2017.

action_date: 2012-03-29
text: 
Amends the National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988 to authorize appropriations for the Drug-Free Communities Support Program for FY2013-FY2017.
 
Requires the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, in carrying out such Program, to ensure that: (1) each recipient of an initial or renewal grant meets the grant eligibility criteria for each fiscal year, and (2) the meeting of that criteria is fully documented.
 
Requires the Director, upon delegating authority to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to carry out Program activities, to: (1) develop and document an approach to monitoring and overseeing the administration of the Program by SAMHSA, and (2) fully define the respective roles and responsibilities of the Office and SAMHSA in administering the Program.
 
Authorizes the Director to make a grant to an eligible organization to provide for the establishment of a National Community Anti-Drug Coalition Institute to: (1) provide education, training, and technical assistance for coalition leaders and community teams, with emphasis on the development of coalitions serving economically disadvantaged areas; (2) develop and disseminate evaluation tools, mechanisms, and measures to better assess and document coalition performance measures and outcomes; and (3) bridge the gap between research and practice by translating knowledge from research into practical information. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-29
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 351.
action_date: 2012-03-29
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2012-03-29
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2012-03-29
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1424)
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1423-1424)
action_date: 2012-03-06
text: Introduced in Senate