hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to amend title 13, United States Code, to provide for the more accurate and complete enumeration of certain overseas Americans in the decennial census, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-677
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Census and government statistics
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
House of Representatives
Members of Congress
Personnel records
Political representation

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Requires the Secretary of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 decennial census of population, to take measures in tabulating total population by state for purposes of apportionment of Representatives in Congress to ensure that all U.S. citizens temporarily living abroad on the census date are fully and accurately counted and properly attributed to the last state in which they were domiciled before leaving the United States. 
 
Requires such measures to include methods: (1) by which administrative records of a nongovernmental organization may be used to enumerate organization members residing overseas if such records satisfy the Secretary's criteria, (2) under which an international &quot;Be Counted&quot; form may be completed at a U.S. embassy by U.S. citizens residing overseas, and (3) under which voter registration rolls may be used to establish usual residence by confirming the state in which U.S. citizens living abroad usually reside.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Greater Accountability in the Lending Fund Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-681
Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Business investment and capital
Credit and credit markets
Government lending and loan guarantees
Securities
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Greater Accountability in the Lending Fund Act of 2011 - Amends the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 relating to the Small Business Lending Fund Program to: (1) remove a requirement that the capital investment received by an eligible small business under the Program be evidenced by stock or other financial instrument that carries the highest dividend or interest rate payable; (2) terminate the Program 15 years after the enactment of such Act; (3) prohibit the Secretary of the Treasury from making capital investments under the Program if the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is appointed receiver of 5% or more of the institutions receiving an investment under the Program; (4) prohibit Program participation by any institution in which the Secretary made an investment under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008; (5) revise provisions concerning consideration of private investment under the Program; (6) require the approval of (under current law, requires consultation with) appropriate financial regulators when determining whether an institution should receive a capital investment; and (7) revise the benchmark against which changes in the amount of small business lending shall be measured.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1991-1992)
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to provide for reliquidation of certain entries of medium density fiberboard.

Bill: 112-s-682
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Directs U.S. Customs and Border Protection to provide for the liquidation or reliquidation of certain entries of medium density fiberboard.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Free Sugar Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-685
Sponsor: Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural trade
Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Free Sugar Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to repeal the sugar loan program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Charter School Quality Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-686
Sponsor: Sen. Landrieu, Mary L. [D-LA]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Accounting and auditing
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Licensing and registrations
Performance measurement
School administration

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Charter School Quality Act of 2011 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to add to the criteria the Secretary of Education is to consider when deciding whether to give a state priority in the receipt of public charter school grants. 
 
Favors states that ensure that public charter schools are held to the student performance standards set forth in their performance contracts, and: (1) have a statewide authorized public chartering agency; (2) work with authorized public chartering agencies to streamline data collection and reporting; (3) ensure that those agencies follow high-quality standards that reflect best practices; (4) have a transparent process for accrediting, training, or evaluating those agencies; and/or (5) make student achievement a primary factor in decisions to approve, renew, or revoke school charters.
 
Directs the Secretary, when assessing a state's grant application, to consider the rigor of the process it establishes to ensure that subgrants are awarded only to high-quality applicants that are likely to create high-performing charter schools.
 
Directs the Secretary to award grants to successful public charter schools, high-quality public chartering agencies, and experienced nonprofit organizations to: (1) disseminate information about successful innovations in education; or (2) assist other schools, chartering agencies, charter support organizations, and nonprofit organizations in utilizing such innovations. 
 
Requires public charter schools to: (1) conduct an annual, independent, and timely financial audit that is filed with their chartering agency; (2) have a written, legally-binding performance contract or charter with an authorized public chartering agency in their state; and (3) be governed by a board that is independent from the chartering agency and has autonomy over decisions.
 
Requires authorized public chartering agencies or authorizers to use student performance and growth at the whole school level and for certain student subgroups as a primary factor in assessing public charter schools and determining whether to renew or revoke their charters.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the 15-year recovery period for qualified leasehold improvement property, qualified restaurant property, and qualified retail improvement property.

Bill: 112-s-687
Sponsor: Sen. Conrad, Kent [D-ND]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Food industry and services
Income tax deductions
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the 15-year recovery period classification for qualified leasehold improvement, restaurant, and retail improvement property, for purposes of the depreciation tax deduction. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Puerto Rico Hospital HITECH Amendments of 2011

Bill: 112-s-688
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Caribbean area
Computers and information technology
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health technology, devices, supplies
Medicare
Puerto Rico
U.S. territories and protectorates

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Puerto Rico Hospital HITECH Amendments of 2011 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to apply Medicare HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act ) payments to subsection (d) hospitals in Puerto Rico. 
 
(Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.) 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Energy Security Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-689
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Budget process
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Congressional oversight
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Environmental technology
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Manufacturing
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Energy Security Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the national energy security program to coordinate federal government activities and policies to ensure that the United States meets goals for reducing oil dependence, oil imports, and oil consumption as well as other energy policy goals. 
 
Declares it is the goal of the United States to reduce oil consumption by 2030 by an amount equal to or greater than the quantity of oil imported from outside of North America. 
 
Directs the President, in coordination with the National Energy Security Council (established by this Act) and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), to develop a national oil independence plan, which shall be updated biennially.
 
Directs the President to review existing federal programs and authorities (including tax policies) to determine: (1) which of them could be used to accelerate reductions in oil dependence, and (2) the means to maximize such reductions.
 
Establishes in the Executive Office of the President the National Energy Security Council.
 

 
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Homeowner Advocate Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-690
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Congressional oversight
Department of the Treasury
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Housing finance and home ownership

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Office of the Homeowner Advocate Act of 2011 - Establishes in the Department of the Treasury the Office of the Homeowner Advocate to assist homeowners, housing counselors, and housing lawyers in resolving problems with the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) of the Making Home Affordable initiative of the Secretary of the Treasury, authorized under the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008.
 
 Prohibits any modification of a mortgage under the Making Home Affordable Program, or with any funds from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), unless the servicer of the mortgage loan has determined, in accordance with standards and requirements established by the Secretary, that the mortgagor cannot afford to make payments under the terms of the existing mortgage loan. (Thus prohibits participation in such Program for borrowers who strategically default.)
 
 Requires the Secretary to revise the guidelines for HAMP to establish that the data collected by the Secretary from each mortgage servicer and lender participating in the Program is made public at the individual record level in a specified manner.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Maple Tapping Access Program Act

Bill: 112-s-691
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2011-03-30 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education
Agricultural marketing and promotion
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural research
Food industry and services

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: 
Maple Tapping Access Program Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make grants to states and tribal governments to promote the domestic maple syrup industry through: (1) promotion of research and education, (2) promotion of natural resource sustainability, (3) market promotion, and (4) encouragement of owners and operators of privately held land to initiate or expand maple-sugaring activities or to voluntarily make the land available to the public for maple-sugaring activities.
 
Defines &quot;maple-sugaring&quot; as the collection of sap from any species of tree in the genus Acer for the purpose of boiling to produce food.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2011-03-30
text: Introduced in Senate
Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act

Bill: 112-s-694
Sponsor: Sen. Johnson, Tim [D-SD]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Constitution and constitutional amendments
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
House of Representatives
Members of Congress
Political representation
State and local government operations
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act - Prohibits a state that has been redistricted after an apportionment from being redistricted again until after the next apportionment of Representatives, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct such a subsequent redistricting in order to: (1) comply with the U.S. Constitution, or (2) enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
 
Requires such redistricting to be conducted through a plan developed by the independent redistricting commission established in the state, or if such plan is not enacted into law, the redistricting plan selected by the state's highest court or developed by a U.S. district court.
 
Prescribes requirements for: (1) establishment of a state independent redistricting commission (including provisions for holding each of its meetings in public and maintaining a public Internet site); (2) development of a redistricting plan (including soliciting and considering public comments) and its submission to the state legislature (with public notice of plans at least seven days prior to such submission); (3) selection of a plan, under specified conditions, by the state's highest court or the U.S. district court for the district in which the capital of the state is located; (4) special rules for redistricting conducted under a federal court order; and (5) Election Assistance Commission payments to states for carrying out redistricting.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
Commercial Driver Compliance Improvement Act

Bill: 112-s-695
Sponsor: Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Transportation
Labor standards
Motor carriers
Transportation employees
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Commercial Driver Compliance Improvement Act - Requires all commercial motor vehicles involved in interstate commerce and operated by a driver subject to both federal hours-of-service and record of duty status requirements, in order to improve compliance with federal hours-of-service regulations, to be equipped with an electronic on-board recording device meeting performance requirements and certification criteria and certain other requirements prescribed by the Secretary of Transportation (DOT).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2048-2049)
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to treat Vet Centers as Department of Veterans Affairs facilities for purposes of payments or allowances for beneficiary travel to Department facilities, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-696
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs
Mental health
Military operations and strategy
Transportation costs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Treats Vet Centers as Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities for purposes of authorized payments or allowances for beneficiary travel to or from a VA facility in connection with medical care.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-06-08
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-116.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-697
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax credits
Licensing and registrations
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse. Defines &quot;qualified relicensing costs&quot; as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to codify the prohibition against the reservation of gravesites at Arlington National Cemetery, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-698
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Congressional oversight
Virginia

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Prohibits: (1) more than one gravesite from being provided at Arlington National Cemetery (Arlington) to a veteran or member of the Armed Forces who is eligible for burial there and family members also eligible for burial there, and (2) a gravesite from being reserved at Arlington before an individual's death. Provides an exception under (2) above, in the case of a request submitted to the Secretary of the Army before January 1, 1962.
 
Requires a report from the Secretary to Congress on reservations made for interment at Arlington.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-06-08
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-116.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the treatment of certain farming business machinery and equipment as 5-year property for purposes of depreciation.

Bill: 112-s-700
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
General agriculture matters
Income tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the classification of certain farming business machinery and equipment as five-year property for purposes of the tax deduction for depreciation. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate
Fiscal Fairness Act

Bill: 112-s-701
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2011-03-31 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: 
 Fiscal Fairness Act - Amends part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to condition local educational agency (LEA) receipt of school improvement funds on: (1) an average state and local spending per pupil in each school receiving school improvement funds of at least 97% of such spending per pupil across all of the LEA's schools that are not receiving such funds; and (2) an average state and local spending per pupil in each higher poverty school of at least 97% of such spending per pupil across all lower poverty schools, if the LEA is serving all of its schools under part A.
 
Allows LEAs to meet such requirement across all schools or among schools serving a particular grade span if they compare schools within no more than three grade spans.
 
Directs the Inspector General of the Department of Education, in the fourth and fifth years after this Act's enactment, to audit 5 states and 10 LEAs to determine their progress in meeting these requirements.
 
Requires annual LEA report cards to include certain information on state and local spending per pupil in schools.
 
Requires states to provide the public with annual up-to-date school-by-school listings of per-pupil state and local spending.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-03-31
text: Introduced in Senate