hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Department of the Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3685
Sponsor: Sen. Akaka, Daniel K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2012-12-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Department of the Interior
Evidence and witnesses
Federal-Indian relations
Indian claims
Indian lands and resources rights
Indian social and development programs
Judicial procedure and administration
Judicial review and appeals
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: 
Department of the Interior Tribal Self-Governance Act of 2012 - Amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to revise tribal self-governance requirements. 
 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out the Tribal Self-Governance Program. Authorizes the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Office of Self-Governance, to select up to 50 new Indian tribes per year from those eligible to participate in self-governance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8072)
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2013

Bill: 112-s-3686
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-12-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Employee leave
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Religion

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: 
Workplace Religious Freedom Act of 2013

 - Amends provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 related to equal employment opportunities to include in the term "religion" all aspects of religious observance and practice, as well as belief, unless an employer demonstrates that the employer is unable, after initiating and engaging in an affirmative and bona fide effort, to reasonably accommodate to an employee's or prospective employee's religious observance or practice without undue hardship on the conduct of the employer's business. (Current law makes no reference to an employer's affirmative and bona fide effort.)
 
Provides that an employer's accommodation of an employee's practice of wearing religious clothing or a religious hairstyle, or of taking time off for a religious reason, imposes an undue hardship on the conduct of an employer's business in accommodating such practice only if the accommodation imposes a significant difficulty or expense on the conduct of the employer's business when considered in light of specified factors set forth in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, including: (1) the nature and cost of the accommodation needed, (2) the financial resources and size of the business, and (3) the type of operation of the business.
 
Requires an employer's accomodation, before it may be considered a reasonable accomodation, to remove the conflict between employment requirements and the employee's religious practice. Prohibits an accomodation from being a reasonable accomodation if it requires an employee to be segregated from customers or the general public.
 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Introduced in Senate
STOP Identity Theft Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3688
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2012-12-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: 
Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2012 or the STOP Identity Theft Act of 2012 - Calls for the Attorney General to: (1) make use of all existing resources of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including task forces, to bring more perpetrators of tax return identity theft to justice; and (2) take into account the need to concentrate efforts in areas of the country where the crime is most frequently reported, to coordinate with state and local authorities to prosecute and prevent such crime, and to protect vulnerable groups from becoming victims or otherwise being used in the offense.
 
Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) include organizations as victims for purposes of prohibitions against identity theft or aggravated identity theft, and (2) subject an identity theft offense committed during and in relation to tax fraud to a fine and/or up to 20 years' imprisonment.
 
Directs the Attorney General to include in the first annual DOJ performance report made more than nine months after the date of this Act's enactment information as to progress in implementing this Act regarding: (1) information readily available to DOJ about trends in the incidence of tax return identity theft, (2) the effectiveness of statutory tools in aiding DOJ in prosecuting it, (3) recommendations on additional statutory tools that would aid in removing barriers to effective prosecution, and (4) the status of implementing DOJ's March 2010 audit report on DOJ efforts to combat identity theft.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-12-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Senior Airman Michael Malarsie Act

Bill: 112-s-3689
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-12-18 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Hearing, speech, and vision care
Neurological disorders
Service animals
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Tax-exempt organizations
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-18
text: 
Senior Airman Michael Malarsie Act - Directs the Secretaries of Defense (DOD) and Veterans Affairs (VA) to jointly establish the Senior Airman Michael Malarsie Program for the awarding of grants to certain nonprofit organizations to assist them in establishing and operating programs to provide assistance dogs to certain members of the Armed Forces and veterans who have certain visual, hearing, or mobility disabilities. Requires such Secretaries to determine whether such assistance for members or veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury would be appropriate, taking into account the findings of a specified study conducted under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010.
 
Defines the term &quot;assistance dog&quot; to mean a dog specifically trained to perform physical tasks to mitigate the effects of such a disability, except that such term does not include a dog specifically trained for comfort or personal defense.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-18
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-18
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8139)
action_date: 2012-12-18
text: Introduced in Senate
Government Contracting Improvement Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3690
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Congressional oversight
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Government Contracting Improvement Act of 2012 - Directs the Comptroller General to include in the annual report to Congress on the Government Accountability Office (GAO) a list of the most common grounds for sustaining protests relating to bids for contracts during the year. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
STRONG Act

Bill: 112-s-3691
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Atmospheric science and weather
Congressional oversight
Disaster relief and insurance
Economic performance and conditions
Emergency planning and evacuation
Executive Office of the President
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Public-private cooperation

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Strengthening The Resiliency of Our Nation on the Ground Act or the STRONG Act - Requires the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish and chair an interagency working group with cabinet-level representation from all relevant federal agencies in order to: (1) provide a strategic vision of extreme weather resilience; (2) conduct a gap and overlap analysis of federal agencies' current and planned activities related to achieving short- and long-term resilience to extreme weather and its impacts on the United States, such as flooding and drought; and (3) develop a National Extreme Weather Resilience Plan. 
 
Requires the Plan to include the establishment of an online, publicly available information clearinghouse to be used by federal agencies and other stakeholders to inform resilience-enhancing efforts and to build off and complement existing federal efforts. Provides for a coordinating entity to establish and maintain such clearinghouse. 
 
Requires such coordinating entity to coordinate the implementation of the Plan and to track its progress. 
 
Requires the submission of specified reports. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8204)
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
Save Our Students Act

Bill: 112-s-3692
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Child safety and welfare
Crime prevention
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Military civil functions
National Guard and reserves
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Save Our Students Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to provide funds to states submitting specified plans for the National Guard to supplement state and local efforts to keep schools safe from violence. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
School Safety Enhancements Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3693
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child safety and welfare
Crime prevention
Criminal justice information and records
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Law enforcement administration and funding
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
School Safety Enhancements Act of 2012 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize school security grants by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services to be used for the installation of surveillance equipment and the establishment of hotlines or tiplines for the reporting of potentially dangerous students and situations. 
 
Increases the maximum federal share of the costs of a program provided by a grant to 80%. 
 
Requires a grant application to be accompanied by a report that: (1) is signed by the heads of each law enforcement agency and school district with jurisdiction over the schools where the safety improvements will be implemented; and (2) demonstrates that each proposed use of the grant funds will be an effective means for improving school safety, as well as consistent with a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence and individualized to the needs of each school.
 
Requires the Office Director and the Secretary of Education to establish an interagency task force to develop and promulgate a set of advisory school safety guidelines.
 
Authorizes appropriations for such grant program for FY2013-FY2015.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3694
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Building construction
Disaster relief and insurance
Emergency planning and evacuation
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Safe Building Code Incentive Act of 2012 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act) to authorize the President to increase the maximum total of contributions for a major disaster by an amount equal to 4% of the estimated aggregate amount of grants to be made under the Act if, at the time of a declaration of a major disaster, the affected state certifies that it has in effect and is actively enforcing a state building code that: (1) is consistent with the most recent version of a nationally recognized model building code, (2) has been adopted by the state within six years of the most recent version of the nationally recognized code, and (3) uses the nationally recognized code as a minimum standard. Directs the President to approve the additional assistance upon determining that such certification is sufficient and is submitted not later than 90 days after the date of a declared disaster.
 
Requires the President, acting through the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to set appropriate standards for the periodic update, resubmittal, and approval of state building codes, consistent with similar mitigation planning requirements under the Stafford Act.
 
Makes this Act applicable to major disasters declared on or after October 24, 2012. Allows 90 days from this Act's enactment for submission of the required certification for disasters declared between October 24, 2012, and such enactment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
EACH Act

Bill: 112-s-3695
Sponsor: Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [ID-CT]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Comprehensive health care
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Religion
Sales and excise taxes

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Equitable Access to Care and Health Act or the EACH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to minimum essential health care coverage requirements added by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, to allow an additional religious exemption from such requirements for individuals whose sincerely held religious beliefs would cause them to object to medical health care provided under such coverage. 
 
Defines &quot;medical health care&quot; to mean voluntary health treatment by or supervised by a medical doctor that would be covered under minimum essential coverage that: (1) includes voluntary acute care treatment at hospital emergency rooms, walk-in clinics, or similar facilities; and (2) excludes treatment not administered or supervised by a medical doctor, physical examinations or treatment required by law or third parties, and vaccinations. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
New Columbia Admission Act

Bill: 112-s-3696
Sponsor: Sen. Lieberman, Joseph I. [ID-CT]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional elections
Congressional operations and organization
Constitution and constitutional amendments
District of Columbia
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Legislative rules and procedure
Members of Congress
State and local government operations
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
New Columbia Admission Act - Sets forth procedures for admission into the United States of the state of New Columbia. 
Requires the Mayor of the District of Columbia to: (1) submit to the eligible voters propositions for statehood and adoption of a State Constitution, and (2) issue a proclamation for the first elections to Congress of two Senators and one Representative of New Columbia. Requires the President, upon adoption of such propositions and certification of such elections, to issue a proclamation announcing the results and admitting New Columbia into the Union. 
Provides for conversion of District government offices to state offices. 
Provides that New Columbia shall consist of all territory of the District as of the enactment of this Act, excluding land within specified metes and bounds that shall remain the District of Columbia and that shall include the principal federal monuments, the White House, the Capitol Building, the Supreme Court Building, the federal executive, legislative, and judicial office buildings located adjacent to the Mall and the Capitol Building, and certain military property. 
Prohibits New Columbia from imposing taxes on federal property except as provided by Congress. 
Maintains the applicability to New Columbia of current District laws and continues pending judicial proceedings. 
Maintains: (1) the District of Columbia as the seat of the federal government, and (2) the federal government's authority over military lands and specified other property. 
Requires each state that is the last place an individual resided before residing in the District of Columbia to permit such individual to vote in federal elections by absentee ballot. Sets forth a rule for expedited consideration of a joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution to repeal the 23d amendment (which provides for the appointment of electors for President and Vice President for the District).

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S3204-3205)
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3697
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Business records
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Health technology, devices, supplies
Judicial review and appeals
Manufacturing
Metals
Mining
Product safety and quality
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Mercury Use Reduction Act of 2012 - Amends the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to redefine &ldquo;mercury&rdquo; as: (1) elemental mercury, (2) a mercury compound, and (3) a mixture that contains elemental mercury or a mercury compound that is mixed with any other material.
 
 Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2014, the: (1) production of mercury from the extraction, beneficiation, and processing of mercury-containing ores and minerals (specifies that such prohibition does not prohibit the production of mercury from mining of other ores if the mercury is produced incidentally from the beneficiation or processing of that ore or related pollution control activities); (2) production of vinyl chloride monomer using a mercury-added feedstock or catalyst; (3) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of certain mercury-added measuring devices, a mercury-added pesticide, a mercury-added thermostat, or a mercury-added relay or mercury-added switch; and (4) export of certain mercury compounds or such mercury-added products. 
 
 Prohibits, beginning on January 1, 2015, the: (1) manufacturing, processing, or distribution in commerce of a mercury-added battery, individually or as a component of a product; and (2) exporting of such mercury-added batteries.
 
Sets forth exemptions to such prohibitions.
 
 Amends the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act to repeal provisions concerning phasing out the use of batteries that contain mercury. 
 
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) report on the use of mercury to produce polyurethane products; (2) publish an inventory of mercury supply, use, and trade by April 1, 2014, and every three years thereafter; and (3) publish a list of such compounds the export of which is prohibited. Establishes reporting requirements for manufactures of mercury or mercury-added products and manufacturers that intentionally use mercury in a manufacturing process.
 
 Authorizes elemental mercury to be stored on a long-term basis at a facility for which a permit has been issued for that purpose under the Solid Waste Disposal Act. Exempts such long-term storage from prohibitions on hazardous waste disposal under such Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate
FOR VETS Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-3698
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2012-12-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Government buildings, facilities, and property
State and local government operations
Veterans' organizations and recognition

Summary:
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 
Formerly Owned Resources for Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act of 2012 or FOR VETS Act of 2012 - Authorizes the transfer of federal surplus property to a state agency for distribution through donation within the state for purposes of education or public health for organizations whose membership comprises substantially veterans and whose representatives are recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Secretary.

action_date: 2012-12-19
text: 

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 
Formerly Owned Resources for Veterans to Express Thanks for Service Act of 2012 or FOR VETS Act of 2012 - Authorizes the transfer of federal surplus property to a state agency for distribution through donation within the state for purposes of education or public health for organizations whose membership comprises substantially veterans and whose representatives are recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the preparation, presentation, and prosecution of claims under laws administered by the Secretary.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-12-20
text: Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
action_date: 2012-12-20
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2012-12-20
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in the Senate, read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S8231-8232; text as passed Senate: CR S8231-8232)
action_date: 2012-12-19
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 S8231-8232; text as passed Senate: CR S8231-8232)
action_date: 2012-12-19
text: Introduced in Senate