hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
PRE ED Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2181
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2012-03-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education of the disadvantaged
Government lending and loan guarantees
Higher education
Preschool education
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: 
Preparing and Reinvesting in Early Education Act of 2012 or PRE ED Act of 2012 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include early childhood educators in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) and Direct Loan (DL) forgiveness programs for teachers.
 
Makes early childhood educators eligible for FFEL or DL forgiveness if they are not in default on the loan being forgiven and have: (1) been employed as a full-time early childhood educator for five consecutive complete school years or a comparable period, as determined by the Secretary of Education; and (2) obtained an associate or baccalaureate degree in early childhood education prior to that period of service. 
 
Caps at $25,000 the amount of an early childhood educator's FFEL or DL that may be forgiven. 
 
Includes early childhood educators with associate degrees in early childhood development, early child education, or a related field in the program providing FFEL forgiveness for service in areas of national need. (Currently, early childhood educators are required to have completed a baccalaureate or advanced degree in such a field to qualify for participation in that program.)
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1542-1543)
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Child Care Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2182
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2012-03-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Child care and development
Public-private cooperation
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: 
Child Care Public-Private Partnership Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to establish a business-incentive grant program to provide child care through public-private partnerships.
 
 Requires the Secretary to make such grants to: (1) states, on a competitive basis, to enable businesses and consortia to carry out certain activities; and (2) nonprofit business organizations with expertise in management issues of a high-quality child care center to provide technical information and assistance to enable businesses to provide child care services.
 
Specifies that grants to businesses and consortia are meant to enable them to: (1) pay start-up costs incurred to provide child care services, (2) assist with the costs of child care services needed by their employees, and (3) pay for training and professional development for staff that provide child care services.
 
Gives priority in grant selection to businesses with fewer than 100 full-time employees.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1542-1543)
action_date: 2012-03-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Bringing Fugitives to Justice Act

Bill: 112-s-2183
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2012-03-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Government trust funds
Law enforcement administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: 
Bringing Fugitives to Justice Act - Creates in the Treasury a Fugitive Extradition and Apprehension Trust Fund (FEATF), into which shall be deposited the proceeds of forfeited appearance bonds, bail bonds, and collateral collected for failure to appear in court as required by the conditions of release or to surrender for service of sentence pursuant to a court order. (Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to repeal a provision requiring such proceeds to be deposited in the Crime Victims Fund.)
 
Requires FEATF funds to be obligated and expended by the Attorney General for: (1) the United States Marshals Service to enhance efforts to investigate and apprehend fugitives, (2) the Offices of the United States Attorneys to enhance efforts to investigate and prosecute fugitives, and (3) the Office of International Affairs of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to coordinate the investigation and extradition or other legal rendition of international fugitives.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1578-1579)
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1577-1578)
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2184
Sponsor: Sen. Kerry, John F. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2012-03-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Commerce
Government information and archives
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: 
Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act of 2012 - Amends the Saltonstall-Kennedy Act to revise the program under which the Secretary of Commerce provides financial assistance for fisheries research and development projects. Directs each Regional Fishery Management Council to establish a fishery investment committee to: (1) develop a regional fishery investment plan identifying research, conservation, management needs, and actions to rebuild and maintain healthy fish populations and sustainable fisheries; and (2) make recommendations to the Council on grant applications and projects to implement the respective plans.
 
Requires that such plans be revised, approved by the relevant Council, and submitted to the Secretary at least once every five years. 
 
Directs the Secretary to establish an annual competitive grant program to advance regional priorities included in such plans. Makes state, federal, regional, or private entities or persons eligible for such funding. Requires that preference be given to public-private partnerships.
 
Specifies that national fisheries investment program funds be used by the Secretary for research and investment that supports rebuilding and maintaining healthy U.S. fish populations and promotes sustainable fisheries. (Currently, such funds are used for harvesting, processing, marketing, and other associated infrastructures.)
 
Allocates funds to each Council and marine fisheries commissions.
 
Limits to a specified percentage the funds authorized to offset receipts for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operations, research, and facilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1579)
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2185
Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
Introduced: 2012-03-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Family planning and birth control
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Marriage and family status
Sex and reproductive health
Sexually transmitted diseases
Teenage pregnancy

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: 
Abstinence Education Reallocation Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants for qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. Requires eligible education to meet certain criteria, including: (1) being age-appropriate, medically accurate, and evidence-based; (2) having as its sole purpose the teaching of the skills and benefits of sexual abstinence as the optimal sexual health behavior for youth; and (3) teaching the benefits of refraining from nonmarital sexual activity, the advantage of reserving sexual activity for marriage as a key factor in the prevention of poverty and the preservation of physical and emotional health, and the foundational components of a healthy relationship and the advantages of bearing children within the context of a committed marital relationship for healthy marriages.
 
Gives priority to programs that serve youth ages 12 to 19 and that will promote the protective benefits of parent-child communication regarding healthy sexual decision-making.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations relating to pools at public accommodations or provided by public entities.

Bill: 112-s-2186
Sponsor: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC]
Introduced: 2012-03-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Justice
Disability and health-based discrimination
Sports and recreation facilities

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: 
Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General (AG) or any federal official from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations relating to pools provided by public entities or at public accommodations. 
 
Prohibits regulations added under final rules issued by the AG entitled: (1) &quot;Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services&quot; from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool provided by a public entity, and (2) &quot;Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities&quot; from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool at a public accommodation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 335.
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to remove the sunset date for amendments to the Small Business Investment Act of 1958, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-2187
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2012-03-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Contracts and agency
Government lending and loan guarantees
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: 
Amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to allow the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to guarantee a surety against any loss resulting from the breach of a bid bond, payment bond, performance bond, or bonds ancillary thereto, by a principal on any work order or contract amount up to $5 million (under current law, up to $2 million). Requires the Administrator to reimburse such a surety unless the total contract exceeds such increased amount.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2012-03-12
text: Introduced in Senate
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2188
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2012-03-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Firearms and explosives
Intergovernmental relations
Licensing and registrations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: 
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2012 - Amends the federal criminal code to allow an individual who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law to carry a concealed handgun in any state other than such individual's state of residence that allows residents to obtain licenses or permits to carry concealed firearms, or that does not prohibit residents from carrying concealed firearms for lawful purposes, subject to the same conditions and limitations imposed by federal, state, or local law, except as to eligibility to carry a concealed handgun, that apply to residents of the state or political subdivision. Requires such an individual to carry a valid photo identification document and a valid concealed firearm carry permit issued by a state.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act

Bill: 112-s-2189
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2012-03-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Age discrimination
Civil actions and liability
Disability and health-based discrimination
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Evidence and witnesses
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Racial and ethnic relations
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: 
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act - Amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to specify that an unlawful employment practice is established when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in investigations, proceedings, or litigation under such Act was a motivating factor for any practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as "mixed motive" claims).
 
Permits a complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred. Declares that a complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of a practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court decision in 
Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc.
, which requires a complainant to prove that age was the "but-for" cause for the employer's decision).
 
Authorizes the court, on a claim in which an individual demonstrates that age was a motivating factor for any employment practice and in which a respondent demonstrates that the same action would have been taken in the absence of the impermissible motivating factor, to grant declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees and costs directly attributable only to the pursuit of a claim. Prohibits the court in such an instance from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment.
 
Applies the same standard of proof to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and similar laws concerning federal employees.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1616-1617)
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1615-1616)
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Introduced in Senate
CROWDFUND Act

Bill: 112-s-2190
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2012-03-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business investment and capital
Congressional oversight
Financial services and investments
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Securities
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Small business
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: 
Capital Raising Online While Deterring Fraud and Unethical Non-Disclosure Act of 2011 or CROWDFUND Act - Amends the Securities Act of 1933 (SA) to prescribe conditions under which transactions of $1 million or less involving the offer or sale of securities by an issuer through a broker or funding portal are exempt from certain registration requirements and prohibitions relating to interstate commerce and the mails (crowdfunding exemption).
 
(Crowdfunding is a method of capital formation by which groups of people pool money, typically composed of very small individual contributions, and often via Internet platforms, to invest in a company or otherwise support an effort by others to accomplish a specific goal.)
 
 Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (SEA) to define &quot;funding portal&quot; as any person engaged in the business of effecting securities transactions for the account of others, solely pursuant to the crowdfunding exemption under this Act, that does not: (1) offer investment advice or recommendations; (2) solicit purchases, sales, or offers to buy the securities offered or displayed on its website or portal; (3) compensate employees, agents, or other persons for such solicitation or based on the sale of securities displayed or references on its website or portal; (4) hold, manage, possess, or otherwise handle investor funds or securities; or (5) engage in other activities determined by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 
Amends the SA to set forth qualification requirements for such crowdfunding exemption, including those for intermediaries and issuers. 
 
Sets forth restrictions on sales of such exempt securities.
 
Amends the SEA to authorize the SEC to exempt crowdfunding investors from certain shareholder caps under the Securities Act of 1933.
 
Requires the SEC to exempt funding portals from certain registration requirements, provided that they remain subject to examination by the SEC and a national securities association.
 
Prohibits a state or its political subdivision from enforcing any law or administrative action against a registered funding portal with respect to its business as such. Exempts from such prohibition the examination and enforcement of any law or administrative action of a state in which the principal place of business of a registered funding portal is located, if the law or administrative action is not in addition to or different from SEC requirements for registered funding portals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2012-03-13
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations relating to pools at public accommodations or provided by public entities.

Bill: 112-s-2191
Sponsor: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC]
Introduced: 2012-03-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Justice
Disability and health-based discrimination
Sports and recreation facilities

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-14
text: 
Amends the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 to prohibit the Attorney General (AG) or any other individual or entity from administering or enforcing certain accessibility regulations and related guidance concerning pools provided by public entities or at public accommodations. 
 
Prohibits regulations added under final rules issued by the AG entitled: (1) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool provided by a public entity, and (2) "Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability by Public Accommodations and in Commercial Facilities" from being administered or enforced with respect to a pool at a public accommodation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 336.
action_date: 2012-03-14
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2012-03-14
text: Introduced in Senate
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2012

Bill: 112-s-2192
Sponsor: Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2012-03-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Education programs funding
Health care coverage and access
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Hearing, speech, and vision care
Medical education
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: 
National Health Service Corps Improvement Act of 2012 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to revise the definition of &quot;primary health services&quot; for purposes of the National Health Service Corps to include optometry health services.
 
Includes optometrists within: (1) the fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, (2) the National Health Service Corps Scholarship Program, and (3) the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring Safe Medical Devices for Patients

Bill: 112-s-2193
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2012-03-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Health and Human Services
Health technology, devices, supplies
Product safety and quality

Summary:
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: 
Ensuring Safe Medical Devices for Patients - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) amend procedures under such Act to expand the postmarket risk identification and analysis system to include and apply to devices in a comparable manner as such system includes and applies to drugs; and (2) ensure that such amended procedures give priority for inclusion in the system to class III and class II devices that are implantable, life-supporting, or life-sustaining or that pose significant risk to users.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) issue final regulations establishing a unique device identification system for medical devices by December 31, 2012, and (2) implement the system not later than one year after the final regulations are issued.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2012-03-15
text: Introduced in Senate