hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
E 2 for Innovation Act

Bill: 112-s-969
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Government information and archives
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Engineering Education for Innovation Act or E 2 for Innovation Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award planning grants and matching implementation grants to states to integrate engineering education into kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) instruction and curricula.
 
Requires each state that desires an implementation grant to develop quantifiable benchmarks for activities supported by such grants and submit them to the Secretary for approval.
 
Requires states to use implementation grants to: (1) establish assessment tools and challenging academic content and achievement standards for engineering education, (2) develop or obtain effective engineering education curricula, (3) develop or improve engineering teacher training programs, and (4) recruit qualified engineering teachers for needy schools. 
 
Authorizes states to use such grants to: (1) facilitate distance learning and online education in engineering, and (2) invest in after-school engineering education programs.
 
Directs the Institute of Education Sciences to support engineering education research and an evaluation of this Act's grant programs. 
 
Requires the Secretary to use the evaluation's findings to provide information to the public and technical assistance to states on best practices and promising innovations in K-12 engineering education.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-971
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Retail and wholesale trades
Sales and excise taxes
State and local taxation
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Digital Goods and Services Tax Fairness Act of 2011 - Prohibits a state or local jurisdiction from imposing multiple or discriminatory taxes on or with respect to the sale or use of digital goods or services delivered or transferred electronically to a customer. Excludes from the definition of &quot;digital service&quot; telecommunications service, Internet access service, or audio or video programming service.
 
Restricts taxation of digital goods and services to the retail sale of such goods and services and by the jurisdiction encompassing a customer's tax address.
 
Prohibits the use of existing regulations or administrative rulings relating to the taxation of tangible personal property or other services to impose any tax on the sale or use of digital goods or services.
 
 Grants jurisdiction to federal district courts to prevent a violation of this Act, without regard to the amount in controversy or the citizenship of the parties. 
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that each state shall take reasonable steps to prevent multiple taxation of digital goods and services where a foreign country has imposed a tax on such goods and services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2941)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Clean Construction Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-972
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Air quality
Congressional oversight
Environmental technology
Motor vehicles
Public contracts and procurement
Public transit
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Clean Construction Act of 2011 - Requires all off-road diesel equipment and on-road diesel equipment operating for at least 80 hours over the life of a federal-aid highway construction project or public transportation construction project within a PM2.5 nonattainment or maintenance area to have diesel emission control technology installed. Applies the same requirement to all covered equipment used on a covered public transportation construction project within a PM2.5 nonattainment or maintenance area.
 
Defines: (1) &quot;off-road diesel equipment&quot; as a vehicle (including covered equipment) that is powered by a nonroad diesel engine of at least 50 horsepower and not intended for highway use; and (2) &quot;on-road diesel equipment&quot; as any self-propelled vehicle that operates on diesel fuel, is designed to transport persons or property on a street or highway, and has a gross vehicle weight of at least 14,000 pounds.
 
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to approve as part of the federal share of cost of a federal-aid highway construction project or public transportation construction project an amount equal to the state expenditure for acquiring and installing diesel emission control technology, if the state expenditure meets certain criteria.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
National Endowment for the Oceans Act

Bill: 112-s-973
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Aquatic ecology
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Energy revenues and royalties
Government trust funds
Great Lakes
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Oil and gas
Pollution liability
Regional and metropolitan planning
Water quality
Watersheds
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
National Endowment for the Oceans Act - Establishes in the Treasury the National Endowment for the Oceans which shall fund grants for programs to restore, protect, maintain, or understand living marine resources and their habitats, and ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resources, including baseline scientific research, ocean observing, and other programs in coordination with federal and state agencies. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make grants for such purposes.
 
Requires state matching funds for specified projects. 
 
States that programs funded in Great Lakes states shall also seek to attain the goals embodied in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Plan, the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy, the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, or other collaborative planning efforts of the Great Lakes Region.
 
Directs the Secretary to make grants to: (1) coastal states or affected Indian tribes, and (2) regional planning bodies to create and implement regional strategic plans.
 
 Directs the Secretary to establish a National Endowment for the Oceans Council.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2941-2942)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-974
Sponsor: Sen. Snowe, Olympia J. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Employment taxes
Income tax credits
Self-employed
Small business
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Small Business Tax Equalization and Compliance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for social security taxes paid for employee cash tips to employers of cosmetologists. 
 
Requires employers of cosmetologists to report income and tips of their cosmetologist employees and to provide income and tip information to self-employed cosmetologists to whom they pay more than $600 in the taxable year. Imposes similar reporting requirements upon individuals who rent chairs to cosmetologists. Requires such employers to provide their cosmetologist employees and self-employed cosmetologists with information on the tax and tip reporting obligations of employees and self-employed individuals. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2943-2944)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2942-2943)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-975
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Education programs funding
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medical education
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Physical Therapist Student Loan Repayment Eligibility Act of 2011 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to include physical therapy within the definition of &quot;primary health services&quot; for purposes of the National Health Service Corps. Makes physical therapists eligible for repayment of their educational loans in order to ensure an adequate supply of physical therapists.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Monroe County HUBZone Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-976
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Economic development
Pennsylvania
Public contracts and procurement
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Monroe County HUBZone Act of 2011 - Provides that, for purposes of the Small Business Act, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, shall be a HUBZone (historically underutilized business zone) until not earlier than October 1, 2014.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the criminal penalty provision for criminal infringement of a copyright, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-s-978
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Intellectual property
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Music
Sound recording
Television and film

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Amends the federal criminal code to provide for imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine, or both, for criminal infringement of a copyright where the offense consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of one or more copyrighted works and where: (1) the total retail value of the performances, or the total economic value of such performances to the infringer or to the copyright owner, would exceed $2,500; or (2) the total fair market value of licenses to offer performances of those works would exceed $5,000.
 
Includes, within copyright provisions protecting works from criminal infringement, the public performance of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.

action_date: 2011-06-20
text: 

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

 
Amends the federal criminal code to provide for imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine, or both, for criminal infringement of a copyright where the offense consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of one or more copyrighted works and where: (1) the total retail value of the performances, or the total economic value of such performances to the infringer or to the copyright owner, would exceed $2,500; or (2) the total fair market value of licenses to offer performances of those works would exceed $5,000.
 
Includes, within copyright provisions protecting works from criminal infringement, the public performance of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-06-22
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-922.
action_date: 2011-06-20
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 77.
action_date: 2011-06-20
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2011-06-20
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Reported by Senator Leahy without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2011-06-16
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-979
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers
Utah
Water use and supply
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2011 - Designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. 
Sets forth administrative provisions regarding: (1) filing by the Secretary of the Interior of a map and a legal description of each designated wilderness area with appropriate congressional committees, (2) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (3) federal reservation of water rights, (4) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (5) authorized livestock grazing, and (6) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2944-2947)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-980
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Department of Transportation
Education programs funding
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Higher education
Marine and inland water transportation
Motor fuels
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
United States Ferry Systems Investment Act of 2011 - Makes funds available from the Highway Trust Fund to the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) for FY2012-FY2018 for construction of ferry vessels and ferry terminal facilities. Revises general requirements and the formula for the allocation of such funds to ferry systems and public entities responsible for developing ferries.
 Includes ferries within the federal clean fuels grant program. 
Directs the Secretary to establish within the Department of Transportation (DOT) a Ferry Joint Program Office to: (1) coordinate federal programs affecting ferry vessel and ferry facility construction, maintenance, operations, and security; and (2) promote ferry service as a component of the U.S. transportation system.
 
Requires the Secretary to: (1) ensure that the national ferry database is consistent with the national transit database maintained by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA); and (2) award a grant to a college to establish a National Ferry Transportation Institute for research, development, and training programs relating to U.S. ferry transportation systems.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Detaining Terrorists to Secure America Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-982
Sponsor: Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Caribbean area
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Cuba
Detention of persons
Latin America
Military facilities and property
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Detaining Terrorists to Secure America Act of 2011 - Reaffirms that the U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (Guantanamo), is and shall be a location for the detention of individuals in the custody or control of the Department of Defense (DOD) who have engaged in or supported hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners on behalf of al Qaeda, the Taliban, or an affiliated group to which the Authorization for Use of Military Force (P.L. 107-40) applies. Directs the Secretary of Defense to maintain Guantanamo as an open and operating facility for the current and future detention of such individuals.
 
Amends the Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 to make permanent (under current law, terminates on January 7, 2012) a prohibition on the use of any federal funds (under current law, only DOD funds) to transfer any individual detained at Guantanamo on or after October 1, 2009, to the individual's country of origin or any other foreign country or entity unless the Secretary makes a specified certification to Congress relating to such transfer.
 
Prohibits any federal funds (under current law, only DOD funds) from being used to construct or modify any facility in the United States or its territories or possessions to house any individual in the custody or control of DOD or under detention at Guantanamo on or after the above date for the purpose of detention or imprisonment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2948)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to disallow a deduction for amounts paid or incurred by a responsible party relating to a discharge of oil.

Bill: 112-s-983
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax deductions
Marine pollution
Oil and gas
Pollution liability

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to deny a tax deduction for business-related expenses paid or incurred by a responsible party relating to an incident resulting in the discharge of oil into the navigable waters, other than an incident caused by an act of God or an act of war.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Healthy Families Act

Bill: 112-s-984
Sponsor: Sen. Harkin, Tom [D-IA]
Introduced: 2011-05-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Domestic violence and child abuse
Employee leave
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government liability
Government studies and investigations
Sex offenses
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: 
Healthy Families Act - Requires certain employers, who employ 15 or more employees for each working day during 20 or more workweeks a year, to permit each employee to earn at least 1 hour of paid sick time for every 30 hours worked.
 
Declares that an employer shall not be required to permit an employee to earn more than 56 hours of paid sick time in a calendar year, unless the employer chooses to set a higher limit.
 
Allows employees to use such time to: (1) meet their own medical needs; (2) care for the medical needs of certain family members; or (3) seek medical attention, assist a related person, take legal action, or engage in other specified activities relating to domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
 
Prohibits an employer from interfering with an employee's exercise of such rights.
 
Directs the Secretary of Labor to exercise certain investigative and enforcement authority for employees covered by the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 or the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991. Grants the same authority, for employees under their jurisdiction, to the Librarian of Congress, the Comptroller General, the Board of Directors of the congressional Office of Compliance, and the Merit Systems Protection Board.
 
Authorizes civil actions by employees, individuals, or their representatives for damages or equitable relief against employers who violate this Act.
 
Waives a state's sovereign immunity with respect to a suit brought by an employee of a federally-assisted state program or activity for relief authorized under this Act.
 
Requires the Commissioner of Labor Statistics to annually compile information on paid sick time and the Comptroller General to study related matters.
 
Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to discourage employers from adopting or retaining more generous leave policies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced in Senate: CR S2949-2954)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S2948-2949)
action_date: 2011-05-12
text: Introduced in Senate