hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act

Bill: 112-s-1868
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Arts, Culture, Religion
Subjects: District of Columbia
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
Racial and ethnic relations
Smithsonian Institution

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
Smithsonian American Latino Museum Act - Establishes a museum to be known as the Smithsonian American Latino Museum in the Smithsonian Institution. 
 
Designates the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution, which is located on the National Mall in Washington, DC, including a new underground annex facility, as the location of the Museum. 
 
Authorizes the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution to plan and construct the Museum and to prepare a plan of action for the Museum. 
 
Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Board of Regents to enter into an agreement that allows for the construction of the underground annex facility by the Board in a manner that is harmonious with, and protects the open space and visual sight lines of, the National Mall. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
EDA Elimination Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1869
Sponsor: Sen. DeMint, Jim [R-SC]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Department of Commerce
Economic development
Executive agency funding and structure

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
EDA Elimination Act of 2011 - Terminates the Economic Development Administration (EDA).
 
Repeals the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965. 
 
Directs the Secretary of Commerce to take such actions as necessary to conclude the outstanding affairs of the EDA, including dispositions of personnel, assets, and obligations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
National Women's History Museum and Federal Facilities Consolidation and Efficiency Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1870
Sponsor: Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Art, artists, authorship
District of Columbia
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Land transfers
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
U.S. history
Women's rights

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
National Women's History Museum and Federal Facilities Consolidation and Efficiency Act of 2011 - National Women's History Museum Act of 2011 - Directs the Administrator of General Services (GSA) to convey, by quitclaim deed, to the National Women's History Museum, Inc. (the Museum) specified property (commonly known as the &quot;Cotton Annex&quot; site) in the District of Columbia, on terms which the Administrator deems appropriate. 
 
Requires the purchase price for the property to be: (1) its market value based on its highest and best use, as determined by an independent appraisal performed under the assumption that the property does not contain any hazardous substances, waste, or pollutants requiring a response under applicable environmental laws; and (2) paid into the Federal Buildings Fund. 
 
Requires the property to be dedicated for use as a site for a national women's history museum for a 99-year period. 
 
Prohibits using federal funds to purchase the property or design and construct any facility on such property.
 
Federal Trade Commission and National Gallery of Art Facility Consolidation, Savings, and Efficiency Act of 2011 - Requires the Administrator, not later than December 31, 2012, to transfer administrative jurisdiction, custody, and control of the building located at 600 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, in Washington, DC, to the National Gallery of Art and to name such building as the North Building of the National Gallery of Art. 
 
Requires the National Gallery of Art to pay the costs of remodeling, renovating, or reconstructing such building. Prohibits the use of appropriated funds for the initial costs of such activities. 
 
 Requires the Administrator to relocate the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) employees and operations housed in such building to specified space in the leased building known as the Constitution Center located at 400 7th Street, SW, in Washington, DC. Directs the Administrator and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to execute an occupancy agreement to assign or sublease such space.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7453-7454)
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7453)
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act

Bill: 112-s-1871
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Scott P. [R-MA]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Commodities markets
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Congressional officers and employees
Congressional oversight
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
House of Representatives
Legislative rules and procedure
Licensing and registrations
Members of Congress
Public participation and lobbying
Securities
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act - Amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Commodity Exchange Act to direct both the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to prohibit purchase or sale of either securities, security-based swaps, or commodities for future delivery or swap by a person in possession of material nonpublic information regarding pending or prospective legislative action if the information was obtained: (1) knowingly from a Member or employee of Congress, (2) by reason of being a Member or employee of Congress, or (3) from other federal employees and derived from their federal employment.
 
Directs both the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives to hold hearings on the implementation by the CFTC and the SEC of such financial transaction prohibitions.
 
Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require formal disclosure of certain securities and commodities futures transactions to either the Clerk of the House of Representatives or the Secretary of the Senate.
 
Amends the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 to subject to its registration, reporting, and disclosure requirements, as well as requirements for identification of clients and covered legislative and executive officials, all political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants. Requires the Comptroller General to include political intelligence activities, contacts, firms, and consultants in its annual compliance audits and reports.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 112-344.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
ABLE Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1872
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Disability and paralysis
Income tax deductions
Income tax exclusion
Medicaid
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
Achieving a Better Life Experience Act of 2011 or the ABLE Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt ABLE accounts to assist an individual with a disability in building an account to pay for qualified disability expenses. Defines &quot;qualified disability expenses&quot; to include expenses for education, a primary residence, transportation, obtaining and maintaining employment, health and wellness, and other personal support expenses.
 
Treats a qualified ABLE program and an ABLE account in the same manner as a qualified tuition program for income tax purposes (i.e., allowing a tax exemption for such program and an exclusion from gross income of amounts attributable to a contributor to or a beneficiary of a program account). Defines &quot;qualified ABLE program&quot; as a program established and maintained by a state agency under which a person may make contributions to an ABLE account established to pay for qualified disability expenses.
 
Requires amounts in ABLE accounts to be disregarded in determining eligibility for Medicaid and other means-tested federal programs. Suspends the payment of supplemental security income benefits under title XVI (Supplemental Security Income) of the Social Security Act to an individual during any period in which such individual has excess resources attributable to an ABLE account. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
Bonus Depreciation and Small Business Expense Extension Act

Bill: 112-s-1873
Sponsor: Sen. Lugar, Richard G. [R-IN]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Computers and information technology
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Inflation and prices

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
Bonus Depreciation and Small Business Expense Extension Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend for one year: (1) bonus depreciation; (2) the 100% expensing allowance for depreciable business assets; (3) the election to accelerate the alternative minimum tax (AMT) credit in lieu of bonus depreciation; and (4) the increased expensing allowance for tangible real and personal property, including computer software and leasehold, restaurant, and retail improvement property.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2011

Bill: 112-s-1875
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2011-11-15 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Department of State
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Human rights
International organizations and cooperation
Performance measurement
Public contracts and procurement
Religion

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: 
United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reform and Reauthorization Act of 2011 - Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to prohibit: (1) an individual from serving more than two consecutive terms as a member of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, (2) each member serving on the date of enactment of this Act from being reappointed to more than one additional consecutive term, (3) a member attending less than 75% of the meetings during one of such member's terms from being eligible for reappointment, and (4) a member from being eligible to be elected as Chair of the Commission for a second, consecutive term.
 
Establishes staggered office terms by modifying certain terms of office conditions for members appointed to serve from May 15, 2012, through May 14, 2014.
 
Requires, for purposes of providing remedies and procedures to address alleged violations of rights and protections that pertain to various specified antidiscrimination laws, that all employees of the Commission be treated as employees whose pay is disbursed by the Secretary of the Senate or the Chief Administrative Officer of the House of Representatives and that the Commission be treated as an employing office of the Senate or House.
 
Increases to $250,000 the maximum amount the Commission may expend in any fiscal year to procure temporary or intermittent services contracts for the conduct of certain activities necessary to Commission functions.
 
Extends the Commission's termination date to September 30, 2013.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2011-11-15
text: Introduced in Senate
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act

Bill: 112-s-1876
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Aging
Consumer affairs
Inflation and prices
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers Act - Directs the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor to prepare and publish a monthly Consumer Price Index for Elderly Consumers (CPI) that indicates changes over time in expenditures for consumption which are typical for individuals who have attained early retirement.
 
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) to provide for the use of such new CPI in the computation of cost-of-living increases for Social Security benefits.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7599-7600)
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Coordination of Pro Bono Medically Recommended Dental Care Act

Bill: 112-s-1878
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Dental care
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Medicaid
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Coordination of Pro Bono Medically Recommended Dental Care Act - Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award competitive grants to, or enter into contracts with, eligible entities to fund the employment costs of professionals who will use grant or contract funds to: (1) coordinate the provision of medically recommended dental care to eligible low-income individuals by volunteer dentists in a manner consistent with state licensing laws; and (2) verify the medical, dental, and financial needs of individuals who may be eligible for free dental services.
 
Requires an eligible: (1) entity to be tax exempt and provide for the participation of eligible individuals in a free dental services program on a national basis; and (2) individual to be entitled to benefits or be enrolled under Medicare, Medicaid, or a state plan or waiver under the State Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP, formerly known as SCHIP).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
CARE Act

Bill: 112-s-1879
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Crimes against children
Criminal justice information and records
Domestic violence and child abuse
Poverty and welfare assistance
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Child Abuse Reporting Enforcement Act or CARE Act - Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services) of the Social Security Act to deny a state eligibility for any payment from its allotment if the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determines that the state has failed to enact a law making it a felony for individuals to fail to report child abuse cases to law enforcement or child protective agencies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Jobs and Premium Protection Act

Bill: 112-s-1880
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Insurance industry and regulation
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Jobs and Premium Protection Act - Repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on each entity that provides health insurance for any U.S. health risk based on net premium income.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7615-7616)
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
SAFE Act

Bill: 112-s-1881
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Department of the Interior
Ecology
Executive agency funding and structure
Land use and conservation
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
State and local government operations
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Safeguarding America's Future and Environment Act or the SAFE Act - Requires the President to establish an interagency Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Panel to: (1) develop and implement a Natural Resources Climate Change Adaptation Strategy to protect, restore, and conserve natural resources so that such resources become more resilient, adapt to, and withstand the impacts of climate variability and change; and (2) review and revise such strategy every five years.
 
Requires each agency represented on such panel to integrate the elements of such strategy that relate to conservation, restoration, and management of natural resources into agency plans, environmental reviews, and programs.
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to establish a National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center within the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to assess and develop scientific information, tools, strategies, and techniques to be used to address the impacts of climate variability and change on natural resources. 
 
Requires the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of the Interior to establish a Science Advisory Board to advise such Panel on the state of the science regarding such impacts and strategies and mechanisms for natural resources adaptation.
 
Requires each agency with representation on such panel to: (1) submit to the President a natural resources adaptation plan to address such impacts and implement such plan upon approval by the President, and (2) review such plan every five years.
 
Requires states, in order to be eligible to receive funding under this Act, to submit to the Secretary of the Interior and, as applicable, the Secretary of Commerce for review and approval a state natural resources adaptation plan that details efforts to address impacts of climate change on natural resources and coastal areas.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
FAIR Generics Act

Bill: 112-s-1882
Sponsor: Sen. Bingaman, Jeff [D-NM]
Introduced: 2011-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Government information and archives
Intellectual property
Marketing and advertising
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: 
Fair And Immediate Release of Generic Drugs Act or the FAIR Generics Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to revise the definition of &ldquo;first applicant&rdquo; for purposes of the 180-day exclusivity period given to first applicants to file an abbreviated new drug application (generic drug). Makes applicants for a generic drug eligible for the exclusivity period only if they have not entered into a disqualifying agreement (an agreement between a generic drug applicant and the holder of the application for the listed drug [brand name drug] or the patentholder for the brand name drug whereby the generic drug applicant agrees not to seek approval of its generic drug or not to begin the commercial marketing of its generic drug until the expiration of the exclusivity period awarded to another generic applicant).
 
Expands the definition of &ldquo;first applicant&rdquo; to include an applicant that meets the following criteria: (1) the applicant is not the first generic applicant; (2) either no action for patent infringement was brought, such action was withdrawn or dismissed by a court without a decision that the patent was valid and infringed, or the court decided that the patent was invalid or not infringed; and (3) the applicant does not begin commercial marketing of such drug until 30 days after the first applicant began such commercial marketing.
 
Prohibits a party that enters an agreement to delay seeking approval of its generic drug application or to delay the commercial marketing of a generic drug from seeking approval of its application or beginning commercial marketing before the earlier of: (1) the latest date set forth in the agreement to seek approval or market the drug without regard to any earlier date under the agreement when commercial marketing could begin, or (2) 180 days after another first applicant begins commercial marketing of such drug.
 
Requires notice to the Secretary of the Health and Human Services (HHS) of the details of any agreement under this Act not later than ten business days after execution of the agreement.
 
Declares that the exclusive remedy for an infringement of a patent included within a new drug application shall be an action brought under the FFDCA within the 45-day period prescribed.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7616-7617)
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S7616)
action_date: 2011-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Wasatch Range Recreation Access Enhancement Act

Bill: 112-s-1883
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2011-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Forests, forestry, trees
Land transfers
Outdoor recreation
Utah

Summary:
action_date: 2011-11-17
text: 
Wasatch Range Recreation Access Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to convey, by sale, a specified parcel of National Forest System land within the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Salt Lake County, Utah, to Canyons-SkiLink, LLC, to allow it to construct a ski-lift, gondola, or tramway to serve as a public-access transportation interconnection of the Wasatch Front and the Wasatch Back Mountains.
 
Requires Canyons-SkiLink to pay to the Secretary an amount equal to at least the fair market value of such land. 
 
Requires the fair market value of the National Forest System land to be conveyed under this Act to be determined based on an appraisal that is acceptable to the Secretary. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2011-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate