hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Military Families Child Care Assistance Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3540
Sponsor: Rep. Carter, John R. [R-TX-31]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Child care and development
Employee benefits and pensions
Income tax credits
Military personnel and dependents
Tax treatment of families

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
Military Families Child Care Assistance Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase: (1) the tax credit for household and dependent care expenses for individuals who have served on active duty in the Armed Forces for a period of 120 days or more beginning after September 11, 2001; and (2) the exclusion from gross income for employer-provided dependent care assistance provided to such individuals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
Medicaid Enhancement and Emergency Job Creation Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3542
Sponsor: Rep. Grijalva, Raúl M. [D-AZ-7]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Intergovernmental relations
Medicaid
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
Medicaid Enhancement and Emergency Job Creation Act of 2011 - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2011 (ARRA) to extend through FY2012 the increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) under SSA title XIX (Medicaid).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3543
Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Timothy V. [R-IL-15]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Firearms and explosives
Government studies and investigations
Intergovernmental relations
Licensing and registrations

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
National Right-to-Carry Reciprocity Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a person who is carrying a valid, government-issued identification document containing that person's photograph and a valid permit to carry a concealed firearm in one state, and who is not prohibited from possessing, transporting, shipping, or receiving a firearm under federal law, to possess or carry a concealed handgun (other than a machine gun or destructive device) in another state in accordance with the restrictions of that state. 
 
Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an audit of: (1) state laws and regulations that authorize the issuance of a concealed firearm permit or license to a nonresident, including a description of the permitting or licensing requirements; (2) the number of such valid permits or licenses issued or denied (and the basis for such denials) to nonresidents by each state; and (3) the effectiveness of such state laws and regulations in protecting the public safety.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
To amend the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to limit citizens suits against publicly owned treatment works, to provide for defenses, to extend the period of a permit, to limit attorneys fees, and for other purposes.

Bill: 112-hr-3544
Sponsor: Rep. McClintock, Tom [R-CA-4]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Evidence and witnesses
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Pollution liability
Water quality

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to prohibit a citizen suit from being commenced against a publicly owned treatment works (POTW): (1) to enforce an effluent standard or limitation unless the POTW is in significant non-compliance as defined in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) guidance document entitled &quot;A General Design for SNC Redefinition Enhancement in PCS,&quot; or (2) that is in significant non-compliance based on a manual designation as defined by such guidance document.
 
Prohibits liability for an unlawful discharge of a pollutant from a POTW for a person who can establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the immediate cause of such discharge and any damages was: (1) an act of God; (2) an act of war; or (3) an act or omission of a third party other than an employee or agent of such person or one whose act or omission occurs in connection with a contractual relationship with such person, if such person exercised due care and took precautions against foreseeable acts or omissions of such third party and the consequences that could foreseeably result from such acts or omissions.
 
Requires the Administrator of EPA or a state to provide a 60-day waiting period between the notice of a violation of such Act by a POTW and the issuance of a civil penalty. Prohibits the Administrator from assessing a penalty for a violation if the POTW submits a viable plan for correcting the non-compliance within such period and thereafter implements such plan.
 
Requires any permit issued to the owner or operator of a POTW to discharge a pollutant under such Act to have a 15-year (currently five-year) term. 
Limits attorney fees with respect to actions involving POTWs to the prevailing fees in the community. 
Requires any new or increased treatment requirement associated with a permit issued to the owner or operator of a POTW to discharge a pollutant under such Act to be subject to a cost-benefit analysis.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
Transit System Flexibility Protection Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3545
Sponsor: Rep. Pitts, Joseph R. [R-PA-16]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Public transit
Transportation programs funding
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
Transit System Flexibility Protection Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to make grants for the operating costs of equipment and facilities for use in public transportation systems as follows: (1) not exceeding 50 percent in systems that operate 75 or fewer buses during peak service hours in an urbanized area with a population of at least 200,000, and (2) not exceeding 25 percent in systems that operate a minimum of 76 buses and a maximum of 100 buses during peak service hours in such an urbanized area.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
Senior Veterans Housing Assistance Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3546
Sponsor: Rep. Turner, Michael R. [R-OH-3]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Housing for the elderly and disabled
Low- and moderate-income housing
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
Senior Veterans Housing Assistance Act of 2011 - Allows an occupancy preference for very low-income elderly veterans in dwelling units in any supportive housing project for the elderly that: (1) is provided assistance by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); and (2) is, or would be located on, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) property or is subject to a VA enhanced use lease.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2012-01-12
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2149-2150)
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3547
Sponsor: Rep. Waters, Maxine [D-CA-35]
Introduced: 2011-12-01 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Department of Justice
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Evidence and witnesses
HIV/AIDS
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Right of privacy
Sexually transmitted diseases
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: 
 Stop AIDS in Prison Act of 2011 - Directs the Bureau of Prisons to develop a comprehensive policy to provide HIV testing, treatment, and prevention for inmates in federal prisons and upon reentry into the community. Requires such policy to include provisions for: (1) testing of inmates upon intake and counseling; (2) HIV/AIDS prevention education; (3) HIV testing of prisoners annually upon request or upon exposure to HIV; (4) HIV testing of pregnant inmates; (5) comprehensive medical treatment of inmates who test positive for HIV and confidential counseling on managing their medical condition and preventing its transmission to other persons; (6) protection of confidentiality; (7) testing, counseling, and referral prior to reentry into the community; (8) allowing inmates the right to refuse routine HIV testing; (9) excluding as "routine" the testing of an inmate who may have transmitted HIV to any U.S. officer or employee or to any person lawfully present but not incarcerated in a correctional facility; and (10) timely notification of test results.
 
Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) require HIV testing for all federal prison inmates upon intake regardless of length of sentence or risk factors, (2) allow inmates to decline testing prior to release from incarceration, and (3) make HIV testing part of the routine health screening conducted at intake.
 
Requires the Bureau to report on: (1) testing, treatment, and prevention education programs for hepatitis and other diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use; and (2) the incidence among prison inmates of diseases transmitted through sexual activity and intravenous drug use.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-01
text: Introduced in House
Congressional Blind Trust Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3549
Sponsor: Rep. Bachus, Spencer [R-AL-6]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Commodities markets
Financial services and investments
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Members of Congress
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Congressional Blind Trust Act of 2011 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require each Member of Congress to place all of his or her stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities, including securities held jointly with a spouse, in a qualified blind trust.
 
Exempts from such requirement any financial interests in or income derived from: (1) the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); (2) any other federal retirement system for U.S. officers and employees, including the President, or for members of the uniformed services; or (3) benefits received under the Social Security Act.
 
Requires new Members to comply with this Act within 30 days after taking office, and incumbent Members within 30 days after enactment of this Act. Allows a Member to file, as appropriate, with the Clerk of the House of Representative or the Secretary of the Senate for an additional 30-day extension in order to comply.
 
Authorizes the Attorney General to bring a civil action against any Member of Congress for noncompliance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on House Administration.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
RESTRICT Act

Bill: 112-hr-3550
Sponsor: Rep. Duffy, Sean P. [R-WI-7]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Commodities markets
Congressional officers and employees
Federal officials
Financial services and investments
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Members of Congress
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Restoring Ethical Standards, Transparency, and Responsibility in Congressional Trading Act or RESTRICT Act - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the President, the Vice President, Members of Congress, and certain federal officers and employees to: (1) place all of his or her stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities, including securities held jointly with a spouse or dependent child, in a qualified blind trust; or (2) file a report with the appropriate ethics officer, within three business days after a transaction is settled, on any purchase, sale, or exchange in stocks, bonds, commodities futures, and other forms of securities, including those jointly held with the individual's spouse or dependent child.
 
Exempts from this requirement any financial interests in or income derived from: (1) the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS), including the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP); (2) any other federal retirement system for U.S. officers and employees, including the President, or for members of the uniformed services; or (3) benefits received under the Social Security Act.
 
Subjects violators of this Act to specified civil and criminal penalties.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-05
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on the Constitution.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committees on House Administration, and the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
Social Security Preservation through Individual Choice Enhancement Act

Bill: 112-hr-3551
Sponsor: Rep. Landry, Jeffrey M. [R-LA-3]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Employment taxes
Government trust funds
Income tax rates
Social security and elderly assistance
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Social Security Preservation through Individual Choice Enhancement Act - Amends the Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 to allow individual taxpayers an election to claim the 2% reduction in employment taxes under such Act in any calendar year beginning in or after 2012.
 
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to increase the applicable social security retirement age by one month for each calendar year that a taxpayer elects a reduction in employment taxes under this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
To extend the additional duty on ethanol.

Bill: 112-hr-3552
Sponsor: Rep. Rangel, Charles B. [D-NY-15]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend the duty on ethanol through January 1, 2015.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Trade.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act

Bill: 112-hr-3553
Sponsor: Rep. Kucinich, Dennis J. [D-OH-10]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Genetics

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Federal Meat Inspection Act, and the Poultry Products Inspection Act to deem a food misbranded if it contains or was produced with a genetically engineered material unless its labeling contains statements meeting specified requirements. Requires the periodic testing of such foods transferred along a chain of distribution to assure accuracy of labels, subject to specified exceptions. Excludes, in all three Acts, food: (1) served in restaurants; or (2) prepared primarily in a retail establishment, ready for human consumption, but not offered for sale for immediate consumption in the establishment. 
 
Excludes, for purposes of the FFDCA, a medical food as defined in the Orphan Drug Act.
 
Subjects violators to civil monetary penalties, exempting recipients who accept a guarantee of the absence of genetically engineered material in good faith or producers whose food inadvertently becomes contaminated by genetically engineered material. 
 
Authorizes citizen suits as specified.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2011

Bill: 112-hr-3557
Sponsor: Rep. King, Steve [R-IA-5]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Foreign labor
Human rights
Immigration status and procedures
Religion
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Religious Worker Visa Reciprocity Act of 2011 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from approving a petition for classification of an alien as a special immigrant religious worker/minister if the Secretary has determined that the alien's country of nationality: (1) is identified as a Country of Particular Concern or a country where religious freedom is of significant interest in the 2010 International Religious Freedom Report, or (2) does not extend reciprocal immigration treatment to U.S. nationals who are seeking resident status in order to work in a religious vocation or occupation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-14
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
Americans Need A Healthcare Ruling Act

Bill: 112-hr-3558
Sponsor: Rep. Lance, Leonard [R-NJ-7]
Introduced: 2011-12-02 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Comprehensive health care
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Judicial review and appeals
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: 
Americans Need A Healthcare Ruling Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt any lawsuit brought under the tax provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 from the general prohibition against lawsuits to restrain the assessment or collection of tax. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E2169)
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2011-12-02
text: Introduced in House