hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Development Act

Bill: 113-s-2065
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Commuting
Congressional oversight
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Motor fuels
Public-private cooperation
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Development Act - Creates incentives for the manufacture of dual-fueled automobiles that use alternative fuels other than methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols (non-alcohol, dual-fueled automobiles).
 
Removes the cap on credits under the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program for non-alcohol, dual-fueled automobiles. (The cap on CAFE credits limits the total increase of a manufacturer's average fuel economy attributable to dual-fueled automobiles.)
 
Reduces the minimum driving range for non-alcohol, dual-fueled automobiles. Disallows any petition to lower the driving range below 150 miles for those automobiles. 
 
Revises the formula the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to calculate fuel economy for dual-fueled automobiles operating with gaseous fuel, such as natural gas or hydrogen. Requires the EPA to apply utility factors based on the driving range for such automobiles. Allows the EPA to use a different methodology to calculate the fuel economy for dual-fueled, electric automobiles.
 
 Makes permanent the state's authority to exempt alternative fuel vehicles from high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane restrictions. Makes eligible only those alternative fuel vehicles operating solely on alternative fuel, including electric vehicles.
 
Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to report on incentives and financing tools to develop public compressed natural gas fueling stations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the intentional discrimination of a person or organization by an employee of the Internal Revenue Service.

Bill: 113-s-2066
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Department of the Treasury
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years on any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who willfully acts with the intent to injure, oppress, threaten, intimidate, or single out and subject to undue scrutiny for purposes of harassment any person or organization in any state: (1) based solely or primarily on the political, economic, or social positions held or expressed by such person or organization; or (2) because such person or organization has expressed a particular political, economic, or social position using any words or writing allowed by law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-03
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 311.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.

Bill: 113-s-2067
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Public participation and lobbying
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exemption of political organizations, to revise the definition of "political organization" to mean a party, committee, association, fund, or other organization (whether or not incorporated) that: (1) is registered as a political committee with the Federal Election Commission (FEC); (2) has been determined to be a political committee in administrative or judicial proceedings; or (3) is organized and operated primarily to accept contributions or make expenditures to influence, or attempt to influence, the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to state or local public office, is not required to register with the FEC, and is required to register with the appropriate state agency as a political committee. 
 
Defines "promotion of social welfare," for purposes of the tax-exemption for social welfare organizations, to include: (1) any political activity in furtherance of American democracy, provided that such activities do not exceed 50% of the organization's total activities; (2) any activities for educating individuals on issues of public importance and on the behavior of public officials, including participation in ballot initiatives and referenda; and (3) certain activities described in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 as not being expenditures for political purposes. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-03
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 312.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2068
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Firearms and explosives
Product safety and quality
Research administration and funding
Research and development

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the National Institute of Justice to make one-year grants to qualified entities (states or local governments, organizations, or institutions of higher education) to develop technology for personalized handguns (a handgun that is manufactured to enable only the authorized user to fire it). Provides that a recipient shall use at least 70% of the grant amount to develop technology for personalized handguns and may use not more than 20% to develop technology for retrofitted personalized handguns and not more than 10% for administrative costs. 
 
Prohibits any person: (1) beginning two years after enactment of this Act, from manufacturing in the United States a handgun that is not a personalized handgun; or (2) beginning three years after enactment of this Act, from distributing in commerce any handgun that is not a personalized handgun or a retrofitted personalized handgun. Exempts antique firearms and firearms distributed or sold to the Department of Defense (DOD). Provides for the enforcement of such prohibitions by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and by the states.
 
Requires a handgun manufacturer, upon request of the owner of a handgun manufactured in the United States that is not a personalized handgun or a retrofitted personalized handgun, to retrofit the handgun and return it to the owner within a reasonable period of time as established by the CPSC. Makes the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund available to the Attorney General for payments to reimburse handgun manufacturers for the costs of retrofitting handguns. 
 
Amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to exclude from the definition of "qualified product" any handgun manufactured after two years after enactment of this Act that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Tax Credit Accessibility Act

Bill: 113-s-2069
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Comprehensive health care
Employee benefits and pensions
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Income tax credits
Small business
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Small Business Tax Credit Accessibility Act - Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Obama Administration should work to make the small employer health care insurance tax credit more accessible for small employers. 
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the small employer health care insurance tax credit, to: (1) revise the definition of "eligible small employer" to mean an employer with not more than 50 (currently, 25) full-time employees; (2) modify the phaseout formula for such credit to base such phaseout on number of employees and average annual wages; (3) allow a 35% credit in 2014 to small employers who purchase health care coverage outside of the Small Business Health Option Program (SHOP exchange); (4) extend from two to three consecutive taxable years the period during which an employer may claim such credit; (5) eliminate the requirement that employers contribute the same percentage of cost of each employee's health insurance and the cap limiting eligible employer contributions to average premiums paid to a state health insurance exchange; and (6) make such credit available to dependents of a small employer.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act

Bill: 113-s-2070
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Arms control and nonproliferation
Chemistry
Congressional oversight
Defense spending
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Executive agency funding and structure
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Metals
Military procurement, research, weapons development
New Mexico
Nuclear power
Nuclear weapons
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Tennessee

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures Act - Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2014-FY2023: (1) for the research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) or procurement of a long-range penetrating bomber aircraft; (2) to procure an SSBN-X submarine (and prohibits the use of such funds for FY2024 and thereafter to procure more than eight such submarines); or (3) for the RDT&E or procurement of a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
 
Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds authorized to be appropriated for FY2014 or thereafter for DOD or the Department of Energy (DOE): (1) to make the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft capable of carrying nuclear weapons; (2) until the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of Energy jointly certify that the total cost of the B61 life extension program has been reduced to not more than $5 billion; (3) for the W78 life extension program; (4) for the mixed oxide fuel fabrication facility project; (5) to replace the chemistry and metallurgy research building at Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico; or (6) for the uranium processing facility at the Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
 
Prohibits Navy forces, beginning in FY2020, from including more than eight operational ballistic-missile submarines available for deployment.
 
Prohibits the use of DOD funds for FY2014 or thereafter: (1) to maintain more than 250 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or (2) for the medium extended air defense system.
 
Requires initial and annual reports from the Secretaries of Defense and Energy outlining their respective plans to carry out the requirements of this Act.
 
Directs the President to submit to Congress an annual report containing a comprehensive accounting by the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) of the amounts obligated or expended by the federal government for each nuclear weapon and related nuclear program during the fiscal year covered by the report for the life cycle of such weapon or program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Outer Continental Shelf Permit Processing Coordination Act

Bill: 113-s-2071
Sponsor: Sen. Begich, Mark [D-AK]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alaska
Atlantic Ocean
Department of the Interior
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal appellate courts
Intergovernmental relations
Judicial review and appeals
Licensing and registrations
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Oil and gas
Pacific Ocean

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Outer Continental Shelf Permit Processing Coordination Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish three regional joint outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease and permit processing coordination offices, one for the Alaska region of the OCS, one for the Atlantic region, and one for the Pacific region.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the Department of the Treasury from assigning tax statuses to organizations based on their political beliefs and activities.

Bill: 113-s-2072
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Public participation and lobbying
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax exemption of political organizations, to revise the definition of "political organization" to mean a party, committee, association, fund, or other organization (whether or not incorporated) that: (1) is registered as a political committee with the Federal Election Commission (FEC); (2) has been determined to be a political committee in administrative or judicial proceedings; or (3) is organized and operated primarily to accept contributions or make expenditures to influence, or attempt to influence, the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to state or local public office, is not required to register with the FEC, and is required to register with the appropriate state agency as a political committee. 
 
Defines "promotion of social welfare," for purposes of the tax-exemption for social welfare organizations, to include: (1) any political activity in furtherance of American democracy, provided that such activities do not exceed 50% of the organization's total activities; (2) any activities for educating individuals on issues of public importance and on the behavior of public officials, including participation in ballot initiatives and referenda; and (3) certain activities described in the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 as not being expenditures for political purposes. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit the intentional discrimination of a person or organization by an employee of the Internal Revenue Service.

Bill: 113-s-2073
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2014-02-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Department of the Treasury
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: 
Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to 10 years on any officer or employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) who willfully acts with the intent to injure, oppress, threaten, intimidate, or single out and subject to undue scrutiny for purposes of harassment any person or organization in any state: (1) based solely or primarily on the political, economic, or social positions held or expressed by such person or organization; or (2) because such person or organization has expressed a particular political, economic, or social position using any words or writing allowed by law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2014-02-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Military Commissary Sustainment Act

Bill: 113-s-2075
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2014-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Defense spending
Department of Defense
Executive agency funding and structure
Military facilities and property
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-04
text: 
Military Commissary Sustainment Act - Prohibits reducing the monthly amount of funds made available by the Department of Defense (DOD) for the defense commissary system during FY2015 below the average monthly amount made available during FY2014 until the date of the report of the Military Compensation and Retirement Modernization Commission.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2014-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act

Bill: 113-s-2078
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2014-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: 
Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from providing a grant or any funds to a state, county, town, township, Indian tribe, municipality, or other local government for any program to: (1) check motorcycle helmet use, or (2) create motorcycle checkpoints that specifically target motorcycle operators or motorcycle passengers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Alternative Qualifications for Federal Employment Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2079
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2014-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Employee hiring
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: 
Alternative Qualifications for Federal Employment Act of 2014 - Requires the Director of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish a pilot program to appoint individuals with alternative educational experience to positions in the civil service. 
 
Defines an "individual with alternative educational experience" as an individual who does not have a degree from an institution of higher education and has received training or education in one or more subject areas or occupational fields from an educational provider who does not meet specified requirements under the Higher Education Act of 1965. 
 
Requires the Director to select not less than 25 positions (from not less than 10 diverse occupational fields) during each of FY2015-FY2019 for which an individual with alternative educational experience may apply.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2081
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2014-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Department of the Treasury
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
Political movements and philosophies
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: 
Taxpayer Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the annual report of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board to include: (1) any claim filed during the preceding year alleging a violation of any constitutional right of a taxpayer by an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employee; (2) with respect to such claim, whether a final administrative or judicial determination has been reached and whether the employment of any IRS employee determined to be liable for such violation has been terminated; and (3) a statement of the effectiveness of any procedures and measures established by the IRS to prevent discrimination by any IRS employee against any taxpayer on the basis of the taxpayer's political affiliations, beliefs, or activities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1322)
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act

Bill: 113-s-2083
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Mark [D-CO]
Introduced: 2014-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Oil and gas
Trade agreements and negotiations
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: 
American Job Creation and Strategic Alliances LNG Act - Amends the Natural Gas Act to deem consistent with the public interest an expedited application and approval process for the importation or exportation of natural gas to a World Trade Organization member country.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Community Protection Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2084
Sponsor: Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2014-03-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Commerce
Department of the Interior
Economic performance and conditions
Endangered and threatened species
Land use and conservation
State and local finance
Unemployment
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: 
Community Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973, with respect to critical habitat designations, to exclude an area from critical habitat upon a determination that the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the area, unless the failure to designate such area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species concerned. (Under current law, such exclusion is permitted, not required.)
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, at the time a proposed rule to designate critical habitat is published, to publish and make available for public comment a draft quantitative analysis that examines the economic effects of the proposed designation, including any effects on possible uses of land and property values, employment, and state and local revenues.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2014-03-05
text: Introduced in Senate