hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Children and Firefighters Protection Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2811
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2014-09-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory bodies
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Fires
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Product safety and quality

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-15
text: 
Children and Firefighters Protection Act of 2014 - Prohibits manufacturers, distributors, or retailers from selling, manufacturing for sale, distributing in commerce, or importing into the United States any children's product or upholstered furniture that contains a flame retardant exceeding a specified amount of the total chemical content by weight for any part of the product or furniture. Specifies flame retardants that are subject to such prohibitions.
 
Requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to appoint a chronic hazard advisory panel to study the effects on human health of all chemical flame retardants as used in such products or upholstered furniture.
 
Directs the CPSC, after receiving a report from the advisory panel evaluating the full range of such retardants, to promulgate a final rule specifying retardants that are not already listed in this Act that may cause substantial personal injury or illness. Makes such CPSC-specified retardants subject to the prohibitions of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-09-15
text: Introduced in Senate
Repay Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2812
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Government lending and loan guarantees
Higher education
Income tax exclusion
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Repay Act of 2014 - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a simplified income-driven repayment program for students who become new borrowers of William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans (DLs) on or after July 1, 2015. 
 
Sets a student's annual repayment obligation under the program at: 
 
 
 10% of the borrower's discretionary income (gross income that exceeds 150% of the federal poverty level) that is less than $25,000, adjusted for inflation; plus 
 
 15% of the borrower's discretionary income that is equal to or greater than $25,000, adjusted for inflation.
 
 
Directs the Secretary to cancel the outstanding balance on a DL under the repayment program if the borrower: 
 
 
 for 20 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that did not exceed a specified amount; or
 
 for 25 years made monthly payments under the program or was in deferment due to economic hardship and had a DL principal balance at the outset of the repayment period that exceeded a specified amount.
 
 
Requires the Secretary to offer borrowers of DLs made on or after July 1, 2015, the following repayment plans: (1) a fixed repayment plan (currently referred to as a standard repayment plan), or (2) a simplified income-driven repayment plan, but this plan is only available to student borrowers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide an alternative repayment plan to a borrower of a DL made on or after July 1, 2015, if the borrower demonstrates that these repayment options do not accommodate the borrower's exceptional circumstances.
 
Continues to allow borrowers of DLs to accelerate, without penalty, their repayment of such loans.
 
Makes public service employees who make 120 monthly payments on their DL under a simplified income-driven repayment plan eligible for the public service employee loan forgiveness program.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income debt the Secretary discharges on a borrower's subsidized Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) due to the borrower's death or disability.
 
Directs the Secretary to require servicers of FFELs and DLs to: (1) provide borrowers with information regarding their loan repayment options, and (2) offer to enroll borrowers in alternative plans for which they are eligible.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
National Prostate Cancer Council Act

Bill: 113-s-2813
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Department of Health and Human Services
Executive agency funding and structure
Health promotion and preventive care
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Minority health
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
National Prostate Cancer Council Act - Establishes in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the National Prostate Cancer Council on Screening, Early Detection, Assessment, and Monitoring of Prostate Cancer to: (1) develop and implement a strategic plan for the accelerated development of diagnostic tools for prostate cancer, (2) review the effectiveness of diagnostic tools for prostate cancer, (3) coordinate prostate cancer research and services across federal agencies, (4) evaluate all active federal prostate cancer programs, and (5) ensure the inclusion of men at high-risk for prostate cancer in clinical, research, and service efforts.
 
Directs the Council to submit annual reports. Requires the first report to include recommendations based on an evaluation of prostate cancer research and gaps in the development and validation of diagnostic tools for prostate cancer. Requires subsequent reports to include: (1) an outline for a national research plan for creation and validation of diagnostic tools, (2) roles for specified agencies, (3) an analysis of the disparities in rates of prostate cancer in men at high risk, and (4) a review of the progress towards the realization of the strategic plan. 
 
Terminates the Council on December 31, 2019.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5630)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
National Labor Relations Board Reform Act

Bill: 113-s-2814
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Evidence and witnesses
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Judicial review and appeals
Labor-management relations
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
National Labor Relations Board Reform Act - Amends the National Labor Relations Act to revise requirements with respect to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the Office of the General Counsel (OGC), and the process for appellate review.
 
Increases NLRB membership from five to six. Requires three members to represent each of the two major political parties and, beginning January 1, 2020, each of the two members whose terms expire on the same date to represent a different major political party.
 
 Requires: (1) four NLRB members to constitute a quorum at all times, and (2) any NLRB determination to be approved by a majority of the members present.
 
Specifies tenure, including staggered terms, of NLRB members.
 
Sets forth judicial review procedures for any person subject to a complaint issued or authorized by the OGC.
 
Sets the compensation rate for each NLRB member, in addition to the OGC, at level IV of the Executive Schedule and the Chairman of the NLRB, as under current law, at level III.
 
Requires the NLRB to issue a final order reviewing an appeal of a report of an administrative law judge or decision of a regional director within one year after the report or decision; but if the NLRB does not issue a final order within that time, allows any party to the case to move to discharge it. Deems, upon such a motion, the report or the decision to be a final agency action. Prohibits the NLRB from taking further action on the matter.
 
Reduces authorized appropriations to carry out the Act for each of the succeeding two fiscal years to 80% of the average amount authorized for the prior two fiscal years if, two years after enactment of this Act, the NLRB has failed to issue a final order on more than 90% of the cases pending on (or filed on or after) the date of enactment.
 
Extends such reduced authorization of appropriations if after four years the NLRB has failed to issue a final order on more than 90% of the cases pending on (or filed on or after) the date that is two years after the date of enactment of this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5631-5632)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Farmer Flexibility Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2815
Sponsor: Sen. Pryor, Mark L. [D-AR]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural marketing and promotion
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Bankruptcy
Interest, dividends, interest rates

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Farmer Flexibility Act of 2014 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to extend the terms of marketing assistance loans in cases where a farmer has sold, transferred, or delivered the commodity subject to the loan to a purchaser who has filed for bankruptcy prior to payment. Provides that the extension shall last until after the bankruptcy case is closed or dismissed. Suspends the accrual of interest on the loan during the extension period. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Securing Assistance for Victims' Empowerment (SAVE) Act

Bill: 113-s-2816
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Crime prevention
Crime victims
Domestic violence and child abuse
Family services
Law enforcement administration and funding
Professional sports
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Securing Assistance for Victims' Empowerment (SAVE) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate the tax exemption for professional football leagues, and (2) deny a tax exemption for certain professional sports leagues which have annual gross receipts exceeding $10 million.
 
Amends the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act to provide for an increased authorization of appropriations in FY2015 for the family violence prevention and services grant program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Helping Innovation and Reviving Entrepreneurship Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2817
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Congressional oversight
Economic performance and conditions
Employee hiring
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Helping Innovation and Reviving Entrepreneurship Act of 2014 or the HIRE Act - Requires the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) ensure that the FCC complies with deadlines for determining whether proposed new technologies or services are in the public interest; and (2) analyze the impact of each FCC-proposed regulation on innovation, economic growth, and job creation.
 
Directs the FCC to: (1) report to Congress regarding any failure to comply with such a deadline, and (2) update Congress regarding the reason for the delay at specified intervals until the FCC complies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5632)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2818
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Allied health services
Contracts and agency
Health personnel
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Prevent Interruptions in Physical Therapy Act of 2014 - Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require physical therapists furnishing outpatient physical therapy services to use specified locum tenens arrangements for payment purposes in the same manner as such arrangements are used to apply to physicians furnishing substitute physicians services for other physicians.
 
(Locum tenens [place holder], or substitute, physicians usually assume professional practices in the absence of a regular physician for reasons such as illness, pregnancy, vacation, or continuing medical education.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Garden Valley Withdrawal Act

Bill: 113-s-2820
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers
Nevada

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Garden Valley Withdrawal Act - Withdraws specified federal land in Garden Valley, Nevada, depicted on the map entitled Garden Valley Withdrawal Area, dated July 11, 2014, from: (1) entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S5632)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Child and Elderly Missing Alert Program Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2821
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Aging
Child safety and welfare
Crimes against children
Disability and paralysis
Emergency communications systems
Human trafficking
Law enforcement administration and funding
Neurological disorders
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Child and Elderly Missing Alert Program of 2014 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Attorney General to award public safety and community policing grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to assist federal, state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies in the rapid recovery of missing children and elderly and disabled individuals through the use of a rapid telephone and cellular alert call system. Defines an "elderly individual" as an individual 60 years of age or older.
 
Permits the use of grant funds to: (1) maintain and expand technologies and techniques to ensure the highest level of performance of services; (2) provide both centralized and on-site training, and to distribute information, to law enforcement agency officials about missing individuals and use of a rapid telephone and cellular alert call system; (3) provide services to Child Abduction Response Teams; (4) assist law enforcement agencies to combat human trafficking through the use of rapid telephone and cellular alert calls; (5) share appropriate information on cases with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the AMBER Alert, Silver Alert, and Blue Alert programs, and law enforcement; and (6) assist appropriate organizations with education and prevention programs related to missing individuals.
 
Directs the Attorney General to annually: (1) require each grantee to submit the results of monitoring and evaluations of grant recipients, and (2) publish a report regarding such results and the effectiveness of activities carried out under each grant.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2822
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Cemeteries and funerals
Congressional oversight
Government studies and investigations
Veterans' organizations and recognition

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study and report to Congress on matters relating to the interring of veterans' unclaimed remains in national cemeteries under the control of the National Cemetery Administration, including:
 
 
 the scope of the issues relating to veterans' unclaimed remains, including the estimated number of such remains;
 
 the effectiveness of VA procedures for working with persons or entities having custody of unclaimed remains to facilitate the interment of such remains in such cemeteries;
 
 state and local laws that affect the Secretary's ability to inter unclaimed veterans' remains in such cemeteries; and
 
 recommendations for appropriate legislative or administrative action.
 

action_date: 2014-12-10
text: 

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

 
Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study and report to Congress on matters relating to the interring of veterans' unclaimed remains in national cemeteries under the control of the National Cemetery Administration, including:
 
 
the scope of the issues relating to veterans' unclaimed remains, including the estimated number of such remains;
 
the effectiveness of VA procedures for working with persons or entities having custody of unclaimed remains to facilitate the interment of such remains in such cemeteries;
 
state and local laws that affect the Secretary's ability to inter unclaimed veterans' remains in such cemeteries; and
 
recommendations for appropriate legislative or administrative action.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2014-12-11
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2014-12-10
text: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (text: CR S6580-6581)
action_date: 2014-12-10
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(text: CR S6580-6581)
action_date: 2014-12-10
text: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6580-6581)
action_date: 2014-12-10
text: Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S6580-6581)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate
North American Energy Infrastructure Act

Bill: 113-s-2823
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alaska
Arizona
California
Canada
Congressional oversight
Department of Commerce
Department of Energy
Electric power generation and transmission
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
Idaho
Latin America
Licensing and registrations
Maine
Mexico
Michigan
Minnesota
Montana
New Hampshire
New Mexico
New York State
North Dakota
Ohio
Oil and gas
Pennsylvania
Pipelines
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Texas
Trade restrictions
Vermont
Washington State

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
North American Energy Infrastructure Act - Prohibits any person from constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico without obtaining a certificate of crossing under this Act. 
 
Requires the Secretary of State, with respect to oil pipelines, or the Secretary of Energy (DOE), with respect to electric transmission facilities, to issue a certificate of crossing for the cross-border segment within 120 days after final action is taken under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, unless it is not in U.S. public interest.
 
Directs DOE, as a condition of issuing a certificate, to require that the cross-border segment be constructed, connected, operated, or maintained consistent with specified policies and standards.
 
Amends the Natural Gas Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to approve within 30 days after receipt any application for the importation or exportation of natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico.
 
 Declares that no presidential permit shall be necessary for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility, including any cross-border segment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S5632-5634)
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in Senate