hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Supporting Afterschool STEM Act

Bill: 113-s-2543
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Minority education
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Women's education

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Supporting Afterschool STEM Act - Requires the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish an afterschool STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) grant program awarding competitive grants to afterschool or STEM networks to:
 
 
develop quality standards for STEM programming in afterschool programs and provide those programs with technical assistance in implementing such standards,
 
work with state education stakeholders to define and promote appropriate measurable outcomes for afterschool programs that include STEM content,
 
provide technical assistance to afterschool programs to start or grow their afterschool STEM efforts and define appropriate learning outcomes for such efforts,
 
coordinate professional development for afterschool program educators,
 
help afterschool program providers form strategic partnerships to advance STEM learning in afterschool programs,
 
create and disseminate tool kits to afterschool programs wanting to form partnerships and incorporate STEM professionals as mentors and role models, and 
 
provide technical assistance to federally funded STEM researchers and professionals who wish to engage with afterschool programs.
 
 
Defines: (1) an &quot;afterschool program&quot; as a structured program offered for elementary, middle, or secondary school students when school is not in session, such as before or after school, on the weekend, or during the summer; and (2) an &quot;afterschool or STEM network&quot; as a coalition that fosters partnerships and provides support to afterschool program providers and STEM education providers.
 
Includes as goals of the grant program: (1) to support the development and delivery of high-quality STEM education to populations underrepresented in STEM fields, and (2) to provide hands-on learning and exposure to STEM research facilities and businesses through in-person or virtual distance-learning experiences.
 
Requires the Director to provide each recipient of a STEM research grant who is under the Director's authority with information on opportunities to engage with students in out-of-school-time programs, such as through mentorships.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska.

Bill: 113-s-2544
Sponsor: Sen. Johanns, Mike [R-NE]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Government lending and loan guarantees
Nebraska
Water resources funding
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Authorizes any landowner within the Northport Irrigation District in Nebraska to repay, at any time, the construction costs of project facilities allocated to the landowner's land within the District. Provides that upon discharge in full of the obligation for repayment of all such costs, the land shall not be subject to the ownership and full-cost pricing limitations under the reclamation laws. Directs the Secretary of the Interior, upon request, to provide to the landowner who has repaid such costs in full a certificate acknowledging that the landholding is free of such limitations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to revoke bonuses paid to employees involved in electronic wait list manipulations, and for other purposes.

Bill: 113-s-2545
Sponsor: Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Department of Veterans Affairs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government studies and investigations
Performance measurement
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs: (1) within 180 days after the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) submits a report to Congress in 2014 that identifies VA medical facilities at which scheduling practices did not comply with VA policies and procedures, to identify each VA employee who, during any of FY2011-FY2014, contributed to the purposeful omission of the names of veterans from an electronic wait list for health care at such a facility, who was a VA supervisor who knew or should have known that the employee contributed to such omission, and who received a bonus in part because of such omission; and (2) after notice and an opportunity for a hearing, to order such employee to repay the bonus.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Auto Enroll Repeal Act

Bill: 113-s-2546
Sponsor: Sen. Isakson, Johnny [R-GA]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Auto Enroll Repeal Act - Amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to repeal the requirement that employers with more than 200 full-time employees that offer enrollment in one or more health benefits plans enroll automatically all new full-time employees in one of those plans.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
RESPONSE Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2547
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Accidents
Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Emergency planning and evacuation
First responders and emergency personnel
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Public-private cooperation
Railroads
Rural conditions and development
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
RESPONSE Act of 2014 - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish the Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs, and Safety Evaluation Subcommittee of the National Advisory Council.
 
Directs the Subcommittee to develop recommendations for improving emergency responder training and resource allocation, including regarding:
 
 
 the quality and application of training for local emergency first responders related to rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities near railroads;
 
the effectiveness of funding levels related to training local emergency responders for rail hazardous materials incidents, with a particular focus on local emergency responders and small communities;
 
 a strategy for integration of commodity flow studies, mapping, and access platforms for local emergency responders and how to increase the rate of access to the individual responder in communications technology;
 
the lack of emergency response plans for rail, similar to existing law related to maritime and stationary facility emergency response plans;
 
 the development of a train incident database;
 
 increasing access to relevant, useful, and timely information for the local emergency responder; and 
 
determining the most efficient agencies and offices for the implementation of the recommendations.
 
 
Terminates the Subcommittee not later than four years after this Act's enactment, subject to one year extensions. 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4158)
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require the Commodity Futures Trading commission to take certain emergency action to eliminate excessive speculation in energy markets.

Bill: 113-s-2548
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Commodities markets
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Energy prices
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
 Directs the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to use its authority (including emergency powers) to: (1) to curb immediately the role of excessive speculation in any contract market within its jurisdiction and control on or through which energy futures or swaps are traded; and (2) eliminate excessive speculation, price distortion, sudden or unreasonable fluctuations, or unwarranted changes in prices, or other unlawful activity that is causing major market disturbances that prevent the market from accurately reflecting the forces of supply and demand for energy commodities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S4158-4160)
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2549
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Canada
Department of Health and Human Services
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Government information and archives
Prescription drugs
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2014 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations permitting individuals to safely import into the United States, with exceptions, a prescription drug purchased from an approved Canadian pharmacy that:
 
 
 is dispensed by a pharmacist licensed in Canada;
 
 is purchased for personal use in quantities not greater than a 90-day supply;
 
is filled using a valid prescription issued by a physician licensed to practice in the United States; and
 
has the same active ingredient or ingredients, route of administration, dosage form, and strength as a prescription drug approved under the FFDCA.
 
 
 Provides criteria for approval of a Canadian pharmacy.
 Requires HHS to publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies, including their website address, from which individuals may purchase prescription drugs in accordance with this Act.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2550
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Law enforcement administration and funding
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Civil Rights Voting Restoration Act of 2014 - Declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because the individual has been convicted of a non-violent criminal offense, unless, at the time of the election, the individual is serving a sentence in a correctional facility or a term of probation. 
 
Restores the right to vote of an individual on probation: (1) on the date the term of probation ends, if such term is less than one year; or (2) one year after the date the individual begins serving the term of probation, if such term is one year or longer.
 
Directs the Attorney General to determine and establish a list of the criminal offenses under federal and state law that are non-violent criminal offenses.
 
Provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, this Act.
 
Sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of their voting rights pursuant to this Act.
 
Prohibits a state, local government, or other person from receiving or using federal grant amounts to construct or improve a place of incarceration unless that person has in effect a program under which each incarcerated individual is notified, upon release, of his or her rights under this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
TRANSFER Act

Bill: 113-s-2551
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Education programs funding
Government information and archives
Higher education
Performance measurement
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Small business
Technology transfer and commercialization

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Technology and Research Accelerating National Security and Future Economic Resiliency Act of 2013 or the TRANSFER Act of 2013 - Amends the Small Business Act to revise the requirement that the Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) use funds for a Proof of Concept Partnership pilot program to accelerate the creation of small businesses and the commercialization of research innovations made by certain institutions.
 
Directs the head of each covered federal agency required to establish a small business technology transfer (STTR) program to establish an Innovative Approaches to Technology Transfer Grant Program to make grants to institutions of higher education, technology transfer organizations that facilitate the commercialization of technologies developed by one or more of the institutions, federal laboratories, public or private nonprofit entities, or a consortium of any of these entities in order to improve or accelerate the commercialization of high quality and commercially viable federally funded research and technology by small businesses.
 
Outlines activities eligible for funding, application requirements, and award procedures and amounts. Requires grant recipients to assemble an oversight board to establish award programs for individual projects and evaluate project applications. Prescribes the percentage of each covered agency's extramural budget for research, or research development required to be expended on such Program for FY2015-FY2017.
 
Directs each covered agency to develop a Program evaluation plan to collect data to identify outcomes resulting from the transfer of technology under its Program.
 
Requires the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to include information on each covered agency's Program on the public database of small businesses participating in STTR or Small Business Innovation Research programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2552
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Business ethics
Business records
Consumer affairs
Department of Health and Human Services
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Medicare Advantage Participant Bill of Rights Act of 2014 - Amends part C (Medicare+Choice) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require a Medicare Advantage (MA) organization to remove a service provider or a supplier from a plan network only for cause, subject to completion of a fair notice and appeals process.
 
Lists as cause for removal: (1) medical negligence, (2) violation of any legal or contractual requirement for the provider or supplier acting within the lawful scope of practice, or (3) unfitness to furnish items and services in accordance with Medicare requirements. 
 
Requires an MA organization offering an MA plan to include information on the measures used to establish or modify the plan's provider network: (1) in the annual bid information submitted about the MA plan, and (2) on the plan's Internet Web.
 
Subjects to certain sanctions MA organizations with contracts which fail to meet these information requirements.
 
Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) seek input from patient advocacy groups and others in applying network access adequacy standards, and (2) take necessary measures to ensure that the Medicare Advantage Compare Tool takes into account the preferences and utilization needs of such individuals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
IMPACT Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2553
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Department of Health and Human Services
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Home and outpatient care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicare
Minority health
Performance measurement

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation Act of 2014 or the IMPACT Act of 2014 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) require post-acute care (PAC) providers to report standardized patient assessment data, data on quality measures, and data on resource use and other measures; (2) require the data to be interoperable to allow for its exchange among PAC and other providers to give them access to longitudinal information so as to facilitate coordinated care and improve Medicare beneficiary outcomes; and (3) modify PAC assessment instruments applicable to PAC providers for the submission of standardized patient assessment data on such providers and enable assessment data comparison across all such providers.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) provide confidential feedback reports to PAC providers on their performance with respect to required measures; and (2) arrange for public reporting of PAC provider performance on quality, resource use, and other measures. 
 
Directs the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MEDPAC) to: (1) evaluate and recommend to Congress features of PAC payment systems that establish, or a unified PAC payment system that establishes, payment rates according to characteristics of individuals instead of according to the PAC setting where the Medicare beneficiary involved is treated; and (2) recommend to Congress a technical prototype for a PAC prospective payment system.
 
Directs the Secretary to reduce by 2% the update to the market basket percentage for skilled nursing facilities which do not report assessment and quality data.
 
Directs the Secretary to study: (1) the effect of individuals' socioeconomic status on quality, resource use, and other measures for individuals under the Medicare program; and (2) the impact on such measures of specified risk factors.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require a report on military assistance to Ukraine.

Bill: 113-s-2555
Sponsor: Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Europe
Military assistance, sales, and agreements
Military education and training
Russia
Ukraine

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, working with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies, should provide the armed forces of Ukraine with appropriate non-lethal military assistance and military training support requested by the government of Ukraine.
 
Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD), every 180 days until January 31, 2017, to report to Congress regarding military assistance to Ukraine. 
 
Requires such report to includematters concerning: 
 
 
 military equipment, supplies, and defense services requested by Ukraine; 
 
military equipment, supplies, and defense services that the United States has provided, is currently providing, and plans to provide; 
 
an assessment of U.S. military assistance that would most effectively improve Ukraine's military capabilities;
 
an assessment of the need for, and force protection concerns, of U.S. military advisors that may be made available to Ukraine; 
 
military training requested by Ukraine, and military training the United States has conducted with Ukraine in the previous six months or plans to conduct in the next year; and 
 
an assessment of the military assistance provided by the Russian Federation to irregular forces in Ukraine since February 22, 2014.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2556
Sponsor: Sen. Levin, Carl [D-MI]
Introduced: 2014-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Archaeology and anthropology
Congressional oversight
Economic development
Government studies and investigations
Great Lakes
Historic sites and heritage areas
Historical and cultural resources
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Travel and tourism

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: 
Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Assessment Act of 2014 - Requires the Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere of the Department of Commerce to assess and report on the cultural and historic resources in the waters of the Great Lakes. Directs the Under Secretary to make recommendations in the report on whether: (1) underwater geographic areas in the Great Lakes should be designated as national marine sanctuaries to protect resources of historical and archeological significance; and (2) the designation of a network of underwater Great Lakes areas that protect those resources could bring significant educational opportunities, economic development, jobs, and tourism to the Great Lakes region.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate