hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5499
Sponsor: Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]
Introduced: 2014-09-16 in the House
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Competition and antitrust
Consumer affairs
Contracts and agency
First Amendment rights
Intellectual property
Licensing and registrations
Performance measurement

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: 
Consumer Review Freedom Act of 2014 - Declares a provision of a form contract to be void from the inception if it: (1) prohibits or restricts a person who is a party to the contract from engaging in written, verbal, or pictorial reviews, or other similar performance assessments or analyses of, the products, services, or conduct of a business that is a party to the contract; (2) imposes penalties or fees against such a person for engaging in such communications; or (3) assigns or provides an exclusive license, or requires such a person to assign or provide an exclusive license, to any of the person's intellectual property rights in such communications. (Thus, bars certain contract provisions that prohibit consumers from commenting publicly about businesses.)
 
Sets forth exceptions under which a provision shall not be considered void under this Act if the provision prohibits disclosure of certain: (1) trade secrets or commercial or financial information, (2) personnel and medical files, or (3) law enforcement records. 
 
Provides for this Act to be inapplicable to contracts establishing an employer-employee or independent contractor relationship.
 
Prohibits businesses from offering or entering into form contracts containing a provision that is considered void under this Act. Treats violations by businesses as unfair or deceptive acts or practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Sets forth authority for the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and state attorneys general to enforce such violations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Introduced in House
Protect Veterans Employment and Training Services Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5500
Sponsor: Rep. Fitzpatrick, Michael G. [R-PA-8]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Employment and training programs
State and local government operations
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Protect Veterans Employment and Training Services Act of 2014 - Amends the disabled veterans' outreach program to authorize the Secretary of Labor to establish an order of priority for furnishing program services if state disabled veterans' outreach program specialists are unable to assist every eligible veteran seeking assistance. 
 
Requires that priority order to be consistent with the program's purposes and the existing priority order of special disabled veterans, other disabled veterans, and other eligible veterans.
 
Allows a state disabled veterans' outreach program specialist to perform an initial intake and assessment of each veteran who seeks program services.
 
Authorizes local veterans' employment representatives to provide employment, training, and placement services directly to eligible veterans and eligible persons.
 
Requires those representatives to spend a majority of their time carrying out their principal duties of: (1) conducting outreach to local employers to assist veterans in gaining employment; and (2) facilitating the provision of state employment, training, and placement services to veterans. 
 
Prohibits the Secretary from imposing restrictions on the duties that a state disabled veterans' outreach program specialist or a local veterans' employment representative may perform or the individuals they may assist other than those set forth in the law providing veterans with job counseling, training, and placement services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5501
Sponsor: Rep. Cummings, Elijah E. [D-MD-7]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Constitution and constitutional amendments
Education programs funding
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Elementary and secondary education
State and local government operations
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Constitution and Citizenship Day Act of 2014 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to establish a Constitution Day Grant Program awarding competitive grants to local educational agencies and charter schools to commemorate, and enhance educational programs that teach students about, the U.S. Constitution and their state constitution.
 
Requires such program to occur annually on Constitution Day, September 17, or the following Monday if that day falls on a weekend, and give students the ability to register to vote.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-11-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
FAIR Act

Bill: 113-hr-5502
Sponsor: Rep. Garrett, Scott [R-NJ-5]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Evidence and witnesses
Government trust funds

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Fifth Amendment Integrity Restoration Act of 2014 or the FAIR Act - Amends the federal criminal code to increase the federal government's burden of proof in civil forfeiture proceedings to clear and convincing evidence. Requires the government, in addition to showing a substantial connection between the seized property and the offense in a forfeiture proceeding, to establish by clear and convincing evidence that the owner of any interest in the seized property intentionally used the property in connection with the offense or knowingly consented or was willfully blind to the use of the property by another in connection with the offense. 
 
Requires proceeds from the disposition of forfeited property to be deposited into the General Fund of the Treasury, rather than to Department of Justice (DOJ) accounts for law enforcement activities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-10-28
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
action_date: 2014-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, 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: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5504
Sponsor: Rep. Reichert, David G. [R-WA-8]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Income tax deductions
Inflation and prices
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Teacher Tax Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax deduction for the expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers, to: (1) allow an inflation adjustment to the amount of such deduction for taxable years beginning after 2013, (2) allow the deduction of professional development expenses, and (3) make such deduction permanent. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Clean Air, Strong Economies Act

Bill: 113-hr-5505
Sponsor: Rep. Olson, Pete [R-TX-22]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental regulatory procedures

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
 Clean Air, Strong Economies Act - Prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from lowering its national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS) for ozone until at least 85% of counties that are in nonattainment areas (counties that are exceeding the limit) have attained the standard.
 
Requires the EPA, in promulgating a primary or secondary NAAQS for ozone, to: 
 
 
 only consider a county to be a nonattainment area on the basis of direct air quality monitoring (rather than modeling); 
 
 take into consideration feasibility and cost; and 
 
 include in the regulatory impact analysis for the proposed and final rule at least one analysis that does not include any calculation of benefits resulting from reducing emissions of any pollutant other than ozone.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Home Improvement Loan Modernization Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5506
Sponsor: Rep. Huffman, Jared [D-CA-2]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Consumer credit
Energy efficiency and conservation
Housing finance and home ownership
Inflation and prices
Residential rehabilitation and home repair

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Home Improvement Loan Modernization Act of 2014 - Amends the National Housing Act to specify the premium charge paid by a financial institution to insure any loan, advance of credit, or purchase of obligations representing loans and advances of credit it makes to finance certain home improvements for both existing single-family and multifamily structures.
 
Sets the initial premium at 2.75% of the original insured principal obligation, with annual premium payments not to exceed 1.5% of the remaining balance.
 
Limits any premium charges to the minimum amounts necessary to maintain a negative credit subsidy for the insurance program.
 
Increases the maximum obligation that may be insured for improvements to: (1) an existing single-family dwelling from $25,000 to $42,000; and (2) an existing multi-family structure from $60,000 to $101,888, with an average amount of $20,378 (currently $12,000) per family unit.
 
Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop a method of indexing to increase these dollar amount limitations annually, based on the Consumer Price Index for all urban consumers (CPI-U) computed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
 
Allows an increase in these dollar amount limitations also by up to 150% if at least half of the amount will be used for energy conserving improvements or the installation of solar energy systems.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Reducing Disparities Using Care Models and Education Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5507
Sponsor: Rep. Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Government studies and investigations
Health care quality
Health programs administration and funding
Medical research
Minority health

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Reducing Disparities Using Care Models and Education Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to contract with the Institute of Medicine to study: (1) health disparities; (2) existing programs and policies intended to reduce disparities; and (3) priorities for, and expansion of, programs targeting disparities.
 
Requires the Secretary to develop guidelines for entities to develop and implement programs to reduce health disparities. Directs the Secretary to incorporate these guidelines into HHS activities.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to award grants for programs to reduce health disparities.
 Requires the Innovation Center of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to test a payment and service delivery model that includes incentives for reducing health disparities.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-19
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, 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: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Student Loan Interest Deduction Fairness Act

Bill: 113-hr-5508
Sponsor: Rep. Pocan, Mark [D-WI-2]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Higher education
Income tax deductions
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Marriage and family status
Student aid and college costs
Tax treatment of families

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Student Loan Interest Deduction Fairness Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the dollar limitation for the tax deduction for education loan interest to $5,000 in a taxable year for married couples filing joint tax returns (thus eliminating the tax effect known as the marriage penalty). 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
College Tuition and Debt Relief Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5509
Sponsor: Rep. Braley, Bruce L. [D-IA-1]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Inflation and prices
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
College Tuition and Debt Relief Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the American Opportunity tax credit, (2) increase the allowable amount of such credit and adjust such amount for inflation for taxable years beginning after 2015, and (3) increase the tax deduction for student loan interest and adjust such increased amount for inflation for taxable years beginning after 2015.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Online Education Verification Act

Bill: 113-hr-5510
Sponsor: Rep. Byrne, Bradley [R-AL-1]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Educational technology and distance education
Higher education
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Licensing and registrations
School administration
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Online Education Verification Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require recognized accrediting agencies or associations that evaluate the quality of distance or correspondence education programs to require those programs to have a secure login and passcode for Internet coursework.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-11-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Oregon Coastal Lands Act

Bill: 113-hr-5511
Sponsor: Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations
Gambling
Indian lands and resources rights
Land transfers
Oregon

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Oregon Coastal Lands Act - Requires all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to approximately 14,408 acres of land generally depicted on the map entitled "Oregon Coastal Land Conveyance," dated March 27, 2013 (Oregon Coastal land) to be held in trust for, and to be part of the reservation of, the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians (Tribes). 
 
Applies federal law relating to the export of unprocessed logs harvested from federal land to any unprocessed logs harvested from such land. Prohibits gaming on such land. Requires commercial forestry activity on such land to be managed in accordance with applicable federal laws. Exempts such land from the land use planning requirements of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. 
 
Directs the Tribes to consult with the Secretary of the Interior and other parties to develop agreements to provide for access to such land that provide for: (1) honoring existing reciprocal right-of-way agreements, (2) administrative access by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and (3) management of any such land acquired or developed under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 in accordance with such Act. 
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) identify any such land that is Oregon and California Railroad grant land, (2) identify public domain land in Oregon that is approximately equal in acreage and condition to such Oregon and California Railroad grant land, and (3) reclassify such public domain land as Oregon and California Railroad grant land.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.
action_date: 2014-09-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Cow Creek Umpqua Land Conveyance Act

Bill: 113-hr-5512
Sponsor: Rep. DeFazio, Peter A. [D-OR-4]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations
Gambling
Indian lands and resources rights
Land transfers
Oregon

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Cow Creek Umpqua Land Conveyance Act - Requires all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to approximately 17,519 acres of land generally depicted on the map entitled &quot;Canyon Mountain Land Conveyance,&quot; dated June 27, 2013 (Council Creek land), to be held in trust for, and to be part of the reservation of, the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. 
 
Applies federal law relating to the export of unprocessed logs harvested from federal land to any unprocessed logs that are harvested from such land. Prohibits gaming on such land. Requires any forestry activity on such land to be managed in accordance with applicable federal laws. 
 Directs the Secretary of the Interior to: (1) identify any such land that is Oregon and California Railroad grant land, (2) identify public domain land in Oregon that is approximately equal in acreage and condition to such Oregon and California Railroad grant land, and (3) reclassify such public domain land as Oregon and California Railroad grant land.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee Indian and Alaska Native Affairs.
action_date: 2014-09-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Public Lands and Environmental Regulation.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
E-Car Act

Bill: 113-hr-5513
Sponsor: Rep. Hahn, Janice [D-CA-44]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Energy storage, supplies, demand
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Income tax credits

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Electric Charging Advancement Reform Act or the E-Car Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to replace the tax credit for qualified alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures with a tax credit for 50% of the cost of any qualified electric vehicle recharging property that is: (1) installed on property used as the principal residence of the taxpayer, and (2) for the recharging of motor vehicles propelled by electricity. Terminates such credit after December 31, 2017.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E1441)
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-5514
Sponsor: Rep. Israel, Steve [D-NY-3]
Introduced: 2014-09-17 in the House
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Government lending and loan guarantees
Manufacturing
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: 
Bring the Jobs Home Loan Act of 2014 - Amends the Small Business Act to direct the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a loan program to assist small businesses involved in manufacturing to begin the U.S. production of products that would otherwise be imported.
 
Requires small businesses receiving these loans to report to the Administrator on: (1) facility and equipment changes made using the loans, and (2) progress made in such production. Allows the Administrator to consider the report information in determining whether to provide an additional loan or loan assistance under another SBA program.
 
Prohibits an individual loan greater than 5% of the total amount available for such loans.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on Small Business.
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-09-17
text: Introduced in House