hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Fair Competition for Hospitals Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1791
Sponsor: Sen. Rockefeller, John D., IV [D-WV]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Health facilities and institutions
Hospital care
Medicare
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
Fair Competition for Hospitals Act of 2013 - Requires the wage index applying to a certain kind of subsection (d) hospital under title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to be the highest wage index assigned to hospitals in the core-based statistical area in which the hospital is located (regardless of which state the hospital is located in) as a result of the requirement of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 that the area wage index applicable to any hospital which is not located in a rural area be not less than the area wage index applicable to hospitals located in rural areas in the state in which the hospital is located.
 
(Generally, a subsection [d] hospital is an acute care hospital, particularly one that receives payments under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system [IPPS] when providing covered inpatient services to eligible beneficiaries.)
 
Limits the application of this Act to a subsection (d) hospital: (1) located in a core-based statistical area comprising counties from more than one state, but (2) not located in a core-based statistical area in which one or more hospitals are subject to a specified minimum wage index, and (3) not located in a core-based statistical area in which the highest wage index applies to hospitals covered by this Act under a state Medicare reimbursement system.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
GONE Act

Bill: 113-s-1792
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
Grants Oversight and New Efficiency Act or the GONE Act - Directs the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency to submit to Congress and the head of each federal agency a report that: (1) lists each covered grant account held by the federal government, (2) recommends which of such grants should be immediately closed, and (3) explains why any covered grant account that has been expired for more than 90 days has not been closed out. Requires each federal agency head that manages a covered grant account recommended for closure in such report to close such account not later than 180 days after the report is submitted. 

 
Defines "covered grant account" as a grant account in a federal agency payment management system that has a zero balance for more than 180 days and for which the grant award period has expired. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8603)
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1794
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Mark [D-CO]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Colorado
Lakes and rivers
Land transfers
Monuments and memorials
Roads and highways
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
Browns Canyon National Monument and Wilderness Act of 2013 - Establishes the Browns Canyon National Monument in Colorado to preserve the nationally significant biological, cultural, recreational, natural, wilderness, historic, scenic, riparian, geological, educational, and scientific values found within the National Monument. 
 
Prohibits the inclusion of any part of the Arkansas River within such monument. 
 
Amends the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to designate as the Browns Canyon Wilderness specified federal land in Chaffee County, Colorado, comprising approximately 7,900 acres of land managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and 2,500 acres in the Pike and San Isabel National Forests. 
 
Allows livestock grazing, if already established within the Wilderness, to continue.
 
Authorizes measures to control fire, insects, disease, nonnative invasive plants, and noxious weeds within the Wilderness and National Monument.
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to complete a comprehensive management plan for the conservation and protection of the National Monument and the Wilderness.
 
Releases those parts of the Browns Canyon Wilderness Study Area not designated as wilderness by this Act from further study for wilderness designation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-07-23
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 113-493.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
New Skills for New Jobs Act

Bill: 113-s-1795
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Education programs funding
Employment and training programs
Higher education
Income tax credits
Licensing and registrations
State and local taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
New Skills for New Jobs Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, on a quarterly basis, to make payments to an eligible community college in an amount equal to the aggregate new job tax withholding matches for qualified training provided to job trainees who are U.S. citizens. Defines &quot;qualified training&quot; as education or training to provide an individual with the education or skills necessary to perform the job for which such individual will be employed or with licenses or certificates necessary for such employment. Requires that any job for which a trainee is hired be a new job. 
 
Defines "eligible community college" as a public institution of higher education: (1) at which the majority of degrees awarded are two-year degrees that are acceptable for full credit toward a baccalaureate degree, (2) that is located in a state that has a state new jobs tax credit program in effect, and (3) that participates in such program by having in effect a contract that meets specified requirements of such program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
STEM Gateways Act

Bill: 113-s-1796
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Minority education
Minority employment
Public-private cooperation
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Women's education
Women's employment

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
STEM Gateways Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) elementary and secondary school programs for women and girls, underrepresented minorities, and individuals from all economic backgrounds.
 
Requires those programs to be directed toward at least one of the following goals:
 
 
encouraging the interest of elementary and secondary school students in the STEM fields;
 
motivating the engagement of those students in the STEM fields by providing them with relevant hands-on learning opportunities;
 
supporting classroom success in the STEM disciplines by elementary and secondary school students;
 
supporting STEM workforce training and career preparation for secondary school students; and 
 
improving the access of secondary school students to STEM career and continuing education opportunities.
 
 
Defines an &quot;eligible entity&quot; as: (1) a local educational agency (LEA); (2) an educational service agency serving more than one LEA; (3) a consortium of LEAs; (4) a nonprofit organization that works with elementary schools, secondary schools, or institutions of higher education and has shown a commitment to achieving the goals listed above; or (5) a community college working in partnership with secondary schools to create dual enrollment, credit transfer, or accelerated postsecondary credentialing opportunities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act

Bill: 113-s-1798
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2013-12-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Comprehensive health care
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health personnel
Sales and excise taxes

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: 
Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide that a qualified emergency services volunteer shall not be counted in determining the number of full-time employees of an employer for the purpose of shared responsibility requirements for employers with respect to health coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
 
 Defines "qualified emergency services volunteer" as a bona fide volunteer performing fire fighting and prevention services, emergency medical services, or ambulance services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2013-12-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Public Power Risk Management Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1802
Sponsor: Sen. Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]
Introduced: 2013-12-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Business records
Commodities markets
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Oil and gas
Public contracts and procurement
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-11
text: 
Public Power Risk Management Act of 2013 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to direct the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), when it determines whether to provide an exemption to designation as a swap dealer, to treat a utility operations-related swap entered into with a utility special entity as if such swap were entered into with an entity that is not a special entity. (Thus exempts an entity entering into a utility operations-related swap with a utility special entity from mandatory registration as a swap dealer.)
 
Requires transactions in utility operations-related swaps to be reported according to requirements for the reporting of uncleared swaps.
 
Defines &quot;utility special entity&quot; as a special entity, or any instrumentality, department, or corporation of or established by a state or local government, that: (1) owns or operates an electric or natural gas facility or an electric or natural gas operation; (2) supplies natural gas or electric energy to another utility special entity; (3) has public service obligations under federal, state, or local law or regulation to deliver electric energy or natural gas service to customers; or (4) is a federal power marketing agency.
 
Redefines swap to include a utility operations-related swap.
 
Defines &quot;utility operations-related swap&quot; as one that: (1) is entered into to hedge or mitigate commercial risk; (2) is associated with specified transactions in electric energy or natural gas; and (3) is not a contract, agreement, or transaction based on, derived on, or referencing
 
 
an interest rate, credit, equity, or currency asset class; or
 
a metal, agricultural commodity, or crude oil or gasoline commodity of any grade, except as used as fuel for electric energy generation.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2013-12-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Organ Mountains--Desert Peaks Conservation Act

Bill: 113-s-1805
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Historical and cultural resources
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Monuments and memorials
New Mexico
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks Conservation Wilderness Act - Designates specified areas in New Mexico administered by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) as wilderness and components of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS). 
 
Designates certain other BLM land as a potential wilderness area, which shall, upon publication of a notice in the Federal Register, be designated as wilderness and as an NWPS component, and incorporated into the Robledo Mountains Wilderness. 
 
Releases certain public land in Dona Ana County not designated as wilderness by this Act from further study for designation as wilderness. 
 
 Establishes certain BLM-administered lands in the county as the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument. 
 
 Requires the development of a management plan for the Monument. 
 
Transfers administrative jurisdiction over specified acreage of the Organ Mountains Area from the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to the Secretary of the Interior to become part of the Monument.
 
Requires the Monument and the wilderness areas designated by this Act to be administered as components of the National Landscape Conservation System. 
 
Amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to adjust the boundary of the Prehistoric Trackways National Monument. 
 
Reserves specified land for use by the Secretary of the Army for military purposes. 
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to seek an agreement with the Commissioner of Public Lands of New Mexico for an exchange of certain BLM land in the state for parcels of state trust land. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Federal Home Loan Bank Act with respect to membership eligibility of certain institutions.

Bill: 113-s-1806
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Banking and financial institutions regulation
Housing finance and home ownership

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Amends the Federal Home Loan Bank Act to modify the eligibility criteria for membership in the Federal Home Loan Bank System by redefining insured depository institution to cover certain insured depository institutions as defined by the Federal Deposit Insurance Act, including insured credit unions as well as any entity that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) determines: (1) is engaged in the business of receiving deposits, and (2) could reasonably be mistaken for a depository institution by the entity's current or prospective customers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-09-16
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013

Bill: 113-s-1807
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Motor fuels

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Corn Ethanol Mandate Elimination Act of 2013 - Amends the Clean Air Act to eliminate the volume standards under the renewable fuel program applicable to corn-starch ethanol.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text of measure as introduced: CR S8774)
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S8773-8774)
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act

Bill: 113-s-1808
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Charitable contributions
Civil actions and liability
Employee benefits and pensions
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government liability
Income tax deductions
Income tax exclusion
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Marriage and family status
Public contracts and procurement
Religion
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Marriage and Religious Freedom Act - Prohibits the federal government from taking an adverse action against a person on the basis that such person acts in accordance with a religious belief that: (1) marriage is or should be recognized as the union of one man and one woman, or (2) sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage.
 
Defines &quot;adverse action&quot; as any federal government action to discriminate against a person who is acting in accordance with such religious belief, including a federal government action to: 
 
 
deny or revoke certain tax exemptions or disallow a deduction of any charitable contribution made to or by such person;
 
alter the federal tax treatment of, or cause any tax, penalty, or payment to be assessed against, such person or such person's employees with respect to any employee benefit provided or not provided by such person; 
 
deem an employee benefit plan covering employees of such person to have lost its status as a qualified plan under the Internal Revenue Code, or to be in violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, because the plan fails to provide a benefit, right, or feature on account of such person's religious belief;
 
deny or exclude such person from receiving any federal grant, contract, cooperative agreement, loan, license, certification, accreditation, employment, or similar position or status; or
 
deny or withhold any benefit under a federal benefit program.
 
 
Permits a person to assert an actual or threatened violation of this Act as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain compensatory damages or other appropriate relief against the federal government.
 
Authorizes the Attorney General (DOJ) to bring actions against certain independent establishments of the executive branch (certain establishments in the executive branch, other than the U.S. Postal Service [USPS] and the Postal Regulatory Commission, that are not executive departments, military departments, or government corporations) to enforce this Act. 
 
Specifies that the term &quot;person&quot; includes any person regardless of religious affiliation, as well as corporations and other entities regardless of for-profit or nonprofit status.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend chapter 77 of title 5, United States Code, to clarify certain due process rights of Federal employees serving in sensitive positions, and for other purposes.

Bill: 113-s-1809
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Due process and equal protection
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Merit Systems Protection Board

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Grants authority to the Merit Systems Protection Board to review on the merits an appeal by an employee or applicant for employment of a determination of ineligibility for employment in a sensitive position if: (1) the sensitive position does not require a security clearance or access to classified information, and (2) the determination is otherwise appealable.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Commercial Flight Courtesy Act

Bill: 113-s-1811
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]
Introduced: 2013-12-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: 
Commercial Flight Courtesy Act - Prohibits an individual, with specified exceptions, from engaging in voice communications through a mobile communication device while onboard a domestic passenger aircraft.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2013-12-12
text: Introduced in Senate