hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety Act

Bill: 114-s-2284
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Criminal justice information and records
Government studies and investigations
Immigration status and procedures
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Legislative rules and procedure
Middle East
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Syria
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Syrian Refugee Verification and Safety Act

 
This bill declares that: (1) no alien who is a refugee because of the conflict in Syria (covered alien) may be admitted to the United States as a refugee, (2) no funds may be expended to process refugee applications for covered aliens, and (3) no funds may be expended by the Department of State or the Department of Health and Human Services to resettle covered aliens in the United States.
 
These restrictions shall remain in effect until 30 days after the President certifies to Congress regarding: 
 
 
protocols and interagency coordination to adjudicate such U.S. admissions and resettlement; 
 
evaluation and review of such protocols and coordination by the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community; 
 
State Department submission to Congress of an updated Congressional Presentation Document of the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration for Fiscal Year 2016 that reflects security or other risks posed by covered aliens; and 
 
a State Department briefing to Congress on the increase in covered aliens seeking refugee admission and so admitted, including information on any terrorist conduct. 
 
 
This certification: (1) may not be submitted to Congress before 270 days, and (2) shall not have any effect if Congress enacts into law a joint resolution of disapproval within 15 days.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8022-8023)
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Lumbee Recognition Act

Bill: 114-s-2285
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations
Gambling
Indian lands and resources rights
North Carolina

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Lumbee Recognition Act

 
This bill amends the Act of June 7, 1956, to extend federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and make its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. 
 
Members of the tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland Counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services.
 
The Deparment of Health and Human Services must develop, in consultation with the tribe, a determination of needs to provide the services for which members of the tribe are eligible.
 
The Department of the Interior may take land into trust for the tribe.
 
Gaming is allowed on land taken into trust for the tribe.
 
The State of North Carolina must exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the tribe unless jurisdiction is transferred to the United States pursuant to an agreement between the tribe and the state.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-07
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-538.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2286
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Endangered and threatened species
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Watersheds
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Catastrophic Wildfire Prevention Act of 2015 

 
 Directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), with respect to National Forest System lands, and the Department of the Interior, with respect to public lands, to implement authorized wildfire prevention projects in at-risk forests and on threatened and endangered species habitat in a manner that focuses on surface, ladder, and canopy fuels reduction activities. 
 
Requires projects carried out on threatened and endangered species habitat to: (1) provide enhanced protection from wildfire, including catastrophic wildfire, for the endangered species, threatened species, or their habitat; and (2) comply with applicable recovery plan guidelines. 
 
Requires projects carried out in at-risk forests to move the federal land from condition class II or III toward condition class I, as those classes were developed by the Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station in a specified general technical report. 
 
Permits use in a project of: (1) domestic livestock grazing to reduce surface fuel loads and to recover burned areas; and (2) timber harvesting and thinning to reduce ladder and canopy fuel loads for the prevention of wildfire, including catastrophic wildfires. 
 
Directs USDA and Interior to review public petitions for, and make determinations with respect to, the designation of federal lands as at-risk forests or as threatened and endangered species habitats. 
 
Requires notice in the Federal Register of proposed projects and final designated projects and permits public comment on projects as specified. 
 
Instructs USDA and Interior to prepare an environmental assessment for projects that include timber harvesting or grazing. 
 
Instructs USDA and Interior to research what impact any listing of a species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 would have on both forage and timber forest fuel loads. Requires endangered species recovery plans and critical habitat determinations to include a wildfire risk assessment analysis. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
ATTAIN Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2287
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Business investment and capital
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Department of Energy
Economic development
Economic performance and conditions
Energy research
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Higher education
Intellectual property
Performance measurement
Public contracts and procurement
Public-private cooperation
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Small business
Student aid and college costs
Technology transfer and commercialization

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Accelerating Technology Transfer to Advance Innovation for the Nation Act of 2015 or the ATTAIN Act of 2015 

 
 This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Office of Technology Transitions, directed by a Technology Transfer Coordinator, to improve Department of Energy (DOE) coordination and use of technology transfer resources, including increased coordination and use of small business innovation research.
 
DOE shall establish a Lab-Corps, modeled after the I-Corps of the National Science Foundation, to support investments in entrepreneurs, mentors, and principal investigators.
 
DOE may also establish and participate in technology commercialization challenges.
 
The Office shall: (1) work with each Office of Research and Technology Application at the National Laboratories, and (2) partner with foundations and nonprofit entities with similar technology transfer and entrepreneurship priorities and goals.
 
DOE and the Small Business Administration shall jointly establish a Technology Transfer Investment Initiative following prescribed guidelines. 
 
The Office, in coordination with Lab-Corps, shall also establish and coordinate regional geographic areas to implement the Initiative. 
 
DOE shall establish a pilot program, administered through the Office, to award grants to post-graduate researchers for the purpose of spinning off and licensing technology. 
 
DOE may include, in a management and operating contract for a National Laboratory, partnership agreements with institutions of higher education. 
 
The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the results of the projects developed under this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Bring Accountability Now to the Fed Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2288
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Banking and financial institutions regulation
Federal Reserve System
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Public participation and lobbying
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Bring Accountability Now to the Fed Act of 2015

 
This bill prohibits members and staff of the Federal Reserve System from lobbying or issuing a pronouncement in support of or against legislation that has been introduced in Congress or in any state or local legislative body.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-18
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 298.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Family Unification, Preservation, and Modernization Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2289
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Child safety and welfare
Family services
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Housing and community development funding

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Family Unification, Preservation, and Modernization Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the Family Unification Program (FUP) under which eligible youth aged 18-24 who left foster care at age 16 or older and who lack adequate housing may receive Housing Choice Vouchers (for section 8 tenant-based or project-based assistance) for a period of time. These Vouchers shall be available also for any such youth who will leave foster care within 90 days and who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
 
The period of assistance for such youth shall be extended from 18 to 36 months, and may be extended beyond 36 months to accord with the length of the youth's contract of participation in the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. The FSS program helps Voucher program participants and public housing tenants obtain employment that will enable participating families to achieve economic independence.
 
The bill prescribes requirements for applications for FUP allocations.
 
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shall provide guidance to public child welfare agencies and public housing agencies (PHAs) to improve system coordination and implementation of assistance.
 
HUD may develop a program for incentive payments to PHAs that improve connections between FUP assistance recipients with FSS programs.
 
Part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants for FY2017-FY2025 to eligible applicants to cover up to 75% of the costs of supportive services, including case management services, for at least 12 months to recipients of FUP housing assistance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S8023)
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Head Start Improvement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2290
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Government studies and investigations
Preschool education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Head Start Improvement Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Head Start Act to replace the existing Head Start program with block grants to states and Indian tribes for prekindergarten (pre-K) education. 
 
Instead of providing direct financial assistance to Head Start agencies, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall allot block grant funds for pre-K education among eligible states and Indian tribes in accordance with their relative proportions of children, age five and younger, from low-income households. Grant recipients shall use the grant funds to: (1) award subgrants to eligible entities that provide pre-K education programs; (2) administer such programs; and (3) provide technical assistance, oversight, monitoring, research, and training.
 
Under current law, HHS is authorized to designate, monitor, and establish standards for Head Start agencies. The bill instead shifts pre-K program oversight and control to states and Indian tribes, which shall have full flexibility to use grant funds to finance the pre-K programs of their choice. In addition, grant recipients may use grant funds to establish portable voucher systems that allow costs to be paid for attendance at private pre-K education programs.
 
Under current law, federal financial assistance for a Head Start program is generally limited to 80% of total program costs. The bill maintains this limitation by requiring grant recipients to provide matching funds equal to 20% of the grant amount.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
VA Patient Protection Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2291
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Department of Veterans Affairs
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Evidence and witnesses
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government studies and investigations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

VA Patient Protection Act of 2015

 
 This bill establishes an additional method for filing whistle blower complaints in which a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee may file such complaints with his or her immediate and next-level supervisors, and ultimately with the VA after having properly filed a complaint at each supervisory level. 
 
If a supervisor makes a positive determination regarding such complaint the VA shall: (1) inform the employee of the ability to volunteer for a transfer, and (2) give preference to such transfer. 
 
The VA may not exempt any employee from such whistle blower coverage. 
 
The central whistle blower office shall be responsible for investigating all VA whistle blower complaints, regardless of whether such complaints are made by or against an employee who is not a Senior Executive Service member. 
 
The VA shall carry out specified adverse actions against a supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action relating to a whistle blower complaint. 
 
 A supervisor who commits a prohibited personnel action shall not be paid any award or bonus for a one-year period, and any award or bonus paid during that period shall be recouped.
 
VA employees shall receive annual whistle blower complaint training.
 
Congressional testimony by a VA employee in his or her official capacity shall be considered official duty, and the VA shall provide any such employee with travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, during the period when the employee is so testifying. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-18
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-252.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Retirement and Income Security Enhancements (RAISE) Act

Bill: 114-s-2293
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Employment taxes
Government trust funds
Higher education
Income tax rates
Railroads
Self-employed
Separation, divorce, custody, support
Social security and elderly assistance
Transportation employees
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Retirement and Income Security Enhancements (RAISE) Act

 
Amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act (SSA) to entitle divorced spouses to OASDI benefits after 5 (currently 10) years of marriage. Makes the monthly divorced spouse's benefits equal to one-half of the former spouse's primary insurance amount, reduced 10% for each year less than 10 the individual was married to the former spouse.
 
Revises the widow's or widower's insurance benefit for any month to equal the greater of: (1) the primary insurance amount of a deceased individual (as under current law); or (2) in the case of a fully-insured widow or surviving divorced spouse, 75% of the sum of any old-age or disability insurance benefit to which the widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse is entitled plus the primary insurance amount of the deceased individual.
 
Reduces a widow's or widower's insurance benefits for any month if that individual is also entitled to an old age or disability insurance benefit greater than the widow's or widower's insurance benefit. Sets the benefit in such a case at the level of the primary insurance amount of the deceased individual.
 
Amends SSA title II and the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to extend benefits for full-time students up to age 23 (currently age 19) who are enrolled at an educational institution.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an OASDI surtax of: (1) 2% on an employee's income over $400,000 and 2% on the employer, and (2) 4% on an individual's self-employment income over $400,000. Adjusts the $400,0000 threshold each year according to a specified indexing formula.
 
Amends the Railroad Retirement Act of 1974 to apply a similar 2% additional tier 1 tax on railroad employees earning over $400,000 as well as 2% on their railroad employers. Imposes a 4% additional tier 1 tax on representatives of railroad employees earning over $400,000. Specifies a formula to index the $400,000 annually after 2015.
 
Amends SSA title II to: (1) include 2% of the individual's surplus average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) in OASDI primary insurance amounts; and (2) prescribe a formula for computing an individual's surplus AIME that accounts for the total of the individual's additional wages paid in and additional self-employment income credited to the benefit computation year, up to $500,000, indexed after 2015 according to a specified formula.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
SCORE Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2294
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Congressional agencies
Economic performance and conditions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

SCORE Act of 2015 

 
This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a Regulatory Analysis Division within the Congressional Budget Office to assess the impact of economically significant rules.
 
The division must provide an economic analysis of proposed rules that: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of at least $100 million; or (2) adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate
Liberty Through Strength Act

Bill: 114-s-2295
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced: 2015-11-17 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Business records
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Government information and archives
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: 

Liberty Through Strength Act

 
This bill amends the USA FREEDOM Act of 2015 to postpone amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA) that: (1) require the Federal Bureau of Investigation to use specific selection terms when applying for FISA court orders requiring the production of business records or other tangible things for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information not concerning a U.S. person or to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities; (2) establish additional requirements for production on an ongoing basis of call detail records relating to an authorized investigation to protect against international terrorism; and (3) authorize the Department of Justice to require the emergency production of tangible things without first obtaining a court order. The bill postpones the effective date of these amendments, which are currently scheduled to take effect 180 days after the USA FREEDOM Act was enacted on June 2, 2015, to: (1) January 31, 2017; or (2) the date that the President certifies to Congress that such amendments will have no operational impacts on the intelligence community.
 
The bill also amends the USA PATRIOT Improvement and Reauthorization Act of 2005 and the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 to make permanent expiring FISA authorities concerning: (1) roving electronic surveillance orders, and (2) a revised definition of "agent of a foreign power" that includes any non-U.S. persons who engage in international terrorism or preparatory activities (commonly referred to as the "lone wolf" provision). 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-11-17
text: Introduced in Senate