hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Veterans Affairs Research Transparency Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-114
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs
Government information and archives
Health information and medical records
Medical research
Military personnel and dependents
Research administration and funding
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: 

Veterans Affairs Research Transparency Act of 2015
 
 
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available on a publicly-available Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website: (1) data files that contain information on VA research, (2) a data dictionary on each data file, and (3) instructions on how to obtain access to each data file for use in research.
 
Directs the Secretary, within 540 days after this Act's enactment, to require, as a condition on the use of any data gathered or formulated from research funded by VA, that any final, peer-reviewed manuscript prepared for publication that uses such data be submitted to the Secretary for deposit in a digital archive (established by the Secretary under this Act). Requires such archive to be publicly available.
 
Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive to submit to the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) options and recommendations for establishing a program of long-term cooperation and data-sharing between and within VA and DOD to facilitate research on outcomes of military service, readjustment after combat deployment, and other topics of importance to veterans, members of the Armed Forces (members), their families, and members of communities that have a significant population of veterans or members.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-03
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-201.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Transparency in Small Business Assistance Act

Bill: 114-s-115
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Business education
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Small Business Administration
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: 

Transparency in Small Business Assistance Act

 
 Directs the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to collect, for specified periods, information from small businesses that receive SBA assistance, including a loan, loan guarantee, grant, or counseling services.
 
Requires such information to include: (1) the operational status of the small business and, if it is no longer operational, the reason for closure; (2) the number of part- and full-time employees; and (3) the number of referrals that SBA makes to another federal assistance program if it is unable to provide assistance to the business.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Telephone Excise Tax Elimination Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-116
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Sales and excise taxes
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: 

Telephone Excise Tax Elimination Act of 2015

 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the excise tax on communication services (i.e., local telephone service, toll telephone service, and teletypewriter exchange service). 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-117
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-07 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Appropriations
Congressional oversight
Department of State
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Israel
Middle East
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: 

Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act of 2015 

 
 States that it is U.S. policy to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel. 
 
 Amends the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995 to eliminate the President's authority to waive certain funding limitations for Department of State acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
 
Requires any official U.S. document which lists countries and their capital cities to identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
 
Limits appropriations that may be obligated in FY2015 for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad until the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem has officially opened.
 
States that for each of FY2016-FY2017, of funds authorized to be appropriated for Department acquisition and maintenance of buildings abroad, necessary sums should be made available until expended only for construction and other costs associated with the establishment in Jerusalem of the U.S. Embassy in Israel.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Stopping Illegal Obamacare Subsidies Act

Bill: 114-s-118
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Comprehensive health care
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Income tax credits
Medicaid

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: 

Stopping Illegal Obamacare Subsidies Act 

 
 Prohibits American Health Benefit Exchanges from providing for automatic enrollment in health plans until the Inspector General (IG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) verifies that each state exchange and the federal exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) have resolved the inconsistencies outlined in the June 14 IG report.
 
Directs the Secretary of HHS to make public the steps that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the federal exchange will take to clear any inconsistencies that arose on or before the enactment of this Act and to ensure that the systems used by the CMS to determine or assess eligibility for premium tax credits, cost-sharing reductions, Medicaid under title XIX of the Social Security Act (SSAct), and the State Children's Health Insurance Program under SSAct title XXI can resolve such inconsistencies within 30 days after enactment of this Act.
 
Directs the Secretary to make public the methods that the CMS use to monitor, track, and measure the progress of the federal and state exchanges in resolving inconsistencies.
 
Suspends for plan year 2015 the availability of premium assistance tax credits and the reduced cost-sharing program under PPACA; and allows them to resume only after the Commissioner of the Social Security Administration declares affirmatively that all inconsistencies related to invalid Social Security numbers have been resolved, and the IG determines that this is so.
 
Directs the Secretary to request additional information from any applicant for a qualified health plan on a state or federal exchange whose information contains inconsistencies. Requires the applicant to: (1) be withdrawn from the premium assistance credit and reduced cost-sharing programs if the additional information is not provided within 90 days, and (2) re-enroll in a qualified health plan with appropriate and accurate information during the next open enrollment period.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Wounded Veterans Recreation Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-119
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Parks, recreation areas, trails
User charges and fees
Veterans' organizations and recognition

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Wounded Veterans Recreation Act of 2015

 
Amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to require the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to be made available at no charge to, and for the lifetime of, any veteran with a service-connected disability. (The Pass is currently made available at no charge to, and for the lifetime of, any U.S. citizen or person domiciled in the United States who has been medically determined to be permanently disabled.)
 
Requires the entrance fees charged those who do not have a free National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass to be adjusted to maintain total receipts.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-17
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 114-496.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to authorize the Central Everglades Planning Project, Florida.

Bill: 114-s-120
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Aquatic ecology
Everglades
Florida
Water quality
Water resources funding
Water use and supply
Wetlands

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Army to carry out the project for environmental restoration, CERP, Central Everglades Planning Project, Florida, in accordance with the plans and subject to the conditions recommended in the final report of the Chief of Engineers signed on December 23, 2014. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Obamacare Opt-Out Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-121
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Comprehensive health care
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Obamacare Opt-Out Act of 2015

 
Exempts from the minimum essential coverage requirements under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act individuals who request an exemption through a health care marketplace or on their federal income tax return.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-122
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 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: 2015-01-08
text: 

Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2015

 
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to promulgate regulations within 180 days permitting individuals to import 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.
 
 
 Sets forth exceptions, including for controlled substances and biological products.
 
 Establishes a certification process for approving Canadian pharmacies. Requires HHS to publish a list of approved Canadian pharmacies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act

Bill: 114-s-123
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Comprehensive health care
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Obamacare Taxpayer Bailout Prevention Act 

 
Repeals the provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and administer a program of risk corridors for calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 under which a qualified health plan offered in the individual or small group market is required to participate in a payment adjustment system based on the ratio of the allowable costs of the plan to the plan's aggregate premiums.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to deauthorize the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area Critical Restoration Project.

Bill: 114-s-124
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Florida
Water quality
Water resources funding
Water storage

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 
Amends the Water Resources Development Act of 1996 to deauthorize the Ten Mile Creek Water Preserve Area Critical Restoration Project upon execution of a transfer agreement between the Secretary of the Army and the South Florida Water Management District, under which the District shall operate the transferred project as an environmental restoration project to provide water storage and water treatment options.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to provide a permanent deduction for State and local general sales taxes.

Bill: 114-s-126
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax deductions
Sales and excise taxes
State and local taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the taxpayer election to deduct state and local general sales taxes in lieu of state and local income taxes. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act

Bill: 114-s-127
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act 

 
 Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) from providing a grant or any funds to a state, county, town, township, Indian tribe, municipality, or other local government for any program to: (1) check motorcycle helmet use, or (2) create motorcycle checkpoints that specifically target motorcycle operators or motorcycle passengers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
IDEA Full Funding Act

Bill: 114-s-130
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Special education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

IDEA Full Funding Act

 
Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities.
 
Sets the amount authorized each fiscal year at a percentage of the maximum amount of the grants all states may receive for special education. Increases that percentage each fiscal year from FY2016-FY2025, until it reaches 100% in FY2025 and each succeeding fiscal year.
 
Sets the appropriation for each fiscal year as an amount equal to the difference between the amount of such percentage that is applicable that fiscal year and a specified amount.
 
Makes funds appropriated for a fiscal year available for obligation on July 1 of such fiscal year through September 30 of the succeeding year.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
FAIR Generics Act

Bill: 114-s-131
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Government information and archives
Intellectual property
Marketing and advertising
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Fair And Immediate Release of Generic Drugs Act or the FAIR Generics Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) to disqualify from being a &ldquo;first applicant&rdquo; an applicant submitting an abbreviated new drug application (for a generic drug) to the Food and Drug Administration that has entered into a specified agreement. Currently, any generic drug applicant submitting an application on the first day an application is submitted for that drug is a &ldquo;first applicant&rdquo; and is granted a 180-day marketing exclusivity period.
 
An agreement that disqualifies a generic drug applicant from being a first applicant is an agreement between the applicant and the holder of the application or a patent for the brand name drug whereby the applicant agrees not to seek approval or begin marketing the generic drug until the expiration of the exclusivity period awarded to another applicant. 
 
&ldquo;First applicant&rdquo; is expanded to include applicants that did not submit an application on the first day an application was submitted. These first applicants must not have a patent infringement action pending against them and must not have been found to have infringed a patent. If an applicant that submitted an application on the first day an application was submitted has begun marketing the drug, a first applicant that submitted after the first day cannot begin marketing until 30 days after the first day applicant began marketing.
 
A first applicant that has entered into an agreement not to seek approval of an application or begin marketing at the earliest possible date cannot seek approval or begin marketing until the earlier of: (1) the latest date set forth in the agreement, or (2) 180 days after a first day applicant begins marketing.
 An action for infringement of a drug patent must be brought within the 45-day period described in FFDCA.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-132
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Congressional oversight
Dams and canals
Ecology
Electric power generation and transmission
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Fishes
Forests, forestry, trees
Government studies and investigations
Indian lands and resources rights
Lakes and rivers
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Licensing and registrations
Oregon
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Railroads
Water storage
Water use and supply
Watersheds
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 
Oregon and California Land Grant Act of 2015 - Amends the O&C Lands Act of 1937 to establish uses and management requirements for the Oregon and California Railroad and Coos Bay Wagon Road grant land and other Oregon land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Forest Service, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Designates separate portions of the land for conservation and timber harvesting. 
 
Specifies requirements for managing the land, including: prohibiting the harvesting of trees of a specified age in certain areas, stating that Oregon retains jurisdiction over fish and wildlife, restricting the use of pesticides, and authorizing treatment of hazardous fuels on adjacent private lands.
 
Directs the Department of the Interior to identify projects proposed under this Act, assess implementation, and complete other specified reports and analyses. 
 
Establishes requirements for timber harvests on designated lands, including calculating projected harvests, restricting roads, harvesting timber to reduce the likelihood of wildfires, and prioritizing treatments near communities. 
 
Designates lands for conservation purposes and establishes requirements for management, including restricting timber harvesting, motorized vehicles, and roads. 
 
Sets forth procedures for administrative and judicial review of projects under this Act. Specifies a formula for sharing receipts generated on land between the U.S. Treasury, the BLM, and counties. 
 
Transfers specified BLM-administered lands to be held in trust as reservations for the Confederated Tribes of Coos, Lower Umpqua, and Siuslaw Indians; and the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians. 
 
Establishes and modifies specified wilderness areas and designations under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-07-16
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 114-400.
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S101-102)
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-134
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Horticulture and plants
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: 

Industrial Hemp Farming Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Controlled Substances Act to exclude industrial hemp from the definition of "marihuana." Defines "industrial hemp" to mean the plant Cannabis sativa L. and any part of such plant, whether growing or not, with a delta-nine tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. Deems Cannabis sativa L. to meet that concentration limit if a person grows or processes it for purposes of making industrial hemp in accordance with state law, unless the Attorney General determines that the state law is not reasonably calculated to comply with such definition.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S102; text of measure as introduced: CR S102)
action_date: 2015-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate