hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
21st Century Buy American Act

Bill: 114-s-2167
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Buy American requirements
Department of Transportation
Economic performance and conditions
Executive agency funding and structure
Government lending and loan guarantees
Manufacturing
Metals
Military procurement, research, weapons development
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Public contracts and procurement
Public transit
Railroads
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Water quality

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

21st Century Buy American Act

 
This bill amends the Buy American Act to define the term "substantially all" to mean that articles, materials, or supplies shall be treated as made substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States if the cost of the domestic components of such articles, materials, or supplies exceeds 60% of the total cost of all such components.
 
The bill prohibits the use of the overseas exception to Buy American requirements unless one of the following criteria is met: (1) the articles, materials, or supplies are needed urgently for national security reasons; or (2) a cost analysis demonstrates that the articles, materials, or supplies to be acquired would be more than 50% more expensive if made in the United States.
 
The bill requires the head of a federal agency, in determining whether to apply the public interest exception to Buy American requirements, to: (1) consider the short-term and long-term effects on employment in the United States, and (2) determine that preserving or increasing employment in the United States is consistent with the public interest.
 
The bill requires each federal agency that applies an exception or grants a waiver to Buy American requirements to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a notification of such exception or waiver and post such notification on the OMB website. 
 
The bill: (1) authorizes the Department of Defense to establish and carry out a program to make or guarantee loans to certain business entities, up to $500,000 per entity, under the Defense Production Act; and (2) sets forth eligibility requirements for such entities, including requirements that such an entity is a manufacturer in the United States, is certified as eligible to apply for trade adjustment assistance, and meets criteria relating to the availability of an item. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2168
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Child safety and welfare
Community life and organization
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Justice
Detention of persons
Due process and equal protection
Elementary and secondary education
Employee hiring
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Juvenile crime and gang violence
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Mental health
Monuments and memorials
Pedestrians and bicycling
Performance measurement
Racial and ethnic relations
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2015

 
This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to analyze existing law enforcement accreditation standards, recommend additional areas for the development of national standards, recommend the adoption of additional standards, and adopt policies and procedures to encourage accreditation of law enforcement agencies. It authorizes DOJ to make grants to federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to obtain accreditation from certified organizations. 
 
The legislation authorizes DOJ to make grants to state, local, or tribal governments, public and private entities, or consortia to study law enforcement agency management and operations standards and to develop pilot programs to address law enforcement misconduct. 
 
DOJ must study the prevalence and effect of any law, rule, or procedure that allows a law enforcement officer to delay the investigation and prosecution of law enforcement misconduct. 
 
The legislation establishes the Task Force on Law Enforcement Oversight within DOJ to coordinate the detection and referral of complaints of alleged law enforcement misconduct.
 
Law enforcement agencies must report data regarding practices on traffic violation stops, pedestrian stops, frisk and body searches, and use of deadly force. Data must include the number of incidents of each practice broken down by race, ethnicity, age, and gender of the officers, employees, and members of the public involved in the practice.
 
DOJ must create a medallion for distribution to survivors of each law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty and memorialized on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 54, United States Code, to extend the Land and Water Conservation Fund.

Bill: 114-s-2169
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land use and conservation
Outdoor recreation
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 
This bill extends the authorization for the Land and Water Conservation Fund through December 11, 2015. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-19
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 271.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
VETS Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2170
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health personnel
Health technology, devices, supplies
Licensing and registrations
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Veterans E-Health & Telemedicine Support Act of 2015 or VETS Act of 2015

 
Allows a health care professional who is authorized to provide health care through the Department of Veterans Affairs and who is licensed, registered, or certified in a state to practice his or her profession at any location in any state, regardless of where the professional or patient is located, if the professional is using telemedicine to provide treatment. 
 
Allows such treatment regardless of whether the professional or patient is located in a federally-owned facility. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-18
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-252.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act

Bill: 114-s-2172
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Consumer affairs
Disability and health-based discrimination
Health care costs and insurance
Insurance industry and regulation
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that federal requirements that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) review unreasonable premium increases in health care coverage do not prohibit a state from imposing additional rate requirements on health insurance issuers that are more protective of consumers. The review is expanded to include all rate increases, not only premium increases.
 
HHS or the relevant state insurance commissioner or state regulator must ensure that any excessive, unjustified, or unfairly discriminatory rates are corrected before, or as soon as possible after, implementation, including through mechanisms such as denying rates, modifying rates, or requiring rebates to consumers. HHS may apply civil monetary penalties to health insurance issuers that fail to comply with a corrective action taken by HHS and may make the plan involved ineligible for classification as a qualified health plan.
 
HHS must determine whether HHS or the state insurance commissioner or regulator will undertake such corrective actions based on whether the state can adequately undertake the actions.
 
 This Act applies to health plans grandfathered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7275)
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2173
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare
Mental health
Nursing
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2015

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) increase the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services, (2) exclude clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare, and (3) alter the definition of &quot;clinical social worker services&quot; as it relates to Medicare.
 
Under current law, &quot;clinical social worker services&quot;: (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Creating Quality Technical Educators Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2174
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Creating Quality Technical Educators Act of 2015

 
This bill amends title II (Teacher Quality Enhancement) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants under the Teacher Quality Partnership grant program to be used for secondary school career and technical education teacher preparation programs. The grant program provides funds to partnerships of high-need local educational agencies, high-need schools or early education programs, and institutions of higher education (IHEs) to train current and prospective teachers and school leaders.
 
The bill requires the career and technical education teacher preparation programs to:
 
 
be available to mid-career professionals or recent graduates of an IHE who have expertise in a program area in which there is a career and technical education teacher shortage;
 
allow individuals to obtain initial licensure and the basic skills required for entry into the education profession, with the option of earning a bachelor's or master's degree; and
 
allow teachers who do not have subject matter expertise in a career and technical education field that is in demand in the local or regional economy to receive the technical skills training they need to teach those skills in a classroom setting.
 
 
It directs the Department of Education to establish performance measures for the career and technical education teacher preparation programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7275-7276)
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Equity Act

Bill: 114-s-2175
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Health personnel
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Department of Veterans Affairs Provider Equity Act

 
This bill includes podiatrists within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) definition of physician, and increases their pay grade to match other VA physician compensation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Affordable College Textbook Act

Bill: 114-s-2176
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Books and print media
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Higher education
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
School administration
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Affordable College Textbook Act

 
This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to make competitive grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to support pilot programs that expand the use of open textbooks in order to achieve savings for students. 
 
It requires the full and complete digital content of the educational resources created or adopted using grant funds to be made available free of charge to the public: (1) on an easily accessible and interoperable website; and (2) in a machine readable, digital format that anyone can directly download, edit with attribution, and redistribute.
 
ED must give special consideration to grant applicants that demonstrate the greatest potential to: 
 
 
 achieve the highest level of savings for students;
 
 expand the use of open textbooks at other IHEs; and 
 
 produce open textbooks that are of the highest quality, that can be most easily utilized and adapted by faculty members, that correspond to the highest enrollment courses, and that are created or adopted in partnership with entities that will assist in their marketing and distribution.
 
 
The bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include any educational material developed to accompany a college textbook as supplemental material that is subject to college textbook information disclosure requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S7276-7277)
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Medgar Evers House Study Act

Bill: 114-s-2177
Sponsor: Sen. Cochran, Thad [R-MS]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Government studies and investigations
Historic sites and heritage areas
Mississippi
Racial and ethnic relations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Medgar Evers House Study Act

 
 Directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the home of the late civil rights activist Medgar Evers, which is located at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. 
 
Requires Interior to: (1) evaluate the national significance of the site, and (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System. 

action_date: 2016-09-06
text: 
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
 

Medgar Evers House Study Act

 
(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of the home of the late civil rights activist Medgar Evers, which is located at 2332 Margaret Walker Alexander Drive in Jackson, Mississippi. 
 
 Interior shall: (1) evaluate the national significance of the site, and (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating it as a unit of the National Park System. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-06
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 597.
action_date: 2016-09-06
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 114-324.
action_date: 2016-09-06
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Murkowski without amendment. With written report No. 114-324.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
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: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-2178
Sponsor: Sen. Boozman, John [R-AR]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Capital gains tax
Forests, forestry, trees
Income tax rates

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the reduced tax rate on the net timber gains of corporations, to: (1) adjust the formula for calculating such rate, and (2) make such reduced rate permanent. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Veteran CARE Act

Bill: 114-s-2179
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Veterans Affairs
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Hospital care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medicaid
Medicare
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Veteran Care Agreements Rule Enhancement Act or Veteran CARE Act

 
This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), if unable to furnish hospital care, medical services, or extended care at VA facilities or under other authorized contracts or sharing agreements, to enter into a Veterans Care Agreement with an eligible provider to furnish such care and services.
 
The VA shall review agreements exceeding $1 million annually at least once every two years.
 
The VA shall establish a process for the certification of eligible providers.
 
An eligible provider is: 
 
 
a physician or provider of services that has entered into a provider agreement under the Social Security Act; 
 
a provider of items and services receiving payments under a state Medicaid plan; 
 
an aging and disability resource center, an area agency on aging, or a center for independent living; or
 
any other health care provider the VA considers appropriate.
 
 
The VA shall establish a system or systems to monitor the quality of care and services furnished to veterans, which shall be used in assessing whether to renew an agreement. 
 
An agreement may be made with a health care provider to provide veterans with nursing home care.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act

Bill: 114-s-2180
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2015-10-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Age discrimination
Civil actions and liability
Disability and health-based discrimination
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Evidence and witnesses
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Racial and ethnic relations
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: 

Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act 

 
This bill amends the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 to specify that an unlawful employment practice is established when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in investigations, proceedings, or litigation under such Act was a motivating factor for any unlawful employment practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as "mixed motive" claims).
 
The bill: (1) permits a complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred; and (2) declares that a complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of a practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court decision in 
Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc.
, which requires a complainant to prove that age was the "but-for" cause for the employer's decision).
 
The bill: (1) authorizes a court, in a claim in which an individual demonstrates that age was a motivating factor for any employment practice and in which a respondent demonstrates that the same action would have been taken in the absence of the impermissible motivating factor, to grant declaratory relief, injunctive relief, and attorney's fees and costs directly attributable only to the pursuit of a claim; and (2) prohibits a court in such an instance from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment.
 
The bill applies the same standard of proof to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and similar laws concerning federal employees.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-10-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Default Prevention Act

Bill: 114-s-2181
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-10-19 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Medicare
Military personnel and dependents
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2015-10-19
text: 

Default Prevention Act 

 
This bill requires the following obligations to be granted priority over all other U.S. obligations if the public debt reaches the statutory limit: 
 
 
 principal and interest on debt held by the public; 
 
compensations, allowances, and benefits for members of the Armed Forces on active duty; 
 
Social Security benefits; and 
 
Medicare benefits. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-10-20
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 273.
action_date: 2015-10-19
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2015-10-19
text: Introduced in Senate