hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to repeal the provision of law that provides automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.

Bill: 114-s-17
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Inflation and prices
Members of Congress

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 
Amends the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 to eliminate automatic pay adjustments for Members of Congress.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit authorized committees and leadership PACs from employing the spouse or immediate family members of any candidate or Federal office holder connected to the committee.

Bill: 114-s-18
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional elections
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Members of Congress
Public participation and lobbying

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 
Amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit any authorized committee of a candidate or any other political committee established, maintained, or controlled by a candidate or person who holds a federal office from employing the spouse or any immediate family member of such candidate or federal office holder.
 
Amends the federal criminal code to subject to specified criminal and civil penalties any spouse of a Member of Congress who: (1) was not a registered lobbyist at least one year before the Member's election to Congress; and (2) knowingly lobbies, after the election of such Member, any Member on behalf of a client for compensation or is associated with any such lobbying activity by his or her employer.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Debt Management Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-19
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Congressional oversight
Employee benefits and pensions
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government trust funds

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Federal Debt Management Act of 2015 

 
Limits the Department of the Treasury's authority to manage the debt of the United States by using extraordinary measures to prevent the public debt limit from being exceeded. 
 
Limits Treasury's authority to suspend the investing of amounts or the issuance of obligations for the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund, the Thrift Savings Fund, the Exchange Stabilization Fund, or any other fund or account for the purposes of preventing the public debt of the United States from exceeding the public debt limit. 
 
Requires Treasury to submit to Congress additional information regarding the Daily Treasury Statement, including: (1) all cash flow and debt transaction information used in preparing the Daily Treasury Statement, and (2) forecasts for the cash flow and debt transactions of the federal government. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Social Security Lock-Box Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-20
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Budget process
Government trust funds
Legislative rules and procedure
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Social Security Lock-Box Act of 2015 

 
 Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to provide a point of order against consideration of any: (1) budget resolution that sets forth totals for any fiscal year with respect to the Social Security Trust Funds that are less than the totals of the Social Security Trust Funds for that fiscal year as calculated in accordance with a current services baseline, or (2) spending or tax legislation that would cause any totals to be less than the Funds totals for the covered fiscal year.
 
Makes the point of order described in (2) above inapplicable to Social Security reform legislation. 
 
Requires any federal budget submitted by the President that recommends totals for any fiscal year with respect to the Funds that are less than the totals of the Funds for that fiscal year to include a detailed proposal for Social Security reform legislation. Makes this Act inapplicable upon the enactment of such legislation. Defines "Social Security reform legislation" as a bill or joint resolution to save Social Security that specifies that it constitutes reform legislation. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Local Disaster Contracting Fairness Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-21
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Natural disasters
Public contracts and procurement
Solid waste and recycling

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Local Disaster Contracting Fairness Act of 2015

 
 Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into an agreement for debris removal or demolition services in connection with natural disaster reconstruction efforts unless the agreement specifies that: (1) all of the work under the contract will be performed by the prime contractor or one or more subcontractors at one tier under the contract; (2) any work performed under the contract by subcontractors will be performed by local subcontractors, except to the extent that local subcontractors are not available to perform any such work; (3) the prime contractor will act as the project manager or construction manager for the contract; and (4) the prime contractor has primary responsibility for managing all work under the contract and will be paid a certain percentage of the overall value of the contract as sole compensation for assuming the risk associated with such responsibility. 
 
Requires the agency head, in entering into an agreement for debris removal or demolition services in connection with natural disaster reconstruction efforts, to give preference in the source selection process to each offeror who certifies that any work that is to be performed under the contract by subcontractors will be performed by local subcontractors. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill for the relief of Alemseghed Mussie Tesfamical.

Bill: 114-s-22
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Subjects: Private Legislation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Provides for the relief of Alemseghed Mussie Tesfamical.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Copyright and Marriage Equality Act

Bill: 114-s-23
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Art, artists, authorship
Intellectual property
Intergovernmental relations
Marriage and family status
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Copyright and Marriage Equality Act 

 
Amends federal copyright law to revise the definition of "widow" or "widower" for purposes of provisions concerning the transfer of a copyright to an author's spouse or other next of kin following the author's death. Declares that an individual is the widow or widower of an author if the courts of the state in which the individual and the author were married (or, if the individual and the author were not married in any state but were validly married in another jurisdiction, the courts of any state) would find that the individual and the author were validly married at the time of the author's death. (Currently, only the author's surviving spouse under the law of the author's domicile at the time of death is considered a widow.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S12-13; text of measure as introduced: CR S13)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Due Process Guarantee Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-24
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Detention of persons
Due process and equal protection
Immigration status and procedures
Military operations and strategy
War and emergency powers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Due Process Guarantee Act of 2015

 
Amends the federal criminal code to expand provisions prohibiting the United States from imprisoning or otherwise detaining a citizen except pursuant to an Act of Congress, to: (1) prohibit such imprisonment or detention of a U.S. citizen or a lawful permanent resident except consistent with the Constitution and pursuant to an Act of Congress that expressly authorizes such imprisonment or detention; and (2) prohibit construing a general authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority, on its own, to authorize the imprisonment or detention without charge or trial of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident apprehended in the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S13-14)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
American Jobs Matter Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-26
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Military procurement, research, weapons development
Public contracts and procurement
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

American Jobs Matter Act of 2015

 
Requires an executive agency to include the effects on employment within the United States (a jobs impact statement) in the evaluation factors that must be considered in each solicitation for competitive proposals for contracts in excess of $1 million for the procurement of: (1) manufactured goods, (2) goods or services listed in a required report of industrial base capabilities, or (3) any item procured as part of a major defense acquisition program. 
 
Allows an offeror's jobs impact statement to include a guarantee that jobs created or retained in the United States will not be moved outside the United States after award of the contract unless doing so is required to provide the goods or services stipulated in the contract or is in the best interest of the federal government. 
 
Requires each agency to: (1) assess, annually, the accuracy of such a statement submitted by an offeror awarded a contract; and (2) track the number of jobs created or retained during the performance of such contract. Allows the agency, if the number of jobs created or retained falls short of agency estimates, to consider this as a factor that affects a contractor's past performance in the award of future contracts. 
 
Requires: (1) the Secretary of Defense to report annually on the frequency of use within the Department of Defense of jobs impact statements in the evaluation of competitive proposals, and (2) revision of the Department of Defense Supplement to the Federal Acquisition Regulation to implement this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-27
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Currency
Organized crime
Smuggling and trafficking
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Wildlife Trafficking Enforcement Act of 2015

 
This bill applies provisions of the federal criminal code concerning money laundering and racketeering to wildlife trafficking violations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, the African Elephant Conservation Act, and the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, if the endangered or threatened species of fish or wildlife, products, items, or substances involved in the violation and relevant conduct have a total value of more than $10,000. Violators would be subject to increased fines and years of imprisonment.
 
The amounts generated from penalties for those wildlife violations must be used for the benefit and conservation of impacted species.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S14-15)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-28
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Arms control and nonproliferation
Congressional oversight
Defense spending
Military operations and strategy

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Cluster Munitions Civilian Protection Act of 2015

 
Places restrictions on the use of cluster munitions. 
 
Directs the President, within 90 days after the use of such munitions, to submit to Congress a plan for cleaning up any such munitions or submunitions which fail to explode and continue to pose a hazard to civilians.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S15-16)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Respect for Marriage Act

Bill: 114-s-29
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Intergovernmental relations
Judicial procedure and administration
Marriage and family status
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Respect for Marriage Act

 
Amends the Defense of Marriage Act to repeal a provision that prohibited a state, territory, possession, or Indian tribe from being required to recognize any public act, record, or judicial proceeding of any other state, territory, possession, or tribe respecting a same sex marriage.
 
Amends the federal rules of construction added by such Act concerning the definitions of &quot;marriage&quot; and &quot;spouse&quot; to provide that, for purposes of any federal law in which marital status is a factor, an individual shall be considered married if that individual's marriage is valid in the state where the marriage was entered into or, in the case of a marriage entered into outside any state, if the marriage is valid in the place where entered into and the marriage could have been entered into in a state. Removes the definition of &quot;spouse&quot; (currently, a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S16-17)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Forty Hours Is Full Time Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-30
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Sales and excise taxes

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Forty Hours is Full Time Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the employer mandate to provide health care coverage, to: (1) modify the formula for calculating the number of full-time employees employed by an applicable large employer subject to the mandate; and (2) define a &quot;full-time employee&quot; as an employee who is employed on average at least 40 hours per week (currently, 30 hours).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S17-18)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-31
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Inflation and prices
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2015

 
 Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate with pharmaceutical manufacturers the prices that may be charged to Medicare part D prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors and MedicareAdvantage (MA) organizations for covered part D drugs for part D eligible individuals who are enrolled under a PDP or under an MA-Prescription Drug plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act

Bill: 114-s-33
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Business records
Civil actions and liability
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Government information and archives
Judicial review and appeals
Licensing and registrations
Marine and inland water transportation
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

LNG Permitting Certainty and Transparency Act

 
Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE), for proposals that must also obtain authorization from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission or the United States Maritime Administration to site, construct, expand, or operate liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities, to issue a decision on an application for authorization to export natural gas within 45 days after the later of: (1) the conclusion of the review to site, construct, expand, or operate the LNG facilities required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA); or (2) the date of enactment of this Act.
 
Deems a NEPA review to be concluded when the lead agency: (1) publishes an Environmental Impact Statement if the project requires one; (2) publishes a Finding of No Significant Impact if the project needs an Environmental Assessment; or (3) determines that an application is eligible for a categorical exclusion pursuant to NEPA regulations.
 
(A &quot;categorical exclusion&quot; under NEPA is a category of actions which do not individually or cumulatively have a significant effect on the human environment and which have been found to have no such effect in procedures adopted by a federal agency in implementing environmental regulations and for which, therefore, neither an Environmental Assessment nor an Environmental Impact Statement is required.) 
Confers upon either the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit or the circuit in which the export facility will be located original and exclusive jurisdiction over any civil action for the review of: (1) a DOE order regarding the application; or (2) DOE failure to issue a final decision on the application. 
 
Requires the Court, if it finds in a civil action that DOE has failed to issue a final decision on an application, to order DOE to issue a decision within 30 days.
 
Requires the Court to set any civil action brought under this Act on the docket, for expedited consideration, as soon as practical after the filing date of the initial pleading.
 
Amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Secretary, in the case of any LNG export authorization, to require the applicant to report to DOE, according to specified timelines, the names of the one or more countries of destination to which the exported LNG is delivered.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-29
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-9.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-34
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign loans and debt
International law and treaties
International organizations and cooperation
Middle East
Palestinians

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Defend Israel by Defunding Palestinian Foreign Aid Act of 2015

 
This bill prohibits any amounts from being obligated or expended to provide assistance, loan guarantees, or debt relief to the Palestinian Authority (PA), or any affiliated governing entity, until the PA withdraws its request to join the International Criminal Court. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Our Youth from Dangerous Synthetic Drugs Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-36
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-01-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Executive agency funding and structure
Trade restrictions
U.S. Sentencing Commission

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: 

Protecting Our Youth from Dangerous Synthetic Drugs Act of 2015

 
Amends the Controlled Substances Act to include in the definition of a "controlled substance analogue" a substance designated as such by the Controlled Substance Analogue Committee (established by this Act).
 
Directs the Attorney General to establish such Committee as an interagency committee headed by the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and comprised of scientific experts in the fields of chemistry and pharmacology from DEA, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and any other federal agency determined by the Attorney General to be appropriate. 
 
 Requires the Committee to designate, and establish and maintain a list of, controlled substance analogues determined to be similar to a schedule I or II controlled substance in either chemical structure or predictive effect on the body in such a manner as to make it likely that the substance will, or can be reasonably expected to, have a potential for abuse. Directs the Administrator to publish a description of each designation made by the Committee.
 
Amends the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to prohibit the importation of any controlled substance analogue except pursuant to such notification or declaration as the Attorney General may prescribe.
 
Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and, if appropriate, amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements to ensure that they provide adequate penalties for any offense involving the unlawful manufacturing, importing, exporting, or trafficking of controlled substance analogues and similar offenses.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S19)
action_date: 2015-01-06
text: Introduced in Senate