hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Employee Benefits Protection Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1856
Sponsor: Rep. Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [D-NY-25]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Corporate finance and management
Employee benefits and pensions
Evidence and witnesses
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Judicial procedure and administration
Labor-management relations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Employee Benefits Protection Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require the mandatory summary description of a group health plan to declare: (1) whether the plan permits either the plan sponsor or any participating employer to unilaterally modify or terminate plan benefits affecting employees, retirees, and beneficiaries; and (2) when and to what extent plan benefits are fully vested with respect to these individuals.
 
Presumes that retiree health benefits cannot be modified or terminated as of the date an employee retires or completes 20 years of service with the employer. Allows this presumption to be overcome only upon a showing, by clear and convincing evidence, that the employee, before becoming a plan participant, was made aware, in clear and unambiguous terms, that the plan allowed for such a modification or termination of benefits.
 
Amends the National Labor Relations Act to make it an unfair labor practice for a labor organization and employer to enter into a contract or agreement to modify a previous agreement in a manner that results in a reduction or termination of retiree health insurance benefits, if the modification occurs after the retiree's retirement date. 
 
Directs the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on strategies used by corporations to avoid obligations to pay promised employee and retiree benefits.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Major Dominic S. Gentile of the United States Army Air Forces for acts of valor during World War II.

Bill: 114-hr-1857
Sponsor: Rep. Beatty, Joyce [D-OH-3]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Congressional tributes
Europe
Military personnel and dependents
Veterans' organizations and recognition

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 
This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to former Major Dominic S. Gentile, U.S. Army Air Forces, for acts of valor as a pilot during World War II.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-08-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Military Personnel.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Crime Gun Tracing Act

Bill: 114-hr-1858
Sponsor: Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Firearms and explosives
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Crime Gun Tracing Act

 
 Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to direct the Attorney General, in awarding public safety and community policing (COPS ON THE BEAT) grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant that has reported all firearms recovered during the previous 12 months at a crime scene or during the course of a criminal investigation to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, or to a state agency that reports such firearms to the Bureau, for the purpose of tracing.
 
Requires each application for a COPS grant to specify: (1) whether the applicant recovered any firearms at a crime scene or during the course of a criminal investigation during the 12 months before the submission of the application; (2) the number of such firearms recovered; (3) the number of such firearms reported to the Bureau, or to a state agency that reports such firearms to the Bureau, for tracing; and (4) the reason why any such firearms were not so reported.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1859
Sponsor: Rep. Collins, Chris [R-NY-27]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Medical education
Mental health
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Ensuring Children&rsquo;s Access to Specialty Care Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to include pediatric subspecialties in primary health services for purposes of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Psychiatrists who are pediatric subspecialists are included in behavioral and mental health professionals. (These amendments make pediatric subspecialists, including psychiatrists, eligible for the NHSC fellowship program for the delivery of primary health services in health professional shortage areas, the NHSC Scholarship Program, and the NHSC Loan Repayment Program.)
 &ldquo;Health professional shortage area&rdquo; can mean an underserved population of children and adolescents.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Equalizing Transparency for Veterans Act

Bill: 114-hr-1860
Sponsor: Rep. Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [R-LA-3]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Equalizing Transparency for Veterans Act

 
Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to biennially publish information on the VA's provision of health care on a VA Internet database that is publicly available.
 
Includes among that information for each VA medical facility:
 
 
quality measures regarding inpatient and outpatient care that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) is required to make publicly available under the Medicare program;
 
the average length of stay, opioid prescription rate, and suicide rate for patients discharged from the facility; and
 
the average number of days a patient waited for an appointment or procedure at such facility.
 
 
Includes in such information for each VA nursing home any quality measures the Secretary of HHS makes publicly available regarding Medicare nursing homes.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a process to validate the published information.
 
Requires the Secretary to annually submit a plan to Congress to improve each VA medical facility that ranks within the bottom quartile on each quality measure used by the Secretary to rank such facilities.
 
Directs the Secretary to establish a toll-free telephone number for individuals to use to notify the Secretary of low-quality care being provided at a VA medical facility.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act

Bill: 114-hr-1861
Sponsor: Rep. Sensenbrenner, F. James, Jr. [R-WI-5]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Stop Motorcycle Checkpoint Funding Act 

 
 Prohibits the Secretary of Transportation from providing grants or funds to a state, county, town, or township, Indian tribe, municipal, or other local government for use in any program to check helmet usage or create checkpoints for a motorcycle driver or passenger. 
 
Repeals the authority of the Secretary to make grants to states that have a law which makes it unlawful for any individual on an operating motorcycle to be without a motorcycle helmet.
 
Revises grant eligibility requirements to eliminate the requirement that states achieve a certain rate of compliance with such law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Veterans' Credit Protection Act

Bill: 114-hr-1862
Sponsor: Rep. Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [R-LA-3]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Consumer credit
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Hospital care
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Veterans' Credit Protection Act

 
 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) conduct outreach to inform veterans of how to resolve credit issues caused by a delayed payment of a claim for emergency hospital care, medical services, or other emergency health care furnished through a non-VA provider; and (2) establish a toll-free telephone number for veterans to report such issues to the Chief Business Office of the VA.
 
Requires the VA to report annually on the effectiveness of such Office in providing timely payment of proper invoices for emergency hospital care, medical services, or other emergency health care furnished through non-VA providers by the required payment date during both the preceding five-year period and the preceding one-year period. Requires the report, for any part of the period covered by such a report that occurred before October 1, 2014, to evaluate the provision of such payments by the Veterans Integrated Service Networks.
 
 Requires such report to include: 
 
 
the number of veterans who contacted the VA regarding delayed payments that could negatively affect their credit;
 
the total amount of interest penalties paid by the VA by reason of delayed payments;
 
the number of proper invoices submitted, the amount owed for and the payment status of such invoices, and the periods that elapsed before such invoices were paid;
 
any comments regarding delayed payments made by medical providers; and 
 
a description of the best practices to provide timely payment of a proper invoice, including a plan to improve such timely payments.
 
 
Directs: (1) the Office to submit to Congress quarterly reports on the number of pending claims for reimbursement for emergency hospital care, medical services, and other emergency health care furnished through non-VA providers; and (2) the Comptroller General to conduct a study that evaluates the effectiveness of the Office in providing timely payment of a proper invoice for such care by the required payment date.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-07-22
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2015-07-22
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2015-07-14
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Local Care for Veterans Act

Bill: 114-hr-1863
Sponsor: Rep. Boustany, Charles W., Jr. [R-LA-3]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Health care quality
Health facilities and institutions
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Local Care for Veterans Act 

 
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure that a veteran may elect to receive health care treatment and services in a qualifying non-VA facility if: (1) the veteran is enrolled in the VA health care system and resides not more than 50 miles from the nearest VA facility that the Secretary has identified in a prospectus level lease request as being deficient with respect to providing certain treatment or services or as needing expansion; and (2) the Secretary determines that such deficiency has not been resolved or such expansion has not occurred.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
To direct the Secretary of Defense to designate a single senior official of the Department of Defense to procure wideband satellite communications necessary to meet the requirements of the Department of Defense, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-hr-1864
Sponsor: Rep. Bridenstine, Jim [R-OK-1]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Military procurement, research, weapons development
Spacecraft and satellites

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 
This bill directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to: (1) designate a senior DOD official to procure wide band satellite communications necessary to meet DOD requirements, including those for military and commercial satellite communications; and (2) submit to the congressional defense committees a plan to meet such requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-08-13
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Central Coast Heritage Protection Act

Bill: 114-hr-1865
Sponsor: Rep. Capps, Lois [D-CA-24]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: California
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Government studies and investigations
Indian lands and resources rights
Lakes and rivers
Land transfers
Motor vehicles
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Property rights
Religion
Roads and highways
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act
 
 
 This bill designates specified Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and National Forest System lands in California as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. 
 
It also designates certain land in Los Padres National Forest in California, comprising approximately 2,174 acres, as the Machesna Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the Machesna Mountain Wilderness Area. 
 
Specified segments of the Indian, Mono, Matilija, Sespe, and Piru Creeks and Sisquoc River in California are designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. 
 
Certain land in the Los Padres National Forest in California, comprising approximately 41,617 acres, is designated as the Fox Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the San Rafael Wilderness. 
 
This bill designates specified land: (1) in Los Padres National Forest, comprising approximately 18,666 acres, as the Condor Ridge Scenic Area; and (2) in Los Padres National Forest and in the BLM Bakersfield Field Office, comprising approximately 15,846 acres, as the Black Mountain Scenic Area. 
 
The Condor Trail in Monterey County, California, is designated as the Condor National Recreation Trail. 
 
The Department of Agriculture shall study: (1) connecting the northern and southern parts of the Los Padres National Forest using a trail corridor across parts of the Northern and Southern Santa Lucia Mountains of the Southern California Coastal Range; and (2) nonmotorized recreation trail opportunities (including mountain bicycling) on land not designated as wilderness by this Act within the Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Mt. Pinos ranger districts.
 
The Forest Service shall study the feasibility of opening a new trail, for vehicles measuring 50 inches or less, connecting Forest Service Highway 95 to the existing off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ballinger Canyon off-highway vehicle area. 
 
Indian tribes shall be assured access to the wilderness areas, scenic areas, and potential wilderness areas designated by this Act for traditional cultural and religious purposes. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Lands.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Young Americans Financial Literacy Act

Bill: 114-hr-1866
Sponsor: Rep. Carson, Andre [D-IN-7]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Adult education and literacy
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Financial literacy
Higher education
Research administration and funding
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Young Americans Financial Literacy Act

 
 Authorizes the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to make competitive grants to, and enter agreements with, eligible institutions to establish centers of excellence to support research, development and planning, implementation, and evaluation of effective programs in financial literacy education for young people and families ages 8-24 years old.
 
Limits the aggregate amount of grants made under this Act during any fiscal year. Sunsets the grant program at the end of FY2018.
 
Defines &quot;eligible institution&quot; as a partnership of two or more of the following: (1) an institution of higher education; (2) a local educational agency; (3) a nonprofit agency, organization, or association; or (4) a financial institution.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-11-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2015-11-16
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E520-521)
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
To encourage benchmarking and disclosure of energy information for commercial buildings.

Bill: 114-hr-1867
Sponsor: Rep. Castor, Kathy [D-FL-14]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Congressional oversight
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Performance measurement
Public contracts and procurement
Public utilities and utility rates

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 
This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require a federal agency leasing space in a building without an Energy Star label to include in its lease provisions requirements that the space's energy efficiency be measured against a nationally-recognized benchmark. The agency must also meet certain energy consumption disclosure requirements.
 
The Department of Energy (DOE) must study and report on: (1) the impact of state and local performance benchmarking and disclosure policies for commercial and multifamily buildings; (2) the impact of programs and systems in which utilities provide aggregated information regarding whole building energy consumption and usage information to owners of multitenant commercial, residential, and mixed-use buildings; and (3) the best practice policy approaches studied in those impact analyses that have resulted in the greatest improvements in building energy efficiency.
 
DOE must maintain a database for storing and making available public energy-related information on commercial and multifamily buildings.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Power.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-hr-1868
Sponsor: Rep. Conyers, John, Jr. [D-MI-13]
Introduced: 2015-04-16 in the House
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Government information and archives
Judicial review and appeals
Separation, divorce, custody, support
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: 

Rehab and Ahmed Amer Foster Care Improvement Act of 2015 

 
 Amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to revise requirements that states must follow to contact the adult relatives of a child removed from the custody of his or her parents.
 
Requires the state, within 90 days after making a placement decision, to provide notice of the decision and the reasons for it to each parent of the child, each relative who has expressed an interest in caring for the child, the guardian, and other specified parties.
 
Requires the state to establish procedures to: (1) allow a person who receives such a notice to request documentation of the reasons for the decision involved, (2) allow the attorney for the child to petition the court involved to review the decision, and (3) require the court to commence such a review on the record after receiving such a petition. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-01
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Human Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2015-04-16
text: Introduced in House