hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
MOVE Act

Bill: 114-s-1504
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Contracts and agency
Employee hiring
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Inflation and prices
Labor-management relations
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Mobility and Opportunity for Vulnerable Employees Act or the MOVE Act

 
 This bill: (1) prohibits employers from entering into not to compete covenants with low-wage employees engaged in commerce or in the production of goods for commerce, and (2) requires an employer of such employees to post notice of such prohibition in a conspicuous place on the employer's premises. 
 
The bill defines "low-wage employee" as an employee who earns less than: (1) $15 per hour or the state or local minimum wage, or (2) $31,200 per year.
 
In order for an employer to require such an employee who is not a low-wage employee to enter into such a covenant, the employer must have disclosed the requirement for entering into such covenant before hiring such employee.
 
The Secretary of Labor shall: (1) enforce a complaint of a violation of this Act in the same manner as a complaint of a violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, and (2) impose a civil fine on any employer who violates this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
School Building Fairness Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1505
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Air quality
Building construction
Child safety and welfare
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Higher education
Noise pollution
Preschool education
Rural conditions and development
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

School Building Fairness Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Department of Education to allocate funds to states for competitive matching grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school repair, renovation, and construction, reserving 1% of the grant funds for assistance to outlying areas and Indian schools.
 
 In awarding such grants to LEAs, the state must consider: (1) the percentage of poor children each LEA serves; (2) the condition of their public schools or need for additional schools; (3) the extent to which they will comply with certain green building standards; (4) their fiscal capacity to cover repairs, renovations, and construction without such a grant; and (5) the likelihood that they will maintain repaired, renovated, or newly constructed schools in good condition.
 
With respect to high-need and rural LEAs, a state must award at least the same proportion of this Act's LEA funds for the state that they received of total LEA school improvement funds for the state under part A of Title I of the ESEA.
 
A portion of a state's allocation must be reserved for a database of public school facility inventory, condition, design, and utilization.
 
The National Center for Education Statistics shall study the condition of public elementary and secondary schools and analyze trends in spending for their repair, renovation, and construction.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Employ Young Americans Now Act

Bill: 114-s-1506
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Employee hiring
Employment and training programs
Government trust funds
Unemployment
Youth employment and child labor

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Employ Young Americans Now Act

 
 Establishes in the Treasury the Employ Young Americans Fund, with an initial appropriation of $5.5 billion for FY2016.
 
Requires the Department of Labor to make certain Fund allocations to each state with an approved workforce investment system plan modification, other specified requests for funds, and Native American program grantees to provide summer and year-round employment opportunities to low-income youth.
 
Requires the Department to award allocations and competitive grants to local entities for work-based training and other work-related and educational strategies and activities of demonstrated effectiveness to provide unemployed, low-income young adults and low-income youths with skills that will lead to employment.
 
Subjects activities funded under this Act to federal labor standards and nondiscrimination protections.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act

Bill: 114-s-1507
Sponsor: Sen. Mikulski, Barbara A. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Border security and unlawful immigration
Congressional oversight
Department of Homeland Security
Government information and archives
Immigration status and procedures
Judicial review and appeals
Terrorism
Travel and tourism
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Visa Waiver Program Enhanced Security and Reform Act

 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act regarding the visa waiver program to: (1) authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security to designate any country as a program country; (2) adjust visa refusal rate criteria, including addition of a 3% maximum overstay rate; and (3) revise probationary and termination provisions.
 
Directs the Secretary to submit to Congress: (1) an evaluation of the security risks of aliens who enter the United States without an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization verification, and (2) a description of any improvements needed to minimize the number of aliens who enter the United States without such verification.
 
 Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary, in evaluating visa waiver program countries, should prioritize the reviews of countries in which circumstances indicate that such review is necessary or desirable.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Harriet Tubman Tribute Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1508
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Currency
Racial and ethnic relations
U.S. history
Women's rights

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 
 
Harriet Tubman Tribute Act of 2015

 
 This bill amends the Federal Reserve Act to direct the Department of the Treasury to ensure that the face of all $20 federal reserve notes printed after December 31, 2017, bear the likeness of Harriet Tubman. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1509
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health promotion and preventive care
Medicare
Mental health
Nutrition and diet
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2015

 
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in addition to qualified primary care physicians and other primary care practitioners, to cover intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by: (1) a physician who is not a qualified primary care physician; (2) an evidence-based, community-based HHS-approved lifestyle counseling program; or (3) any other appropriate health care provider (including a physician assistant, nurse practitioner, clinical nurse specialist, a clinical psychologist, and a registered dietitian or nutrition professional).
 
Allows coverage of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity furnished by another appropriate health care provider or program only if it is furnished: (1) upon referral from, and in coordination with, a physician or primary care practitioner in a primary care or other HHS-specified setting; and (2) in an office setting, a hospital outpatient department, a community-based site that complies with the federal regulations concerning the privacy of individually identifiable health information, or another HHS-specified setting.
 
Authorizes HHS to cover under Medicare part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) medication for treatment of obesity or for weight loss management for an overweight individual with one or more related comorbidities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1510
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Forests, forestry, trees
Washington State
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Wild Olympics Wilderness and Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 2015 

 
 Designates certain federal land in the Olympic National Forest in the state of Washington as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. Designates certain other land, identified on the same map as such proposed areas, as potential wilderness. 
 
Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate as wild, scenic, or recreational rivers specified segments of the following rivers in the state of Washington:
 
 
Elwha River;
 
Dungeness River;
 
Big Quilcene River;
 
Dosewallips River;
 
Duckabush River;
 
Hamma Hamma River;
 
South Fork Skokomish River;
 
Middle Fork Satsop River;
 
West Fork Satsop River;
 
Wynoochee River;
 
East Fork Humptulips River;
 
West Fork Humptulips River;
 
Quinault River;
 
Queets River;
 
Hoh River;
 
Bogachiel River;
 
South Fork Calawah River;
 
Sol Duc River; and
 
Lyre River.
 
 
Authorizes the Department of Agriculture to take necessary measures to control fire, insects, and diseases in the wilderness areas designated by this Act. 
 
Withdraws the federal land within the boundaries of the designated river segments from: (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws relating to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-04-21
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 114-500.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
STORIS Act

Bill: 114-s-1511
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Historic sites and heritage areas
Marine and inland water transportation
Marine pollution
Solid waste and recycling
Transportation programs funding
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Ships to be Recycled in the States Act or the STORIS Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with the Department of the Navy, to report to Congress on the program for disposal of government-owned merchant vessels as well as on any other disposal of obsolete government-owned vessels.
 
The Government Accountability Office shall audit all excess federal government vessel sales contracts, including resulting receivables and expenditures, entered into by the Maritime Administration during a specified period.
 
The bill repeals authority to scrap any vessel sold from the National Defense Reserve Fleet in an approved foreign market without obtaining additional separate DOT approval to transfer the vessel to a person not a U.S. citizen.
 
The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2001 is amended to revise requirements for the selection of qualified scrapping facilities.
 
The Toxic Substances Control Act is amended to declare that nothing in the mandate for the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to regulate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) shall be construed to prohibit the dismantling of a vessel or marine structure in order to recycle recovered materials. If PCBs are found or suspected, the person dismantling the vessel or marine structure must comply with specified requirements for informing the EPA and disposing of the PCBs.
 
The bill repeals authorization for any foreign country to apply for an obsolete vessel to be used for an artificial reef.
 
The Maritime Administration shall make public on its website the full text of each memorandum of agreement and similar agreement between the Maritime Administration and any other agency, department, or person.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

Bill: 114-s-1512
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child care and development
Civil actions and liability
Employee hiring
Employee leave
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government liability
Sex and reproductive health
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
State and local government operations
Women's employment
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Pregnant Workers Fairness Act

 
 Declares that it is an unlawful employment practice for employers, employment agencies, labor organizations, and other specified entities to: (1) fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations related to the pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions of job applicants or employees, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on such an entity's business operation; (2) deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations; (3) require such job applicants or employees to accept an accommodation that they choose not to accept, if such accommodation is unnecessary to perform the job; (4) require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided to their known limitations; or (5) take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against an employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations.
 
Sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995, the Government Employee Rights Act of 1991, and the rights and protections extended to presidential offices.
 
Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to issue regulations to carry out this Act, including the identification of reasonable accommodations addressing known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.
 
Prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this Act. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Secondary Payer and Workers' Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1514
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Department of Health and Human Services
Disability assistance
Employee benefits and pensions
Judicial review and appeals
Medicare
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Medicare Secondary Payer and Worker's Compensation Settlement Agreements Act of 2015

 
Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: (1) create an exception to Medicare secondary payer requirements for certain workers' compensation settlement agreements, and (2) provide for the satisfaction of such requirements through use of qualified Medicare set-asides under such agreements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
BONDS Act

Bill: 114-s-1515
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Economic development
Floods and storm protection
Income tax credits
Public transit
Securities
State and local finance
Transportation programs funding

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Bolstering Our Nation's Deficient Structures Act of 2015 or the BONDS Act 

 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to build America bonds, to: (1) make permanent the issuance authority for such bonds and the authority for payments to bond issuers, (2) make phased reductions in the credit percentage to bondholders and in the percentage of payments to issuers of such bonds, (3) make federal wage rate and other grant requirements applicable to such bonds, (4) allow refundings of currently-issued bonds, and (5) allow the use of such bonds to fund capital expenditures for levees and flood control projects.
 Provides for an increase in payments to issuers of build America bonds to compensate for reductions in the amount of such payments due to sequestration.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
POWER Act

Bill: 114-s-1516
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Energy efficiency and conservation
Environmental technology
Income tax credits
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

Power Efficiency and Resiliency Act or the POWER Act

 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% energy tax credit for combined heat and power system property and increase the capacity limitations for such property, (2) extend until December 31, 2018, the placed-in-service deadline for such property, and (3) allow a 30% energy tax credit for waste heat to power property (property comprising a system generating electricity through the recovery of a qualified waste heat resource) placed in service before January 1, 2019. 
 
Includes within the definition of "qualified waste heat resource": (1) exhaust heat or flared gas from any industrial process; (2) waste gas or industrial tail gas that would otherwise be flared, incinerated, or vented; and (3) a pressure drop in any gas for an industrial or commercial process. Excludes from such definition any heat resource from a process the primary purpose of which is the generation of electricity utilizing a fossil fuel or nuclear energy. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3779-3780)
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1517
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: American Samoa
Appropriations
Caribbean area
Congressional oversight
Employee hiring
Employment taxes
Government trust funds
Guam
Income tax credits
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
Social security and elderly assistance
Unemployment
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Virgin Islands
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: 

VOW to Hire Heroes Extension Act of 2015

 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2018 the work opportunity tax credit for hiring a qualified veteran (defined as an unemployed veteran who is certified as being a member of a family receiving food stamp assistance and who is entitled to compensation for a service-connected disability), (2) revise tax credit eligibility requirements for documenting the status of veterans and their receipt of unemployment compensation, and (3) extend the payroll tax offset for such credit to certain for-profit employers.
 
Directs the Internal Revenue Service, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to make annual reports on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of this Act in increasing the employment of veterans.
 
Requires the Department of the Treasury to pay: (1) each U.S. possession (i.e., American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands) with a mirror code tax system amounts equal to the loss to such possession due to this Act; and (2) each U.S. possession without such a tax system an amount estimated to equal the loss to such possession that would have occurred due to this Act if such a tax system had been in effect in that possession.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate