hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
GI Education Benefit Fairness Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1070
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Family relationships
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

GI Education Benefit Fairness Act of 2015

 
Expands the definition of &quot;children,&quot; for purposes of provisions allowing members or former members of the uniformed services who served on active duty for specified periods beginning on or after September 11, 2001, to transfer their entitlement to educational assistance, to mean an unmarried person who: (1) is placed in the legal custody of a member or former member by court order for at least 12 consecutive months, (2) has not attained the age of 21, (3) has not attained the age of 23 and is enrolled in a full-time course of study at an institution of higher learning, (4) is incapable of self support due to a mental or physical incapacity that occurred while such person was a dependent of the member or former member, (5) is dependent on the member or former member for over one-half of his or her support, (6) resides with the member or former member unless separated due to military service or institutionalization for a disability or incapacitation, and (7) is not a dependent of a member or former member under any other provision defining dependent. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2403)
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Fairness for Victims of Crime Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1071
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Crime victims
Government trust funds
Law enforcement administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Fairness for Victims of Crime Act of 2015

 
Amends the Victims of Crime Act of 1984 to require that, on and after October 1, 2015: (1) the amount available for expenditure from the Crime Victims Fund for a fiscal year shall be equal to the entire amount in the Fund; and (2) the difference between the amount Congress makes available for expenditure from the Fund for a fiscal year and the average of the annual sums deposited in the Fund during the fiscal years that are four years, three years, and two years prior to the current one shall not count for purposes of scorekeeping under rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the joint explanatory statement of the committee of conference accompanying Conference Report 105-217.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1072
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Judges
Supreme Court

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Supreme Court Ethics Act of 2015

 
Requires the Supreme Court to promulgate a code of ethics for the Justices of the Supreme Court that shall include the five canons of the Code of Conduct for United States Judges adopted by the Judicial Conference of the United States, with any amendments or modifications that the Supreme Court determines appropriate.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
National Scenic Trails Parity Act

Bill: 114-s-1074
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Connecticut
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
New York State
North Dakota
Ohio
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pennsylvania
Wisconsin

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

National Scenic Trails Parity Act

 
 Amends the National Trails System Act to require the North Country, Ice Age, and New England National Scenic Trails to be administered as units of the National Park System. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
FIT Kids Act

Bill: 114-s-1075
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Child health
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Physical fitness and lifestyle

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Fitness Integrated Into Teaching Kids Act or the FIT Kids Act 

 
This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reauthorize and amend the Carol M. White Physical Education Program. The program is administered by the Department of Education (ED) and awards grants to local educational agencies, community-based organizations, and states to initiate, expand, and improve physical education programs for kindergarten through 12th grade students. 
 
Of the funds appropriated for the program, ED must reserve a portion to award competitive grants for states to implement comprehensive programs based on: (1) scientifically valid research, and (2) an analysis of need that considers indicators in a state system measuring conditions related to physical fitness, physical education, student health, and nutrition. 
 
A state applying for a competitive grant must submit: (1) an analysis of needs in the areas of physical activity, physical education, fitness, and nutrition; (2) a plan for improvement; and (3) a description of how the state will implement a measurement system, coordinate with other state and federal programs, assist local educational agencies, and award subgrants. 
 
States receiving competitive grants must: (1) reserve no more than 5% of the funds for administration, technical assistance, professional development for teachers, and a measurement system; and (2) use the remaining funds for competitive subgrants. 
 
States receiving grants must also: establish a statewide physical education requirement, implement a measurement system, provide a public report including data from the measurement system, award subgrants using specified criteria, use the measurement system to assist subgrantees in addressing needs, provide professional development for teachers, and monitor subgrants. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Smartphone Theft Prevention Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1076
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Computer security and identity theft
Consumer affairs
Crimes against property
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Telephone and wireless communication
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Smartphone Theft Prevention Act of 2015

 
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require commercial mobile service providers to make available on smartphones, in coordination with smartphone manufacturers and operating system providers, a function that an account holder may use remotely to: (1) delete or render inaccessible all information on the smartphone relating to the account holder, (2) render the smartphone inoperable on the global networks of such service providers, (3) prevent reactivation or reprogramming without a passcode or similar authorization after the smartphone has been rendered inoperable or has been subject to an unauthorized factory reset, and (4) restore personal information from the smartphone onto a compatible or interoperable device.
 
Requires service providers to ensure that smartphones: (1) prompt the account holder to enable such functions during the initial setup process, and (2) allow only the account holder to opt out. 
 
Prohibits a smartphone from being manufactured in the United States or imported into the United States for sale or resale to the public, unless the smartphone is configured in such a manner that a service provider may comply with such functionality requirements.
 
Prohibits service providers from charging a fee for making available such functions, the initial prompt, and the ability to opt out.
 
Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish a common national framework for smartphone anti-theft measures to protect consumers.
 
Requires the FCC to determine whether this Act should apply to tablets with commercial mobile services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Healthy Kids Outdoors Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1078
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Child health
Disability and paralysis
Family services
Hunting and fishing
Intergovernmental relations
Mental health
Nutrition and diet
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Physical fitness and lifestyle
Public participation and lobbying
Public transit
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Healthy Kids Outdoors Act of 2015 

 
 Authorizes the Department of the Interior to issue an eligible entity a cooperative agreement for each state for the development, implementation, and updating of a five-year Healthy Kids Outdoors State Strategy designed to encourage people in the United States (especially children, youth, and families) to be physically active outdoors. 
 
Requires an entity that receives funding to: (1) update the State Strategy at least once every five years, and (2) provide a 25% match through in-kind contributions or cash.
 
Requires State Strategies to provide for subgrants to local partners to implement the state strategy through at at least one of specified program activities.
 
 
Directs the President to issue a national strategy for encouraging people to be physically active outdoors. 
 
Directs Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out a study of national significance on the health impacts of the national strategy and State Strategies. 
 
Requires Interior to provide technical assistance to eligible entities and local partners, and disseminate best practices that emerge from the strategies funded by this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
SCREEN Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1079
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Digestive and metabolic diseases
Health promotion and preventive care
Home and outpatient care
Hospital care
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Supporting Colorectal Examination and Education Now Act of 2015 or the SCREEN Act of 2015

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to maintain calendar year 2015 Medicare reimbursement rates for colonoscopy procedures for providers participating in colorectal cancer screening quality improvement registry.
 
Medicare beneficiary cost-sharing is eliminated for colorectal cancer screening tests, for the removal of tissue or other matter during the screening test, or for a follow-up procedure.
 
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation shall test a payment and service delivery model that is a demonstration project to evaluate the effectiveness of a pre-operative visit before screening colonoscopy and hepatitis C screening.
 
The Secretary of Health and Human Services must reduce the physician fee schedule conversion factor and the hospital outpatient department conversion factor to the extent necessary to reduce expenditures for related items and services to achieve budget-neutral results.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2403; text of measure as introduced: CR S2403-2405)
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Protect Marriage from the Courts Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1080
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Federal appellate courts
Federal district courts
Judicial review and appeals
Jurisdiction and venue
Marriage and family status
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Supreme Court

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Protect Marriage from the Courts Act of 2015

 
Prohibits federal courts from having jurisdiction to adjudicate or enforce any claim pertaining to the validity, under the U.S. Constitution, of a state law or a state administrative or judicial decision that: (1) defines marriage as limited to the union of one man and one woman, or (2) refuses state recognition of, or allows the state to refuse recognition of, same-sex marriages performed and licensed in other states.
 
Allows final judgments entered by federal courts before the enactment of this Act to remain binding on the parties to the case, but persons who are not a party to such a case are not obligated to comply with such decisions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act

Bill: 114-s-1081
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Crimes against animals and natural resources
Legal fees and court costs
Outdoor recreation
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act

 
 Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. 
 
Imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. 
 
Subjects to civil forfeiture any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this Act, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur. 
 
Requires persons found to be in violation of such prohibition to pay all associated court costs. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1083
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Medicaid
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Medicare Drug Savings Act of 2015

 
Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to require drug manufacturers to pay the Secretary of Health and Human Services drug rebates for rebate eligible (low-income) individuals. Excludes from Medicare coverage as a part D drug any drug or biological manufactured by a manufacturer that has not entered into and have in effect a rebate agreement with the Secretary.
 
Requires a rebate agreement to require a drug or biological manufacturer to provide to the Secretary a rebate, determined according to a specified formula, for each rebate period ending after December 31, 2015, for any covered Medicare part D drug dispensed after that date to any rebate eligible individual for which payment was made by a prescription drug plan sponsor or MedicareAdvantage organization for such period. 
 
Specifies a formula for determination of Medicaid rebate amounts for such drugs or biologicals.
 
Amends SSAct title XIX (Medicaid) to exclude any amounts paid under a rebate agreement from the determination of best price and average manufacturer price under the Medicaid program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
PCAOB Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1084
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Administrative remedies
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Corporate finance and management
Public participation and lobbying

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

PCAOB Enforcement Transparency Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to make Public Company Accounting Oversight Board disciplinary proceedings public unless the Board, on its own motion or after considering the motion of a party, orders otherwise.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure:CR S2405)
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1085
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-04-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Child care and development
Congressional oversight
Disability and paralysis
Employee leave
Executive agency funding and structure
Financial services and investments
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government studies and investigations
Lawyers and legal services
Mental health
Military personnel and dependents
Neurological disorders
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: 

Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2015

 
Expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill on active duty prior to September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001). 
 
Expands services to caregivers of veterans under such program to include child care services, financial planning services, and legal services. 
 
 Terminates the support program for caregivers of covered veterans on October 1, 2020, except that any caregiver activities carried out on September 30, 2020, shall be continued on and after October 1, 2020. 
 
Authorizes the transfer of entitlement to post 9/11 education assistance to family members by veterans who are retired for a physical disability or who are seriously injured veterans in need of family caregiver services, without regard to length-of-service requirements. 
 
Authorizes the VA Secretary to pay monthly special compensation to seriously injured or ill veterans in need of personal care services and to their caregivers. 
 
Authorizes flexible work schedules or telework for federal employees who are caregivers of veterans. 
 
Amends the Public Health Service Act to designate a veteran participating in the program of comprehensive assistance for family caregivers as an adult with a special need for purposes of the lifespan respite care program. 
 
Establishes in the executive branch an interagency working group to review and report on policies relating to the caregivers of veterans and members of the Armed Forces.
 
Directs the Secretary to provide for studies on members of the Armed Forces who commenced service after September 11, 2001, and veterans who have incurred a serious injury or illness, including a mental health injury, and their caregivers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-24
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-186.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-23
text: Introduced in Senate
International Insurance Capital Standards Accountability Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1086
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2015-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Reserve System
Insurance industry and regulation
International organizations and cooperation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: 

International Insurance Capital Standards Accountability Act of 2015

 
This bill establishes at the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System the Insurance Policy Advisory Committee on International Capital Standards and Other Insurance Issues, a 21-member committee representing diverse expert perspectives from the U.S. insurance industry (including life insurance, property and casualty insurance and reinsurance, agents and brokers, academics, consumer advocates, or experts on issues facing underserved insurance communities and consumers). 
 
The Secretary of the Treasury and the Board Chairman shall report annually to certain congressional committees on their efforts with the National Association of Insurance Commissioners regarding global insurance regulatory or supervisory forums.
 
The Secretary, the Board Chairman, and the Director of the Federal Insurance Office, before supporting or consenting to the adoption of any key element in any international insurance proposal or international insurance capital standard, must study its impact upon U.S. markets and consumers. 
 
The Secretary and the Board Chairman must also report, as well as testify to Congress on their efforts to increase transparency at meetings of the International Association of Insurance Supervisors.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-28
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Pets on Trains Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1087
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2015-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises
Mammals
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Railroads
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: 

Pets on Trains Act of 2015

 
 Directs the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) to propose a pet policy that allows passengers to transport domesticated cats or dogs on certain Amtrak trains.
 
Requires Amtrak to collect a fee for each cat or dog transported by a ticketed passenger to cover administrative costs.
 
Declares that the proposed policy shall be separate from and in addition to the policy governing Amtrak passengers traveling with service animals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate