hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1556
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Higher education
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Temporary and part-time employment

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2015

 
This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to treat part-time teachers as public service employees, for purposes of the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan forgiveness program for public service employees, if they: (1) teach at least one course at an institution of higher education, a postsecondary vocational institution, or a Tribal College or University; and (2) do not have another full-time job. (Public service employees must make 120 monthly payments on such loans as public service employees to qualify for Direct Loan forgiveness under the program.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4106-4107; text of measure as introduced: CR S4107)
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Servicemember Student Loan Affordability Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1557
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Interest, dividends, interest rates
Military personnel and dependents
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Servicemember Student Loan Affordability Act of 2015

 
Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to extend the 6% interest rate limitation on debt entered into during a servicemember's military service to any debt entered into to consolidate or refinance one or more student loans incurred before such service.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4107-4108)
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Pet and Women Safety Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1559
Sponsor: Sen. Ayotte, Kelly [R-NH]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Assault and harassment offenses
Crime victims
Crimes against animals and natural resources
Crimes against women
Domestic violence and child abuse
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Sex offenses
Veterinary medicine and animal diseases
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Pet and Women Safety Act of 2015

 
 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order. Defines &quot;pet&quot; to mean a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes.
 
Requires the &quot;full amount of the victim's losses&quot; for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet.
 
Directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services, and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the person in domestic violence protection orders.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Commodity Exchange Act to provide end-users with a reasonable amount of time to meet their margin requirements and to repeal certain indemnification requirements for regulatory authorities to obtain access to swap data required to be provided by swaps entities.

Bill: 114-s-1560
Sponsor: Sen. Roberts, Pat [R-KS]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Commodities markets
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 
This bill amends the Commodity Exchange Act to declare that any rules or regulations requiring a futures commission merchant (FCM) to maintain a residual interest in accounts held for the benefit of customers in amounts at least sufficient to exceed the sum of all the customers' uncollected margin deficits shall require an FCM to meet its residual interest requirement as of the end of each business day calculated as of the close of business on the previous business day.
 
The bill repeals the prerequisite to sharing by Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) with a specified entity of information on swaps cleared by derivatives clearing organizations that the entity agree to indemnify the CFTC for any expenses arising from litigation relating to that information.
 
The bill also: 
 
repeals a similar prerequisite for information-sharing by a swap data repository, and
 
makes a similar and conforming amendment to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 with respect to a securities-based swap data repository. 
 
 
States that this Act takes effect as if enacted as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act on July 21, 2010.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Captive Insurers Clarification Act

Bill: 114-s-1561
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Insurance industry and regulation
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Captive Insurers Clarification Act
 
 
 Amends the Nonadmitted and Reinsurance Reform Act of 2010 to define &quot;captive insurance company&quot; as an insurance company wholly owned directly or indirectly: (1) by a single parent company and whose primary purpose is to insure the risks of that single parent company or its affiliates; (2) by a group of companies and whose primary purpose is to insure the risks of that group or its affiliates; and (3) by an industry, trade, or service group or association, and whose primary purpose is to insure the risks of any member in that group or association, including any member affiliate.
 
Excludes a captive insurance company from the meaning of a &quot;nonadmitted insurer&quot; (that is not licensed to engage in the business of insurance in a state), and from any requirements (including state tax requirements) applying to a nonadmitted insurer.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1562
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alcoholic beverages
Appropriations
Department of the Treasury
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Executive agency funding and structure
Fruit and vegetables
Sales and excise taxes
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act of 2015

 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: 
 
 
allow taxpayers who are liable for not more than $50,000 per year in excise taxes on distilled spirits, wine, or beer to file and pay such taxes quarterly without the requirement of posting a bond covering the operations and withdrawals of such distilled spirits, wines, or beer; 
 
allow such taxpayers who reasonably expect to have a tax liability of not more than $1,000 per year and who were liable for not more than $1,000 in taxes in the preceding calendar year to file and pay such taxes annually rather than quarterly; 
 
exclude the aging period from the production period for beer, wine, or distilled spirits for purposes of determining whether a taxpayer can expense, rather than capitalize, interest costs paid or incurred during the production period; 
 
reduce excise tax rates on beer, wine, and distilled spirits produced in the United States; 
 
permit the transfer of beer between bonded facilities without payment of tax; 
 
modify the definition of "hard cider" for excise tax purposes; and 
 
exempt home distillery establishments that produce distilled spirits solely for personal or family use from excise tax and bonding requirements. 

 
Directs the Department of the Treasury to amend applicable Treasury regulations with respect to the use of wholesome products suitable for human consumption in the production of fermented beverages. 
 
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to establish funding levels in FY2016-FY2021 for the enforcement and compliance activities of the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act

Bill: 114-s-1564
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Congressional officers and employees
Employee benefits and pensions
Employee leave
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Labor standards
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Guaranteed Paid Vacation Act

 
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act to require specified employers (including certain federal and state employers) who employ at least 15 employees at any time during a calendar year to provide each eligible employee at least 10 days of paid vacation time during each 12-month period, to be used on consecutive or nonconsecutive days.
 
An employee is eligible for paid vacation time only if he or she has been employed by the employer for at least one year and has worked at least 1,250 hours for that employer during the previous year.
 
The employee must give the employer at least 15 days' prior notice of his or her intent to take paid vacation, including the dates it will begin and end.
 
The Department of Labor shall conduct a public awareness campaign, through the Internet and other media, to inform the public of an eligible employee's entitlement to paid vacation time under the Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4108-4109)
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Military Consumer Protection Act

Bill: 114-s-1565
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Banking and financial institutions regulation
Consumer credit
Contracts and agency
Financial services and investments
Housing finance and home ownership
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Lease and rental services
Military personnel and dependents
Motor vehicles
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Military Consumer Protection Act

 
This bill amends the Consumer Financial Protection Act to extend Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and protection to provisions under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act concerning: 
 
 
future financial transactions, excluding insurance;
 
default judgments, excluding child custody proceedings; 
 
interest rates on pre-service debts; 
 
evictions; 
 
purchase or lease installment contracts;
 
mortgages and trusts; 
 
motor vehicle leases; 
 
telephone service contracts; and 
 
waiver of rights pursuant to a written agreement, excluding bailments.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1566
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Drug therapy
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

Cancer Drug Coverage Parity Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require a group or individual health plan that covers anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable coverage for anticancer medications administered by a patient. A plan may apply to patient-administered anticancer medications only the cost-sharing and limitations that apply to anticancer medications administered by a health care provider.
 
These requirements apply to medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration that is prescribed based on a finding by the treating physician that the medication is medically necessary for cancer treatment and is clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration.
 To comply with these requirements, health plans may not, for anticancer medications: (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs; (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs; or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for a review of the characterization or terms of discharge from the Armed Forces of individuals with mental health disorders alleged to affect terms of discharge.

Bill: 114-s-1567
Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Crime victims
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Health information and medical records
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Mental health
Military medicine
Military personnel and dependents
Neurological disorders
Sex offenses
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 
This bill addresses medical evidence reviews in the case of: (1) a former member of the Armed Forces who was deployed in a contingency operation and subsequently diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a consequence of such deployment, or (2) a former member whose application for relief from the terms of his or her military discharge is based in whole or in part on matters relating to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to combat or military sexual trauma.
 
Any board of review shall: 
 
 
review medical evidence of the Department of Veterans Affairs or a civilian health care provider presented by the former member, and 
 
review the case with a rebuttable presumption in favor of the former member that post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury materially contributed to the circumstances resulting in the discharge of a lesser characterization.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require a review of the adequacy of existing procedures to ensure at least one employee of the personal office of each Senator serving on a committee that requires access to top secret and sensitive compartmented information may obtain the security clearances necessary for the employee to have access to such information.

Bill: 114-s-1569
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Congressional officers and employees
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Legislative rules and procedure
Members of Congress
Senate

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 
This bill requires the Director of Senate Security, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairperson of the Suitability and Security Clearance Performance Accountability Council, to:
 
 
review whether procedures in effect enable one Senate employee designated by each Member of the Senate, who serves on specified Senate committees or subcommittees, to obtain security clearances necessary for access to classified national security information, including top secret and sensitive compartmentalized information, if the Senate employee meets the criteria for such clearances; and
 
 issue guidelines on establishment and implementation of new procedures if the Director, in coordination with the Director of National Intelligence and the Chairperson, determines current procedures are inadequate.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
American Export Promotion Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1570
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2015-06-11 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Asia
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Department of Commerce
Executive agency funding and structure
Public-private cooperation
Service industries
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: 

American Export Promotion Act of 2015

 
 Authorizes appropriations for the Industry and Analysis unit of the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the Department of Commerce for the ITA's Market Development Cooperator Program.
 
Requires, in the use of such funds, a preference to be given to activities that will assist small- and medium-sized U.S. businesses and: 
 
 
 create or sustain the greatest number of jobs, 
 
 obtain the maximum return on investment, 
 
 increase U.S. exports to the Asia and Pacific region, 
 
 increase U.S. exports in services, or 
 
 address Department export priorities.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-06-11
text: Introduced in Senate
One Subject at a Time Act

Bill: 114-s-1572
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-06-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Appropriations
Government liability
Legislative rules and procedure

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: 

One Subject at a Time Act

 
 Requires: (1) each bill or joint resolution to embrace no more than one subject, and (2) the subject to be clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title.
 
Prohibits an appropriations bill from containing any general legislation or change of existing law requirement, if its subject is not germane to the subject of such bill.
 
Declares void: (1) an entire Act or joint resolution if its title addresses two or more unrelated subjects, (2) provisions in legislation not clearly and descriptively expressed in the measure's title, (3) appropriation provisions in legislation outside the relevant subcommittee's jurisdiction, and (4) provisions of appropriation bills not germane to their subject matter.
 
Grants aggrieved persons and Members of Congress the right to bring an action against the United States to seek appropriate relief, including an injunction against the enforcement of any law the passage of which did not conform to this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: Introduced in Senate
CARE Act

Bill: 114-s-1574
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-06-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Aging
Government information and archives
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Housing and community development funding
Housing for the elderly and disabled
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: 

Older Americans Community Access Revitalization and Education Act or the CARE Act

 
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to direct the Administration on Aging (AoA) of the Administration for Community Living of the Department of Health and Human Services to establish a community care wrap-around support demonstration program of grants to enable eligible entities to: (1) establish community care wrap-around support partnerships; and (2) carry out specified activities, including longitudinal care plans for each eligible older individual as well as medication management and medical nutrition therapy.
 
Directs the AoA to provide funding through area agencies on aging, and other approved entities, to not-for-profit owners or managers of housing for a pilot project service packaged and targeted for residents of federally assisted housing.
 
Directs the AoA, through a coordinated public education and outreach campaign carried out by the National Eldercare Locator Service, and in coordination with other appropriate federal agencies, to promote: (1) enhanced public awareness of the importance of advance planning for integrated long-term care; and (2) the availability of national, state, and local information and resources to assist in such planning, as well as the existence of area agencies and aging service providers to give direct assistance with it.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-06-15
text: Introduced in Senate