hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act

Bill: 114-s-651
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: California
Historic sites and heritage areas
Land transfers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

John Muir National Historic Site Expansion Act

 
 Authorizes the Department of the Interior to acquire by donation approximately 44 acres of land to include in the John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, California. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-17
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 114-496.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2014

Bill: 114-s-652
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Census and government statistics
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2014 [
sic
]

 
Requires the Department of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 census, to ensure that all members of the Armed Forces deployed abroad are fully and accurately counted in the tabulation of total population by states and are properly attributed to the state in which their residence at their permanent duty station or homeport is located.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to exempt certain class A CDL drivers from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material endorsement while operating a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000 gallons) or less of diesel fuel.

Bill: 114-s-654
Sponsor: Sen. Roberts, Pat [R-KS]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: General agriculture matters
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Licensing and registrations
Motor fuels
Motor vehicles
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 
Directs the Secretary of Transportation to exempt from the requirement to obtain a hazardous material endorsement all class A commercial driver's license holders who are custom harvesters, agricultural retailers, agricultural business employees, agricultural cooperative employees, or agricultural producers who operate a service vehicle with a fuel tank containing 3,785 liters (1,000) gallons or less of diesel fuel if the tank is clearly marked with a placard reading &quot;Diesel Fuel.&quot;


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the use of funds by the Secretary of the Interior to make a final determination on the listing of the northern long-eared bat under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Bill: 114-s-655
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Animals
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of the Interior
Endangered and threatened species
Executive agency funding and structure
Mammals

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 
This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from using any funds to make a determination on the listing of the northern long-eared bat (myotis septentrionalis) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Interior proposed in October 2013 to list the northern long-eared bat as endangered.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Committee on Environment and Public Works. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring a Better Response for Victims of Child Sex Trafficking

Bill: 114-s-656
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Child safety and welfare
Crime victims
Crimes against children
Criminal justice information and records
Domestic violence and child abuse
Human trafficking
Sex offenses
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Ensuring a Better Response for Victims of Child Sex Trafficking

 
This bill amends the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act to require a state plan for its child protective services system to include a certified assurance that the state has in effect and is enforcing a law requiring: (1) identification and assessment of all reports involving children known or suspected to be victims of sex trafficking; and (2) training child protective services workers about identifying, assessing, and providing comprehensive services for children who are sex trafficking victims. 
 
Each state receiving a grant must work with the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make an annual data report that includes the number of children determined to be victims of sex trafficking.
 
A child is considered to be a victim of &quot;child abuse and neglect&quot; and of &quot;sexual abuse&quot; if the child is identified by a state or local agency employee as being a victim of sex trafficking or a victim of severe forms of trafficking in persons.
 
A state is given the option to define &quot;child&quot; under such Act as a person who has not attained age 24. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-657
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Caregivers Expansion and Improvement Act of 2015

 
Extends to all veterans with a serious service-connected injury the eligibility to participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs program of comprehensive assistance to family caregivers of such veterans. (Under current law, such eligibility is limited to those veterans who incurred such an injury on or after September 11, 2001.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1305-1306; text of measure as introduced: CR S1306)
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
21 st Century Worker Tax Cut Act

Bill: 114-s-660
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax credits
Inflation and prices
Poverty and welfare assistance
Tax treatment of families
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

21st Century Worker Tax Cut Act

 
This bill allows a married taxpayer who files a joint tax return and has at least one qualifying child under the age of 12 a tax credit for 10% of the lesser of $10,000 or the earned income of the spouse with the lower amount of earned income for the taxable year. The credit is denied to nonresident aliens and to taxpayers who fail to include certain identifying information on their tax returns. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S1306-1307)
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act

Bill: 114-s-661
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Child care and development
Income tax credits
Inflation and prices

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Helping Working Families Afford Child Care Act 

 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for employment-related expenses incurred for the care of a taxpayer's dependent, to: (1) increase to $110,000, the adjusted gross income threshold level above which such credit is incrementally reduced; (2) increase the dollar limit on the allowable amount of such credit; (3) allow an inflation adjustment to the threshold amount and the maximum credit amounts, beginning after 2016; and (4) make such credit refundable. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Songwriter Equity Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-662
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Contracts and agency
Intellectual property
Judges
Music
Sound recording

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Songwriter Equity Act of 2015

 
Amends federal copyright law regarding the exclusive rights of sound recording copyright owners to remove a provision that prohibits license fees payable for the public performance of sound recordings, by means of a digital audio transmission, from being taken into account in any administrative, judicial, or other governmental proceeding to set or adjust the royalties payable to copyright owners of musical works for the public performance of their works.
 
Requires Copyright Royalty Judges (CRJs), when setting royalty rates under the compulsory license available for the reproduction and distribution of musical works (commonly referred to as a "mechanical license"), to establish rates and terms that most clearly represent the rates and terms that would have been negotiated in the marketplace between a willing buyer and seller.
 
Requires CRJs, in establishing such rates and terms, to base their decision on marketplace, economic, and use information presented by the participants. Allows consideration of comparable uses and circumstances under voluntary license agreements. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to repeal the violation of sovereign nations' laws and privacy matters.

Bill: 114-s-663
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Civil actions and liability
Foreign and international banking
Foreign property
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
U.S. and foreign investments

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax administration requirements for foreign-source income and assets, to repeal: (1) withholding requirements for payments to foreign financial institutions and other foreign entities, (2) information reporting for foreign financial assets, (3) penalties for underpayments of tax attributable to undisclosed foreign financial assets, (4) reporting requirements for shareholders of a passive foreign investment company and U.S. owners of foreign trusts, and (5) the additional penalty for failure to file required notices and information returns for certain foreign trusts. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Foster Care Tax Credit Act

Bill: 114-s-664
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Government information and archives
Income tax credits
Indian social and development programs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Foster Care Tax Credit Act
 
 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a partially refundable tax credit for each qualifying foster child who resides in the home of an eligible taxpayer for at least one calendar month during the taxable year. Defines &quot;qualifying foster child&quot; as a child in foster care who has not attained age 17, who is a citizen, national, or resident of the United States, and with respect to whom the child tax credit is not allowable. Requires the name and taxpayer identification number of a foster child to be included on the taxpayer's tax return. 
 
Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to identify provisions in the Internal Revenue Code that can benefit foster families and increase outreach efforts to inform state and Indian tribal foster care agencies and foster families about such provisions. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-666
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Department of Veterans Affairs
Disability assistance
Evidence and witnesses
Health information and medical records
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Veterans' medical care
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2015

 
Requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept, for purposes of establishing a claim for veterans disability benefits, a report of a medical examination administered by a private physician without requiring confirmation by a Veterans Health Administration physician if the report is sufficiently complete. Defines "sufficiently complete" as competent, credible, probative, and containing such information as required to make a decision on the claim for which the report is provided.
 
Requires the Secretary to submit: (1) a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations, and (2) an annual report for each VA regional office regarding claims for which private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-667
Sponsor: Sen. Enzi, Michael B. [R-WY]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Adoption and foster care
Child safety and welfare
Civil actions and liability
Poverty and welfare assistance
Religion

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2015

 
Prohibits the federal government, and any state that receives federal funding for any program that provides child welfare services under part B (Child and Family Services) or part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct), from discriminating or taking an adverse action against a child welfare service provider that declines to provide, facilitate, or refer for a child welfare service that conflicts with the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions.
 
Bars such prohibition from applying to SSAct requirements that forbid state entities from denying or delaying adoption or foster care placements on the basis of an adoptive parent's or a child's race, color, or national origin. 
 
Requires the Department of Health and Human Services to withhold 15% of the federal funds that a state receives for such programs if the state violates this Act. 
 
Allows an aggrieved child welfare service provider to assert such an adverse action violation as a claim or defense in a judicial proceeding and to obtain all appropriate relief (including declaratory relief, injunctive relief, compensatory damages, and reasonable attorney's fees and costs).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Data Broker Accountability and Transparency Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-668
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business records
Civil actions and liability
Consumer affairs
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Federal preemption
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Marketing and advertising
Right of privacy

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Data Broker Accountability and Transparency Act of 2015

 
Prohibits data brokers from obtaining or causing to be disclosed personal information or any other information relating to any person by making a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation, including by providing any document that the broker knows or should know to: (1) be forged, counterfeit, lost, stolen, or fraudulently obtained; or (2) contain a false, fictitious, or fraudulent statement or representation.
 
Defines &quot;data broker&quot; as a commercial entity that collects, assembles, or maintains personal information concerning an individual who is not a customer or an employee of that entity in order to sell or provide third party access to the information. Allows the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exempt certain data brokers from this Act.
 
Requires data brokers to establish procedures to ensure the accuracy of: (1) the personal information they collect, assemble, or maintain; and (2) any other information that specifically identifies an individual, unless the information only identifies an individual's name or address.
 
Requires data brokers to provide individuals a cost-free means to review their personal or identifying information.
 
Allows individuals to dispute the accuracy of their personal information with a written request that the data broker make a correction.
 
Requires a data broker, with regard to disputed public record information that is available for public inspection from federal, state, or local governments, to: (1) inform the individual of the source of the information and, if reasonably available, where to direct the individual's request for correction; or (2) correct the inaccuracy in the broker's records if the individual provides proof that the public record has been corrected or that the broker was reporting the information incorrectly.
 
Requires a data broker, with regard to disputed non-public information of a private nature, to: (1) note the information that is disputed, (2) independently verify the information, and (3) correct the inaccuracy if the broker was reporting the information incorrectly.
 
Requires data brokers to provide individuals with a reasonable means of expressing a preference to exclude their information from being used, shared, or sold for marketing purposes.
 
Sets forth authority for the FTC and states to enforce this Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Iran Congressional Oversight Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-669
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-03-04 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Arms control and nonproliferation
Congressional oversight
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
International law and treaties
Iran
Legislative rules and procedure
Middle East
Nuclear power
Nuclear weapons
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Sanctions
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: 

Iran Congressional Oversight Act of 2015

 
This bill directs the President, during the period which the Joint Plan of Action or a successor arrangement with Iran is in effect, to report Congress at least once every 90 days regarding Iran's compliance with the Joint Plan of Action or a successor arrangement. (The Joint Plan of Action: (1) means the November 2013 Joint Plan of Action signed by Iran and the P5-plus-1 countries, and (2) includes all implementing materials and agreements related to it.)
 
Each report shall include a presidential determination and certification, made in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, on whether Iran has complied with or violated the terms of the Joint Plan of Action or a successor arrangement. 
 
Congress may initiate expedited consideration of legislation to reinstate waived or suspended sanctions if a report is accompanied by a presidential certification that Iran has violated the Joint Plan of Action or any successor arrangement. 
 
It is in order during the 30-day period beginning on the date on which a report is received by Congress for the Senate to move to proceed to the consideration of legislation to further respond to an Iranian violation of the Joint Plan of Action or any successor arrangement. The following shall apply: 
 
 
all points of order against the legislation are waived; 
 
the motion to proceed is not debatable; 
 
the motion is not subject to a motion to postpone; 
 
a motion to reconsider the vote by which the motion is agreed to or disagreed to shall not be in order; and 
 
if a motion to proceed to the consideration of the legislation is agreed to, the legislation shall remain the unfinished business until disposed of. 
 
 
If the United States is a party to a comprehensive long-term arrangement with Iran relating to its nuclear program under which the United States commits to lifting sanctions imposed pursuant to a provision of law included in a duly enacted Act of Congress, that provision shall remain in effect until repealed by an Act of Congress or terminated pursuant to another provision of law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2015-03-04
text: Introduced in Senate