hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Learning Opportunities Created At Local Level Act

Bill: 114-s-182
Sponsor: Sen. Roberts, Pat [R-KS]
Introduced: 2015-01-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Intergovernmental relations
State and local government operations
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: 

Learning Opportunities Created At Local Level Act or the LOCAL Level Act

 
Expresses the sense of Congress that state and local prerogatives over elementary and secondary education need to be preserved.
 
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to prohibit any federal officer or employee from directly or indirectly, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements under the ESEA:
 
 
mandating, directing, or controlling a state's, local educational agency's (LEA's), or school's specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction;
 
incentivizing such an entity's adoption of any specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction;
 
mandating a state or any subdivision thereof to spend any funds or incur any costs not paid for under the ESEA; or 
 
conditioning the availability of financial support on a state's, LEA's, or school's adoption of any specific instructional content, academic standards, assessments, curriculum, or program of instruction, even if such conditions are specified under any other Act.
 
 
Prohibits any funds provided to the Department of Education under the ESEA from being used by the Department directly or indirectly, through grants, contracts, or other cooperative agreements, to endorse, approve, develop, require, or sanction any elementary or secondary school curriculum.
 
Prohibits conditioning any state's receipt of ESEA assistance on the approval or certification of its academic standards by the federal government.
 
Includes in the prohibition against the use of ESEA funds on federally sponsored testing and testing materials such use on any assessment or testing materials aligned to the Common Core State Standards or any other academic standards common to a significant number of states. Prohibits the use of Race to the Top funds, provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, on such aligned assessment or testing materials.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Jobs and Premium Protection Act

Bill: 114-s-183
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2015-01-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Insurance industry and regulation
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: 

Jobs and Premium Protection Act

 
This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on a health insurance provider based on its net premium income.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Taxpayer Accountability Act

Bill: 114-s-186
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
Introduced: 2015-01-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Government information and archives
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: 

Taxpayer Accountability Act 

 
Requires the Internal Revenue Service: (1) to provide a substantive written response (not merely an acknowledgment letter) to any written correspondence from a taxpayer not later than 30 days after receiving such correspondence; (2) within 30 days after disclosing taxpayer information to any federal, state, or local governmental entity, to provide to the taxpayer a written notification describing the information, to whom it was disclosed, and when it was disclosed; and (3) to conclude any audit of an individual taxpayer not later than 1 year after the audit is initiated and to not assess any tax with respect to such audit after it is concluded.
 

 
 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Tar Sands Tax Loophole Elimination Act

Bill: 114-s-187
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-01-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of the Treasury
Motor fuels
Oil and gas
Pipelines
Sales and excise taxes

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: 

Tar Sands Tax Loophole Elimination Act 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to expand the definition of "crude oil" for purposes of the excise tax on petroleum and petroleum products to include any bitumen or bituminous mixture, any oil derived from a bitumen or bituminous mixture (tar sands), and any oil derived from kerogen-bearing sources (oil shale).
 
The bill also authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to classify as crude oil or as a petroleum product subject to such tax any fuel feedstock or finished fuel product transported by pipeline, vessel, railcar, or tanker truck if the Secretary determines that such classification is consistent with the definition of oil under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 and such fuel feedstock or finished fuel product is produced in sufficient commercial quantities as to pose a significant risk of hazard in the event of a discharge. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to ensure that oil transported through the Keystone XL pipeline into the United States is used to reduce United States dependence on Middle Eastern oil.

Bill: 114-s-188
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-01-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Canada
Energy prices
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Motor fuels
Oil and gas
Pipelines
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: 
Directs the Secretary of Energy to ensure that any crude oil and bitumen transported into the United States by the Keystone XL pipeline, and all refined petroleum fuel products originating from that crude oil or bitumen, will be entered into domestic commerce in the United States for use as fuel or the manufacture of another product.
 
Authorizes the President to waive such requirement in the national interest in specified circumstances, including where: (1) an exchange of crude oil or refined product provides for no net loss of crude oil or refined product consumed domestically; or (2) a waiver is necessary under the Constitution, a law, or an international agreement.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-01-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act

Bill: 114-s-190
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Food supply, safety, and labeling
Intergovernmental relations
Seafood
State and local government operations
Trade restrictions
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Imported Seafood Safety Standards Act

 
Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the importation of any seafood from a foreign country unless the country complies with U.S. standards for seafood manufacturing, processing, and holding. Requires an annual inspection of each foreign facility that exports seafood to the United States to ensure compliance with U.S. standards. Requires periodic follow-up inspections of foreign facilities as determined necessary by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
 
Requires the FDA to inspect and test not less than 20% of all imported seafood each year and the first 15 shipments of seafood imported from a new exporter. Sets forth procedures in the event an exporter fails to meet inspection or test requirements.
 
Directs the FDA to refuse entry of all seafood shipments from a country that repeatedly fails to meet inspection or testing requirements and establish exporter fees as necessary.
 
Requires the detention or destruction of imported seafood that fails to meet safety standards unless the shipment meets criteria for re-export.
 
Allows importation of seafood at only those U.S. ports of entry that have the personnel trained to conduct the applicable testing and inspections. 
 
Prohibits making a knowingly false statement with respect to a test or inspection under this Act or knowingly misbranding any seafood imported under this Act. Establishes a civil penalty for violations.
 
Authorizes the FDA to establish a program under which a state may conduct inspection, testing, and certification of U.S. seafood imports.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-191
Sponsor: Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Educating Tomorrow's Workforce Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to revise the requirements for the plan of a state seeking federal assistance for career and technical education programs. Requires the state plan to describe how the eligible state agency will ensure the quality of any program of study culminating in an industry-recognized certificate, credential, or license.
 
Requires state agency leadership activities to support career academies which:
 
 
implement a college and career ready curriculum at the secondary education level integrating rigorous academic, technical, and employability contents;
 
include experiential or work-based learning for secondary school students, in collaboration with local and regional employers;
 
include opportunities for secondary school students to earn postsecondary credit while in secondary school; and
 
establish and maintain ongoing partnerships between the local educational agency, business and industry, and institutions of higher education, or postsecondary vocational institutions, including local government.
 
 
Requires the local plan for career and technical education programs to describe: (1) how the eligible recipient of assistance will assess local needs related to career and technical education as part of the local plan development process, and (2) how this needs assessment will be updated annually, especially on progress toward specific elements leading to high-quality implementation of career and technical education programs of study. 
 
Authorizes the local use of funds for improving such programs to support career academies.
 
 
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Inventoried Roadless Area Management Act

Bill: 114-s-193
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Forests, forestry, trees
Land use and conservation
Roads and highways
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wyoming

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Inventoried Roadless Area Management Act

 
 Releases from further study for wilderness designation each of the inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System (NFS) in Wyoming identified on the maps contained in the Forest Service Roadless Area Conservation, Final Environmental Impact Statement, Volume 2 (November 2000). 
 
Declares that such NFS land: (1) is no longer subject to the land use restrictions of the Roadless Area Conservation Rule (or successor regulations), and (2) shall not be managed to preserve roadless or wilderness characteristics.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S3780-3781)
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Family Farmer Bankruptcy Clarification Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-194
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Bankruptcy

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Family Farmer Bankruptcy Clarification Act of 2015

 
 Amends chapter 12 of federal bankruptcy law (Debt Adjustment of a Family Farmer or Fisherman with Regular Annual Income) with respect to discharge of governmental claims based upon the disposition of property used in a farming operation.
 
Treats any unsecured claim of a governmental unit against the debtor or debtor's estate as an unsecured debt (hence, not entitled to priority payment), if it results from the sale, transfer, exchange, or other disposition of any property used in the debtor's farming operation and it arises either: (1) before the petition in bankruptcy is filed, or (2) after such filing but before the debtor's discharge. 
 
Authorizes a governmental unit to file a proof for a claim that arises after the date on which the petition is filed.
 
Requires such debt to be discharged in accordance with specified discharge procedures.
 
States that, for purposes of applying procedures governing plan confirmation, discharge, and modification after plan confirmation, the amount that would be paid on the claim if the estate were liquidated under chapter 7 shall be the amount that would be paid by the estate in a chapter 7 case if the claim were an unsecured claim arising before the date on which the petition was filed and not entitled to priority payment status. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S284-285; text of measure as introduced: CR S285)
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
401(Kids) Education Savings Account Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-195
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Elementary and secondary education
Employee benefits and pensions
Higher education
Housing finance and home ownership
Income tax exclusion
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

401(Kids) Education Savings Account Act of 2015
 
 
 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) eliminate after 2015 the income-based reduction of contributions to Coverdell education savings accounts, (2) increase the annual contribution limit for such accounts, (3) allow the use of such an account to pay home school expenses and the acquisition costs of a first-time homebuyer, and (4) allow tax-free rollovers of amounts in a Coverdell education savings account to a Roth individual retirement account. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Garden Valley Withdrawal Act

Bill: 114-s-196
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers
Nevada

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Garden Valley Withdrawal Act

 
 Withdraws 805,100 acres of federal land in Garden Valley, Nevada, from: (1) entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) operation of the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S285)
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
SMART Act

Bill: 114-s-197
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Government studies and investigations
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Support Making Assessments Reliable and Timely Act or the SMART Act

 
Amends subpart 1 (Accountability) of part A of title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to revise the program allotting grants to states to develop and administer state academic content and achievement standards and assessments of student progress toward those standards.
 
Requires each state to use such grant to:
 
 
develop and administer such assessments and further align them with the state's academic content standards,
 
ensure that students with limited English proficiency and disabled students are provided with appropriate accommodations to improve their inclusion in the assessments,
 
develop state assessment systems aligned to content standards that support systems of continuous improvement,
 
support local educational agencies (LEAs) in identifying uses of assessment data, and
 
carry out certain other activities to improve the quality and use of state assessments.
 
 
Revises the program awarding competitive grants to states to enhance assessment instruments.
 
Requires each grantee that has not yet received a grant under such program to use the grant to:
 
 
carry out audits of the state assessment system and ensure that LEAs carry out audits of local assessments;
 
prepare and carry out a state plan, in coordination with LEAs, to improve and streamline state and local assessment systems; and
 
award subgrants to LEAs to improve the quality and use of local assessments and their alignment with state academic content standards.
 
 
Requires a state that has previously received such a grant to use a new grant to:
 
 
carry out a state plan, in coordination with LEAs, to improve and streamline state and local assessment systems; and
 
award subgrants to LEAs to improve the quality and use of local assessments and their alignment with state academic content standards.
 
 
Directs the Secretary to provide technical assistance to states to improve their understanding of existing flexibility in the design and implementation of high-quality, streamlined state assessment systems to measure student progress toward state academic achievement standards.
 
Reauthorizes appropriations for the National Assessment of Educational Progress and the revised subpart 1 grant programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-198
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Corporate finance and management
Department of the Treasury
Foreign and international corporations
Income tax rates
Taxation of foreign income

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Stop Corporate Inversions Act of 2015

 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States) to provide that a foreign corporation that acquires the properties of a U.S. corporation or partnership after May 8, 2014, shall be treated as an inverted corporation and thus subject to U.S. taxation if, after such acquisition: (1) it holds more than 50% of the stock of the new entity (expanded affiliated group), or (2) the management or control of the new entity occurs primarily within the United States and the new entity has significant domestic business activities.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S286)
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Gold Butte National Conservation Area Act

Bill: 114-s-199
Sponsor: Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV]
Introduced: 2015-01-20 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Land transfers
Nevada
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Travel and tourism
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: 

Gold Butte National Conservation Area Act 

 
 Establishes the Gold Butte National Conservation Area in Nevada, which shall consist of 348,515 acres of public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Withdraws public land within the conservation area from: (1) entry, appropriation, operation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and the geothermal leasing laws. 
 
Establishes the Gold Butte National Conservation Area Advisory Council.
 
Designates specified wilderness areas administered by the National Park Service or BLM in Clark County, Nevada, as wilderness and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. 
 
Authorizes BLM to establish a visitor center and field office in Mesquite, Nevada, to assist in fulfilling the purposes of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument, and the conservation area. 
 
 Terminates the withdrawal of specified parcels of BLM lands for use by the Bureau of Reclamation. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S286-290)
action_date: 2015-01-20
text: Introduced in Senate
Accurate Budgeting Act

Bill: 114-s-200
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2015-01-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Budget process
Congressional oversight
Economic performance and conditions
Legislative rules and procedure

Summary:
action_date: 2015-01-21
text: 

Accurate Budgeting Act 

 
This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) to prepare a macroeconomic impact analysis for major revenue legislation. The estimates are required for revenue legislation considered on the floor of the House or Senate or reported by the House Ways and Means Committee or the Senate Finance Committee. 
 
The macroeconomic impact analysis, commonly referred to as dynamic scoring, includes: 
 
 
the changes in economic output, employment, interest rates, capital stock, and tax revenues expected to result from the proposal;
 
revenue feedback (changes in revenue resulting from changes in economic growth as a result of the proposal); and 
 
the assumptions and data used for the estimate. 
 
 
The bill requires JCT to prepare the analysis as a supplement to the revenue estimates currently required by the Congressional Budget Act of 1974. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-01-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2015-01-21
text: Introduced in Senate