hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
COAST Anti-Drilling Act

Bill: 114-s-1042
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Atlantic Coast (U.S.)
Atlantic Ocean
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Mining
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Clean Ocean and Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act or the COAST Anti-Drilling Act

 
 Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from issuing a lease or other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in either the Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic, or the North Atlantic planning areas. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Invest in American Jobs Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1043
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Aviation and airports
Building construction
Buy American requirements
Congressional oversight
Department of Transportation
Disaster relief and insurance
Economic development
Economic performance and conditions
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government lending and loan guarantees
Infrastructure development
Manufacturing
Metals
National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak)
Public contracts and procurement
Public transit
Railroads
Roads and highways
Trade agreements and negotiations
Trade restrictions
Transportation programs funding
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Invest in American Jobs Act of 2015

 
 Revises Buy American requirements with respect to federal-aid highways, capital investment grants to support intercity passenger rail service (rail grants), and Amtrak, particularly the handling of waiver requests.
 
Revises similar Buy American requirements with respect to public transportation, particularly rolling stock. Requires the cost of rolling stock components and subcomponents produced in the United States to increase from 60% in FY2015 by 10% annual increments up to 100% for FY2019 and ensuing fiscal years. Revises waiver requirements as well to mirror those for federal-aid highways.
 
Applies the rail grant Buy American requirements under this Act to recipients of rail loans and loan guarantees with respect to railroad rehabilitation and improvement.
 
Prescribes Buy American requirements for procurement of a facility or equipment under federal aviation programs similar to those for rolling stock.
 
Requires the Secretary of Transportation to report annually to Congress on: (1) each project for which a waiver of Buy American requirements was issued; and (2) the country of origin and product specifications for steel, iron, or manufactured goods acquired pursuant to each waiver.
 
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to prescribe Buy American requirements for steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in the construction of a public water system.
 
Adds similar Buy American requirements to the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, with respect to economic development programs, and to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, with respect to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
 
Amends the Truman-Hobbs Act to prescribe Buy American requirements for steel, iron, and manufactured goods used in the alteration of a bridge over U.S. navigable waters. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
E-Access Act

Bill: 114-s-1044
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Consumer affairs
Department of Energy
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy prices

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Access to Consumer Energy Information Act or the E-Access Act
 
 
 Directs the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to encourage and support the adoption of policies that allow electricity consumers access to their own electricity data.
 
 Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to authorize state energy conservation plans to include programs that: (1) enhance consumer access to, and understanding of, energy usage and price information, including consumers' own residential and commercial electricity information; and (2) allow for development and adoption of innovative products and services to assist consumers in managing energy consumption and expenditures. 
 
Directs the Secretary to issue voluntary guidelines, meeting specified criteria, which establish model standards to implement retail electric energy information access in states.
 
Authorizes states to submit to the Secretary a description of their data sharing policies regarding consumer access to electric energy information for DOE certification that they meet such voluntary guidelines. 
 
Directs the Secretary, subject to appropriations, to make federal funds available to assist any DOE-certified state to implement its energy conservation plan. 
 
 
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Restoring the 10th Amendment Act

Bill: 114-s-1045
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Federal district courts
Government information and archives
Intergovernmental relations
Judicial review and appeals
Jurisdiction and venue
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Restoring the 10th Amendment Act
 
 
Authorizes a designated state official to submit to the head of a federal agency proposing a rule, during the period when the proposed rule is open for public comment, a legal brief challenging the constitutionality of the rule under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution. 
 
Directs the agency head: (1) to notify the designated official of each state within 15 days after such a brief was submitted; (2) to post prominently on the front page of the agency's website a link to the brief; and (3) within 15 days after posting such link, to certify in writing that such rulemaking does not violate the Tenth Amendment and post the certification prominently on the agency's website next to the briefs pertaining to the rule, unless the agency determines not to finalize such proposed rule.
 
Authorizes a designated state official, at any time after an agency head posts such a certification, to commence a civil action against the agency on the grounds that the rule violates the Tenth Amendment. Permits such state official, in addition to any other venue or jurisdiction provided by law, to bring such action in the U.S. district court for the district in which the official's place of business is located. 
 
Directs the appropriate U.S. court of appeals, upon the filing of a notice by a designated state official, to grant expedited review of a decision by the district court in such an action.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Smart Building Acceleration Act

Bill: 114-s-1046
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Department of Defense
Department of Energy
Department of Veterans Affairs
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy research
Energy storage, supplies, demand
General Services Administration
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government studies and investigations
Public-private cooperation
Research and development

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Smart Building Acceleration Act

 
Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to: (1) conduct a survey of privately owned smart buildings throughout the nation, select at least one building each from an appropriate range of building sizes and types, and evaluate the costs and benefits of such buildings using the guidelines of the Federal Energy Management Program relating to whole-building evaluation, measurement, and verification; and (2) establish a program to establish one or more smart buildings under the jurisdiction of the General Services Administration and the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Veterans Affairs to demonstrate and evaluate the costs and benefits of smart buildings. Requires such evaluations to include an identification of which advanced building technologies are most cost-effective and show the most promise for increasing building energy savings, increasing service performance to building occupants, and reducing environmental impacts.
 
Defines a "smart building" to mean a building with an energy system that:
 
 
is flexible and automated; 
 
has extensive operational monitoring and communication connectivity, allowing remote monitoring and analysis of all building functions; 
 
is integrated with the overall building operations for control of energy generation, consumption, and storage; and 
 
communicates with utilities and other third party commercial entities. 

 
Directs DOE: (1) as part of DOE's Better Building Challenge, to develop a smart building accelerator in consultation with major private sector property owners to demonstrate innovative policies and approaches that will accelerate the transition to smart buildings; and (2) to conduct research and development to address key barriers to the integration of advanced building technologies and to accelerate the transition to smart buildings.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require the Secretary of Energy to review rulemaking proceedings of other Federal agencies for the potential to cause an adverse effect on the cost, time, or difficulty of complying with energy efficiency regulations, guidelines, or standards.

Bill: 114-s-1047
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Energy
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government studies and investigations
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to review the potential of other federal agencies' pending rulemaking proceedings to cause an adverse effect on the cost, time, or difficulty of complying with DOE's current or proposed energy efficiency regulations, guidelines, or standards.
 
DOE must consult with federal agency heads to identify areas of conflict or overlap between any of its proposed or final regulations, guidelines, or standards and relevant agencies' proposed or final regulations, guidelines, or standards. DOE must also seek public input on any identified conflicts or overlaps.
 
When there is an identified conflict or overlap, DOE must work with the head of the relevant agency and the public to resolve the conflict or overlap prior to finalizing a rulemaking to ensure that the conflict or overlap does not pose an undue compliance burden on the regulated persons.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to remove the authority of the Secretary of Energy to amend or issue new energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans.

Bill: 114-s-1048
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Energy
Energy efficiency and conservation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 
This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to eliminate the Department of Energy's authority to: (1) amend energy efficiency standards for ceiling fan light kits, and (2) issue energy efficiency or energy use standards for electricity used by ceiling fans to circulate air in a room.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1049
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Agricultural trade
Caribbean area
Cuba
Latin America
Sanctions
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Agricultural Export Expansion Act of 2015 

 
This bill amends the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 to permit a person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to provide payment or financing for sales of agricultural commodities to Cuba or to an individual or entity in Cuba. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2353-2354)
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
INSPIRES Act

Bill: 114-s-1050
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Building construction
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Energy efficiency and conservation
Higher education
Rural conditions and development
Science and engineering education
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Inspiring New STEM Professionals by Investing in Renovation of Education Spaces Act or the INSPIRES Act

 
 Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to direct the Department of Education (ED) to support local educational agencies (LEAs), community colleges, and other appropriate entities in modernizing, renovating, or repairing facilities used to provide science, technology, engineering, mathematics, or career and technical education to public elementary, secondary school, or community college students.
 
Requires ED to furnish such support by providing eligible entities with grants or loan guarantees or by making payments of interest on the financial instruments they use to fund the modernization, renovation, or repair of those facilities.
 
Prohibits the use of that support for new construction or the payment of routine maintenance costs.
 
Requires ED to direct at least 25% of the funds made available under this Act to: (1) public schools or secondary schools served by high-need LEAs, or (2) community colleges that serve a substantial number of rural students.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
National Health Service Corps Expansion Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1051
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

National Health Service Corps Expansion Act of 2015

 This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to allow the medical facilities or the health care of a county or municipal correctional institution to be designated as a health professional shortage area. (Health professionals working in a health professional shortage area are eligible for the National Health Service Corps and the Corp's fellowship program, Scholarship Program, and Loan Repayment Program.)

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2354)
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require a study on the impact of State and local performance benchmarking and disclosure policies for commercial and multifamily buildings, to provide for competitive awards to utilities, States, and units of local government, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-s-1052
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Congressional oversight
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government studies and investigations
Performance measurement
Public utilities and utility rates

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to study and report on: (1) the impact of state and local performance benchmarking and disclosure policies, and associated building efficiency policies, for commercial and multifamily buildings; (2) the impact of programs and systems in which utilities provide aggregated information regarding whole building energy consumption and usage information to owners of multitenant buildings; and (3) the best practice policy approaches studied in those impact analyses that have resulted in the greatest improvements in building energy efficiency.
 
DOE may give grants to: (1) utilities, utility regulators, and utility partners to implement programs to provide aggregated whole building energy consumption information to multitenant building owners; and (2) states and local governments to implement benchmarking and disclosure policies for commercial and multifamily buildings.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to promote alternative fueled vehicle fleets and infrastructure.

Bill: 114-s-1053
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Energy efficiency and conservation
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Motor fuels
Oil and gas
Public contracts and procurement
Public utilities and utility rates

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 
This bill amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to authorize federal agencies to participate in programs conducted by utilities that support the use of alternative fueled vehicles or the fueling or charging infrastructure necessary for those vehicles.
 
Agencies may also enter into energy savings performance contracts for designing, acquiring, installing, testing, operating, maintaining, and repairing a measure to support the use of those vehicles or their infrastructure.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-30
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act

Bill: 114-s-1054
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Computers and information technology
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government studies and investigations
Industrial facilities
Industrial policy and productivity
Manufacturing
Materials
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 

Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to complete a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the U.S. manufacturing sector. Smart manufacturing is a set of advanced sensing, instrumentation, monitoring, controls, and process optimization technologies and practices that merge information and communication technologies with the manufacturing environment for the real-time management of energy, productivity, and costs across factories and companies.
 
DOE must expand the scope of technologies covered by Industrial Assessment Centers to include smart manufacturing technologies and practices and to equip the centers' directors with the training and tools necessary to provide technical assistance in smart manufacturing technologies and practices.
 
 DOE must: (1) study how it can increase access to existing high-performance computing resources in the National Laboratories, and (2) facilitate access to the laboratories by small and medium manufacturers so that they can fully use the laboratories' high-performance computing resources to enhance manufacturing competitiveness.
 
DOE may make grants to states for establishing state programs to be used as models for supporting the implementation of smart manufacturing technologies. States must use those grants to: (1) provide access to shared supercomputing facilities to small and medium manufacturers, (2) fund research and development of transformational manufacturing processes and materials technology that advance smart manufacturing, and (3) provide tools and training to aid the adoption of energy management systems and implement smart manufacturing technologies in the manufacturers' facilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-06-09
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require the Administrator of General Services and the Secretary of Energy to set goals for deep energy retrofits in Federal buildings.

Bill: 114-s-1055
Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-04-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government buildings, facilities, and property

Summary:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: 
This bill directs the General Services Administration and the Department of Energy to develop plans for meeting goals for deep energy retrofits in federal buildings by 2020, 2030, and 2040. A deep energy retrofit is a project carried out in a federal building that results in energy savings in that building of at least 35%, and preferably at least 50%, relative to a baseline rate of energy use. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-04-22
text: Introduced in Senate