hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Haitian Partnership Renewal Act

Bill: 114-s-503
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Caribbean area
Haiti
Latin America
Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Haitian Partnership Renewal Act

 
This bill amends the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act to extend: (1) the 60% applicable percentage requirement for duty-free entry of apparel articles assembled in Haiti and imported from Haiti or the Dominican Republic to the United States, and (2) duty-free entry of such articles through December 19, 2030.
 
Duty-free entry for woven articles and certain knit articles assembled in Haiti and imported from Haiti or the Dominican Republic to the United States is extended through September 30, 2030.
 
The special duty-free rules for Haiti are extended through September 30, 2030.
 
The transition period treatment of certain textile and apparel articles is extended through September 30, 2030.
 
Duty-free coverage is provided:
 
 
for certain footwear, travel goods, leather wearing apparel, and lamps, lighting, and other electrical components that undergo a change in Haiti and are imported directly from Haiti or the Dominican Republic; and
 
through September 30, 2030, for a qualifying wire harness automotive component that is the product or manufacture of Haiti and is imported directly from Haiti.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-504
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Aquatic ecology
Canada
Congressional oversight
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Great Lakes
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
International organizations and cooperation
Water quality
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Great Lakes Ecological and Economic Protection Act of 2015

 
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to expand the purpose of the Act to include achieving the goals established in the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Action Plan and the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration Strategy.
 
This bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the Great Lakes Legacy Act for the remediation of sediment contamination in areas of concern, the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Great Lakes National Program Office, and EPA's Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. 
 
The Initiative must prioritize work done by non-federal partners in specified focus areas. Initiative funding may not be used for a water infrastructure activity that is implemented using funds made available under the clean water or drinking water state revolving fund programs, except green infrastructure projects that improve habitat and other ecosystem functions in the Great Lakes.
 
Federal agencies must maintain the base level of funding for their Great Lakes activities and identify new activities to support the environmental goals of the Initiative. 
 
The bill codifies the establishment of the Great Lakes Advisory Board and the Great Lakes Interagency Task Force, which were previously established by the EPA. The Board must provide advice and recommendations to the EPA on matters pertaining to Great Lakes restoration and protection. The Task Force must collaborate with Canada and coordinate the development of federal policy on Great Lakes restoration and protection. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to extend the Health Coverage Tax Credit.

Bill: 114-s-505
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Income tax credits

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for health insurance coverage costs by extending the eligible coverage month in which a taxpayer and the taxpayer's family members are covered by qualified health insurance to any month beginning before January 1, 2020. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend part B of title XVIII of the Social Security Act to exclude customary prompt pay discounts from manufacturers to wholesalers from the average sales price for drugs and biologicals under Medicare, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-s-506
Sponsor: Sen. Roberts, Pat [R-KS]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Medicare
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 
Amends part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to exclude from the average sales price in calculating Medicare payments for drugs and biologicals any customary prompt pay discounts from manufacturers to wholesalers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act

Bill: 114-s-507
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Employment discrimination and employee rights
Labor-management relations
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Rewarding Achievement and Incentivizing Successful Employees Act or the RAISE Act

 
 Amends the National Labor Relations Act to declare that neither its prohibition against interference by an employer with employees' right to bargain collectively, nor the terms of a collective bargaining agreement entered into between employees and an employer after enactment of this Act, shall prohibit an employer from paying an employee higher wages, pay, or other compensation than the agreement provides for.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
FLAME Act Amendments of 2015

Bill: 114-s-508
Sponsor: Sen. McCain, John [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Appropriations
Congressional oversight
Department of Agriculture
Disaster relief and insurance
Emergency planning and evacuation
Endangered and threatened species
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Government trust funds
Land use and conservation
Performance measurement
Public contracts and procurement
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

FLAME Act Amendments of 2015

 
 Amends the FLAME Act of 2009 to revise how the FLAME Funds for the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) are funded. 
 
Makes amounts appropriated to a FLAME Fund available to USDA or Interior for wildfire suppression operations if the department concerned notifies the relevant congressional committees that a wildfire suppression event is eligible for funding from the FLAME Fund.
 
Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require certain adjustments to discretionary spending limits to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at USDA or Interior.
 
Requires adjustments for fire suppression to be made if all amounts in the FLAME Fund established under the FLAME Act of 2009 have been expended and other specified conditions are met.
 
Amends existing disaster funding adjustments to discretionary spending limits to add provisions related to fire suppression adjustments. 
 Authorizes USDA to conduct projects that involve the management or sale of national forest material within certain National Forest System (NFS) lands. 
 
 Amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to authorize the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to obligate funds to cover any potential cancellation or termination costs (cancellation ceiling) in stages that are economically or programmatically viable with respect to an agreement or contract for a stewardship end result contracting project. Requires the Forest Service and BLM to submit written notice to Congress and the Office of Management and Budget 30 days before entering into a multiyear agreement or contract that includes a cancellation ceiling exceeding $25 million if proposed funding for the costs of cancelling the agreement or contract up to the ceiling is not included.
 
Allows the Forest Service and BLM, if the offset value of the forest products to be removed exceeds the value of the resource improvement treatments, to: (1) use the excess to satisfy any outstanding liabilities for cancelled agreements or contracts; or (2) if there are no such outstanding liabilities, apply the excess to other authorized stewardship projects. 
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center Act

Bill: 114-s-509
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Sciences and History
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Archaeology and anthropology
Department of the Interior
Executive agency funding and structure
Land transfers
Monuments and memorials
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
New York City
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Racial and ethnic relations
U.S. history

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center Act

 
 Establishes the African Burial Ground International Memorial Museum and Educational Center at the African Burial Ground National Monument in New York, New York. 
 
Directs the National Park Service , to: (1) acquire for the Museum property that is located adjacent to the National Monument or in any other area of the African Burial Ground National Historic Landmark in the city other than the location adjacent to the Monument, and (2) construct the Museum on the acquired property. 
 
Establishes within the Department of the Interior the African Burial Ground Advisory Council to: (1) make recommendations to the Secretary on the construction of the Museum, and (2) advise and assist Interior on all matters relating to the operation and preservation of the Museum.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Reform Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-510
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Government studies and investigations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Reform Act of 2015 or CFPB-IG Act of 2015

 
 Amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to repeal the authority of the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to appoint the Inspector General of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
 
Requires the CFPB Inspector General to be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act

Bill: 114-s-511
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural practices and innovations
Civil actions and liability
Department of Health and Human Services
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Genetics
Immunology and vaccination

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to prohibit the sale of food that has been genetically engineered or contains genetically engineered ingredients, unless that information is clearly disclosed.
 
This prohibition does not apply to: (1) food served in restaurants, (2) medical food, (3) packaged food that is less than 0.9% genetically engineered material, and (4) food that qualifies as genetically engineered solely because it is produced using a genetically engineered vaccine or because it includes the use of a genetically engineered processing aid (including yeast) or enzyme. 
 
Labeling or advertising foods containing genetically engineered material as &ldquo;natural,&rdquo; or using similar words, is prohibited.
 
A food recipient is not subject to penalties for misbranding of genetically engineered food or ingredients if the recipient has a guaranty that is signed by the person from whom they received the food (including seeds) and the guaranty states that the food is not genetically engineered or does not contain a genetically engineered ingredient.
 
Food is deemed to have been produced without the knowing or intentional use of genetic engineering if: (1) the food is certified as organic; or (2) an independent organization determines the food has not been knowingly or intentionally genetically engineered or commingled with genetically engineered food, with that determination being based on testing that is consistent with international standards and not reliant on processed foods with no detectable DNA.
 An agricultural producer is not subject to penalties for misbranding of genetically engineered food or ingredients if a violation occurs because food unintentionally becomes contaminated with genetically engineered material and the contamination is not due to the producer&rsquo;s negligence.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad Act

Bill: 114-s-512
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Business records
Census and government statistics
Computers and information technology
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Evidence and witnesses
Government information and archives
International law and treaties
International organizations and cooperation
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Jurisdiction and venue
Trade agreements and negotiations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Law Enforcement Access to Data Stored Abroad Act

 
 Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a governmental entity to require the disclosure by a provider of electronic communication service or remote computing service of the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is in electronic storage with or otherwise stored, held, or maintained by the provider only pursuant to a warrant issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
 
Authorizes such a warrant to require such disclosure regardless of where such contents may be in electronic storage or otherwise stored, held, or maintained by the provider if the holder of the account the contents of which are sought by the warrant is a U.S. person. Requires a court, on a service provider's motion, to modify or vacate such a warrant upon finding that it would require the provider to violate the laws of a foreign country.
 
Sets forth requirements for government notification of provider customers or subscribers regarding the receipt of communication contents pursuant to such a warrant.
 
Directs the Attorney General to: (1) establish a form for use by a foreign government filing a mutual legal assistance treaty (MLAT) request; (2) establish an online docketing system for all MLAT requests; and (3) publish statistics annually on MLAT requests made by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to foreign governments, and by foreign governments to DOJ, to obtain the contents of communications or other information or records from a provider of electronic communications or remote computing services.
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) data localization requirements imposed by foreign governments on data providers are incompatible with the borderless nature of the Internet, an impediment to online innovation, and unnecessary to meet the needs of law enforcement; and (2) DOJ, the Department of State, and the U.S. Trade Representative should pursue open data flow policies with foreign nations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill for the relief of Esther Karinge.

Bill: 114-s-513
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Subjects: Private Legislation

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Provides for the relief of Esther Karinge.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Promise Neighborhoods Authorization Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-514
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Child care and development
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Family services
Indian social and development programs
Minority education
Performance measurement
Preschool education
Public-private cooperation
School administration
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Promise Neighborhoods Authorization Act of 2015

 
Amends title IV (21st Century Schools) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a new part D, entitled &quot;the Promise Neighborhoods Act of 2015.&quot;
 
Directs the Secretary, under subpart 1 (Promise Neighborhood Partnership Grants), to award renewable, competitive, matching grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs), Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or nonprofit organizations to implement a comprehensive continuum of coordinated services and supports that engage community partners in improving the academic achievement, health and social development, and college and career readiness of children who live in distressed neighborhoods with persistently low-achieving schools or schools with an achievement gap.
 
Directs the Secretary, under subpart 2 (Promise School Grants), to award renewable, competitive, matching grants to high-need local educational agencies (LEAs) that partner with nonprofit organizations or IHEs, and to Indian schools that partner with nonprofit organizations or IHEs, to implement school-centered strategies and integrated student supports that leverage community partnerships to improve student achievement and development in schools with high concentrations of low-income children. Gives priority to applicants that propose to: (1) include significant investments in high-quality early learning programs, and (2) give schools the operational flexibility to carry out grant activities.
 
Requires part D grantees to evaluate their programs continuously and improve them based on data and outcomes. Directs the Secretary to use certain performance metrics to determine the eligibility of part D grantees for continued funding and renewal of their grant. Directs the Secretary to evaluate this part's grant programs and disseminate research on best practices for improving the academic and developmental outcomes of children living in our most distressed communities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Sequestration Relief Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-515
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Budget deficits and national debt
Budget process
Child safety and welfare
Defense spending
Educational facilities and institutions
Executive agency funding and structure
Health programs administration and funding
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Housing and community development funding
Infrastructure development
Marine and inland water transportation
Medical research
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Poverty and welfare assistance
Public transit
Railroads
Research administration and funding
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Sequestration Relief Act of 2015 

 
This bill amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to revise the discretionary spending limits for FY2016 and FY2017 and eliminate spending reductions required by sequestration. Current law requires a sequestration, or automatic across-the-board spending cuts, to enforce deficit reduction requirements. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Budget.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Every Child Counts Act

Bill: 114-s-516
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-02-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Disability and paralysis
Elementary and secondary education
Special education

Summary:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: 

Every Child Counts Act

 
Amends the school improvement program under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to establish alternate academic achievement standards and assessments for students who have the most significant cognitive disabilities.
 
Requires the alternate standards to meet certain conditions, including that they:
 
 
are aligned with the state's challenging academic content and achievement standards;
 
provide access to the general curriculum for the grade in which the student is enrolled; and
 
establish, at a minimum, two levels of achievement (on-target and advanced) that indicate that a student meets or exceeds the state's proficient level of academic achievement; and
 
establish, at a minimum, a third level of achievement (catch-up) that provides information about a student's progress toward proficiency.
 
 
Requires each state using alternate assessments to ensure that: (1) not more than 1% of the total number of all students in each grade level in the state who are assessed in a subject are assessed using the alternate assessments, (2) the state's regular academic assessments remain accessible to all students, and (3) the alternate assessments are peer reviewed and based on the best available evidence.
 
Allows each state to count students who are determined to be proficient using such alternate assessments in its determination of the percentage of the state's students who are meeting or exceeding the state's academic content and achievement standards.
 
Requires states' annual report cards to: (1) include the number and percentage of disabled students who take the alternate assessments; and (2) break that information down by grade, subject matter, and disability type.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-02-12
text: Introduced in Senate