hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to require consultations on reuniting Korean Americans with family members in North Korea.

Bill: 114-s-2657
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2016-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia
Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Family relationships
North Korea
South Korea

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: 
This bill directs the Department of State to consult with South Korean officials on potential opportunities to reunite Korean American families with family members in North Korea from whom such Korean American families were divided after the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement. 
 
At least every 180 days the State Department's Special Representative on North Korea Policy shall consult with representatives of these Korean American families regarding reunification efforts.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
RPM Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2659
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2016-03-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Motor vehicles
Professional sports

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: 

Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016 or the RPM Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Clean Air Act to allow the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls if the vehicle is used solely for competition.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2016-03-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans Health Administration Spending Transparency and Oversight Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2660
Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Hospital care
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Public contracts and procurement
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Veterans Health Administration Spending Transparency and Oversight Act of 2016

 
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to make an ongoing evaluation, including under contract with a federally funded research and development center, of the costs of VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care as compared to the costs of the same care or services furnished in the private sector.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
ACES Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2661
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Higher education
Military personnel and dependents
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Military Spouses Achieving College Education for Survivors Act of 2016 or ACES Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to deem any member of the Armed Forces who died between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2005, to have died on January 1, 2006, in order to make that member's surviving spouse eligible for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry scholarship. (Surviving spouses of service members who die in the line of duty after September 11, 2001, are eligible for such assistance until the earlier of the date they remarry or the date that is 15 years after the military spouse's death.) 
 
 A surviving spouse of a member of the Armed Forces who died between September 11, 2001, and December 31, 2005, who elected before enactment of this Act to receive educational benefits under the Survivors and Dependents Educational Assistance program or the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Frye program may revoke such choice. (Such an election is currently irrevocable.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Pay What You Owe Before You Go Act

Bill: 114-s-2662
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Corporate finance and management
Foreign and international corporations
Taxation of foreign income

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Pay What You Owe Before You Go Act

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require the recapture in subpart F income (i.e., income of a controlled foreign corporation earned outside the United States which is not tax deferred) of the accumulated deferred foreign income of such corporation (i.e., the undistributed earnings of the controlled foreign corporation over its undistributed U.S. earnings) for its last taxable year. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act

Bill: 114-s-2663
Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer affairs
Consumer credit
Financial services and investments
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Minority and disadvantaged businesses
Motor vehicles
Rural conditions and development
Small business
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Women in business

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Reforming CFPB Indirect Auto Financing Guidance Act 

 
 This bill declares without force or effect Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Bulletin 2013-02 (Indirect Auto Lending and Compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act), published March 21, 2013.
 
 The Consumer Financial Protection Act of 2010 is amended to direct the CFPB, when proposing and issuing guidance primarily related to indirect auto financing, to:
 
 
provide for a public notice and comment period before issuing the guidance in final form;
 
make publicly available all information relied on by the CFPB;
 
redact any information exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act;
 
consult with the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Justice; and 
study the costs and impacts of the guidance to consumers and women-owned, minority-owned, veteran-owned, and small businesses, including consumers and small businesses in rural areas. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-04-07
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 114-520.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4910 Brighton Boulevard in Denver, Colorado, as the "George Sakato Post Office".

Bill: 114-s-2664
Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Colorado
Congressional tributes
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Postal service

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 4910 Brighton Boulevard in Denver, Colorado, as the "George Sakato Post Office."

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2665
Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Intergovernmental relations
Right of privacy
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

State and Local Cyber Protection Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS's) national cybersecurity and communications integration center (NCCIC) to assist state and local governments with cybersecurity by:
 
 
upon request, identifying system vulnerabilities and information security protections to address unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction of information collected or maintained by, or information systems used or operated by, state or local governments or other organizations or contractors on their behalf; 
 
providing via a web portal updated resources and guidelines related to information security; 
 
coordinating through national associations to implement information security tools and policies to ensure the resiliency of state and local information systems; 
 
providing training on cybersecurity, privacy, and civil liberties; 
 
providing requested technical assistance to deploy technology that continuously diagnoses and mitigates cyber threats and to conduct threat and vulnerability assessments; 
 
coordinating vulnerability disclosures under standards developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and 
 
ensuring that state and local governments are aware of DHS resources and other federal tools to ensure the security and resiliency of federal civilian information systems.

 
The NCCIC's privacy and civil liberties training must include: (1) reasonable limits on the receipt, retention, use, and disclosure of information associated with specific persons that is not necessary for cybersecurity purposes; (2) data integrity standards requiring the prompt removal and destruction of obsolete or erroneous names and personal information that is unrelated to the risk or incident information; (3) safeguards and confidentiality protections for cyber threat indicators and defensive measures, including information that is proprietary or business-sensitive that may be used to identify specific persons from unauthorized access or acquisition; and (4) methods to ensure that information obtained from efforts to address cybersecurity risks and incidents is used only for such purposes or as specifically authorized by law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Corporate Inverters Earnings Stripping Reform Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2666
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Corporate finance and management
Foreign and international corporations
Income tax deductions
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Corporate Inverters Earnings Stripping Reform Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose limitations on the tax deduction for interest paid by corporations which are designated as applicable entities (i.e., members of an expanded affiliated group which includes a surrogate foreign corporation which is not treated as a domestic corporation). Such an entity may not claim a tax deduction for interest that exceeds 25% of its adjusted taxable income and may not carry forward interest which is paid or accrued during the first year in which such entity becomes an applicable entity.
 
The bill requires an applicable entity to file an annual application for an approval agreement (i.e., a prefiling, advance pricing, or other agreement involving a related-party transaction) with the Internal Revenue Service during the 10-year period after it becomes an applicable entity. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Gulf States Protection and Restoration Coordination Act

Bill: 114-s-2667
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alabama
Aquatic ecology
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Florida
Gulf of Mexico
Intergovernmental relations
International organizations and cooperation
Latin America
Louisiana
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Mexico
Mississippi
Solid waste and recycling
State and local government operations
Texas
Water quality
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Gulf States Protection and Restoration Coordination Act

 
This bill amends the Coastal Zone Management Act to designate the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) as a regional coordination entity of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The regional coordination would strengthen collaboration efforts among federal, state, local, and private participants in the five Gulf states (Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas) to restore and protect the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem.
 
The designation authorizes the GOMA to:
 
 
unify the efforts of participants to efficiently restore and protect the ecosystem,
 
provide grants to implement specific action plans that meet coordination goals,
 
improve water quality in the ecosystem,
 
publish information about living coastal and marine resources in the ecosystem,
 
develop public outreach programs that foster stewardship of the ecosystem, and
 
serve as the liaison to the Mexican members of the Gulf of Mexico States Accord and Mexican counterparts.
 
 
Any grants issued by the GOMA for ecosystem research can be used to:
 
 
monitor and develop strategies that address water quality needs,
 
investigate the effects of natural and human-induced changes, 
 
restore and sustain living coastal and marine resources,
 
restore and conserve key habitats, or
 
eliminate contamination problems.
 
 
In addition, the GOMA is required to submit to NOAA an annual report that describes the goals, objectives, and benefits of any efforts undertaken to strengthen cooperation among participants in restoring and protecting the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem. Furthermore, NOAA is required to submit to Congress an assessment, every three years, on the effectiveness of the GOMA's ability to coordinate regional restoration and protection efforts in the ecosystem.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to provide housing opportunities for individuals living with HIV or AIDS.

Bill: 114-s-2668
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: HIV/AIDS
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Housing and community development funding
Public housing

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

 
This bill amends the AIDS Housing Opportunity Act to revise the formula and requirements for distributing funds under the Housing Opportunities for Persons With Aids (HOPWA) Program.
 
 A grantee that received an allocation in FY2016 shall continue to be eligible for such allocations in subsequent fiscal years, subject to approval by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the amounts available from appropriations Acts.
 
HUD shall:
 
 
redetermine a grantee's eligibility at least once every 10 years, and
 
ensure that a grantee that received an allocation in the prior fiscal year does not receive an allocation 5% less than or 10% greater than the share of total available formula funds allocated to that grantee in the preceding fiscal year. 
 
 
HUD may also award such funds to an alternative grantee if the original grantee agrees in a written document meeting HUD approval.
 
References to &quot;cases of AIDS&quot; and &quot;AIDS cases&quot; shall be replaced by &quot;individuals living with HIV or AIDS,&quot; which means, with respect to the counting of cases in a geographic area during a period of time, the sum of:
 
 
the number of living non-AIDS cases of HIV in the area, and
 
the number of living cases of AIDS in the area.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring Removal of Terminated Providers from Medicaidand CHIP Act

Bill: 114-s-2669
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health personnel
Medicaid
Medicare
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Ensuring Removal of Terminated Providers from Medicaid and CHIP Act

 
This bill amends titles XIX (Medicaid) and XXI (Children's Health Insurance Program [CHIP]) of the Social Security Act to prohibit federal payment under Medicaid for nonemergency services furnished by providers whose participation in Medicaid, Medicare, or CHIP has been terminated.
 
Under current law, a state must exclude from Medicaid participation any provider that has been terminated under any state's Medicaid program or under Medicare. The bill maintains those requirements and further requires a state to exclude from Medicaid participation any provider that has been terminated under CHIP. Furthermore, a state must exclude from CHIP participation any provider that has been terminated under Medicaid or Medicare.
 
The bill also revises a state's reporting requirements with respect to terminating a provider under a state plan. A state shall require each Medicaid or CHIP provider, whether the provider participates on a fee-for-service (FFS) basis or within the network of a managed care organization (MCO), to enroll with the state by providing specified identifying information. When notifying the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that a provider has been terminated under a state plan, the state must submit this information as well as information regarding the termination date and reason. HHS shall review such termination notifications and, if appropriate, include them in a database or similar system, as specified by the bill.
 
The bill prohibits federal payment under a state's Medicaid or CHIP program for services provided by an MCO unless: (1) the state has a system for notifying MCOs when a provider is terminated under Medicaid, Medicare, or CHIP; and (2) any contract between the state plan and an MCO provides that such providers be excluded from participation in the MCO provider network. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text of measure as introduced: CR S1441-1442)
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Micro Drone Safety and Innovation Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2670
Sponsor: Sen. Vitter, David [R-LA]
Introduced: 2016-03-10 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Aviation and airports
Department of Transportation
Licensing and registrations
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: 

Micro Drone Safety and Innovation Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 to make a special rule for any micro unmanned aircraft system whose aircraft component, including payload, weighs at most 4.4 pounds (micro drone).
 
A micro drone and its operator shall qualify for exemptions from certain airman certification, airworthiness, and operational regulations if the system is operated:
 
 
at an altitude under 400 feet above ground level,
 
at an airspeed under 40 knots,
 
within the operator's visual line of sight, 
 
between sunrise and sunset, and
 
at least five statute miles from the geographic center of an airport that either has an operational air traffic control tower or is denoted on a current aeronautical chart published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
 
 
A micro drone may also be operated within five statute miles of such an airport if, beforehand, the operator notifies the airport operator and receives approval from the air traffic control tower, if the airport has one.
 
Under the exemptions of this bill, any person may operate a micro drone without being required to:
 
 
 pass any aeronautical knowledge test,
 
meet any age or experience requirement, or
 
obtain an airman certificate or medical certificate.
 
 
In an alternative to the requirements of this bill, a micro drone may be operated pursuant to any form of FAA-prescribed authorization, operational rules, or exemptions pertaining to unmanned aircraft systems; but both the aircraft and its operator shall remain exempt from any requirement for an airman certificate or medical certificate.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-14
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2016-03-10
text: Introduced in Senate
Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-2671
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2016-03-14 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Education programs funding
Health facilities and institutions
Health programs administration and funding
Hospital care
Medical education
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2016-03-14
text: 

Advancing Medical Resident Training in Community Hospitals Act of 2016

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise payment rules for graduate medical education (GME) costs with respect to a hospital that establishes a new medical residency training program. 
 
With respect to a hospital that has not entered into a GME affiliation agreement, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall establish the hospital's full-time equivalent (FTE) resident amount only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with an approved FTE resident amount based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its FTE resident amount reestablished when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold. 
 
Current law limits the number, subject to the application of certain adjustments, of FTE residents a hospital may have in allopathic and osteopathic medicine for purposes of Medicare payment. The bill specifies that CMS shall determine a hospital's limitation adjustment only after determining that the hospital's medical residency training program trains more than 1.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period. In the case of a hospital with a limitation adjustment based on the training of no more than 1.0 FTE resident in a cost reporting period before October 1, 1997, or 3.0 FTE residents in a cost reporting period after that date, CMS shall provide the hospital an opportunity to have its adjustment re-determined when the hospital begins training FTE residents in excess of the applicable threshold. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-03-14
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-03-14
text: Introduced in Senate