hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Crowdfunding Enhancement Act

Bill: 114-s-3453
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Business investment and capital
Financial services and investments
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 

Crowdfunding Enhancement Act

 
This bill amends the Securities Act of 1933 to allow a crowdfunding issuer to sell shares through a crowdfunding vehicle.
 
(Crowdfunding is a method of capital formation in which groups of people pool money, typically composed of small individual contributions, and often via Internet platforms, either to invest in a company or to support an effort by others to accomplish a specific goal.)
 
A &quot;crowdfunding vehicle&quot; is a company that:
 
 
 has purposes limited to acquiring, holding, and disposing securities issued by a single company in one or more transactions and made pursuant to crowdfunding exemption transaction requirements;
 
issues only one class of securities;
 
receives no compensation for such acquisition, holding, or disposition of securities;
 
is a co-issuer with the company whose securities it holds; and
 
meets specified requirements related to disclosure obligations and the use of investment advisers.
 
 
The bill amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to revise the conditions upon which the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) shall exempt securities issued in crowdfunding transactions from SEC registration requirements.
 
 Under current law, holders of crowdfunded shares do not count toward the shareholder threshold beyond which an issuer is required to register its securities with the SEC, provided that the issuer: (1) is current in its annual reporting obligations, (2) retains the services of a registered transfer agent, and (3) has less than $25 million in assets. The bill maintains this exemption but removes and replaces the conditions upon which it applies. Specifically, holders of crowdfunded shares shall not count toward the shareholder threshold if the issuer has: (1) a public float of less than $75 million, and (2) annual revenues of less than $50 million.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6238; text of measure as introduced: CR S6238)
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to improve medication adherence.

Bill: 114-s-3454
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services to research and report on medication adherence with respect to federal health care programs. ("Medication adherence" refers to the extent to which patients take their medications as prescribed.)
 
In addition, the bill amends titles XI (General Provisions) and XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to require the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to:
 
 
upon request by a prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsor, provide the plan with Medicare enrollee claims data to provide context for an enrollee's medication regimen; 
 
in calculating the minimum medical loss ratio with respect to PDPs, include medication management as an activity that improves health care quality; and 
 
through the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, test a model for enhanced medication therapy management for PDPs under Medicare Advantage.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Pharmaceutical Supply and Value Enhancement Act

Bill: 114-s-3455
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Prescription drugs
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 

Pharmaceutical Supply and Value Enhancement Act or the Pharmaceutical SAVE Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to authorize importation of life-saving drugs for which there is, or is likely to be, a shortage. For a drug to be imported, the drug's manufacturer must intend to seek FDA approval of the drug as a generic drug. The FDA may deny importation of a drug for reasons related to safety or effectiveness. 
 
Drugs in noncompetitive markets must be treated as being in a shortage for purposes of this bill and for purposes of expedited inspections and review. A drug is in a noncompetitive market if: (1) there are fewer than five holders of approved applications for commercially available brand name or generic versions of the drug, (2) the drug has been approved for at least 10 years, and (3) patents on the active ingredient of the drug have expired. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Empowering Partners to Counter Violent Extremism Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3456
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 

Empowering Partners to Counter Violent Extremism Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to establish within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the Office for Partnerships Against Violent Extremism (OPAVE), to be headed by an Assistant Secretary.
 
The Assistant Secretary shall be responsible for:
 
 
leading DHS efforts to counter violent extremism;
 
developing a digital engagement strategy that expands DHS outreach efforts to counter violent extremist messaging;
 
serving as DHS's primary representative in coordinating countering violent extremism efforts with the CVE Task Force and with other federal agencies and nongovernmental organizations;
 
serving as the primary DHS-level representative in coordinating with the Department of State on international countering violent extremism issues;
 
providing guidance to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regarding the use of grants made under the Urban Area Security Initiative and the State Homeland Security Grant Program to state, local, and tribal governments under the allowable uses guidelines related to countering violent extremism; 
 
developing a plan to expand philanthropic support for domestic efforts related to countering violent extremism; and 
 
awarding grants to, or entering into cooperative agreements with, state, local, and tribal governments and institutions of higher education to support the efforts of local communities in the United States to counter violent extremism.
 
 
 DHS's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties shall conduct an annual review to ensure that OPAVE's activities that relate to countering violent extremism respect the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of all persons.
 
DHS shall submit to Congress a comprehensive DHS strategy and an implementation plan to counter violent extremism in the United States.
 
DHS's Under Secretary for Science and Technology, in coordination with the OPAVE, may: (1) establish one or more countering violent extremism labs, and (2) reprioritize grants to centers for homeland security to fund each lab.
 
DHS and the Department of State shall incorporate into their efforts to combat terrorist recruitment and communications the public testimonials of former or estranged violent extremists. 
 
 The OPAVE may implement a program that facilitates groups of students at institutions of higher education throughout the world in designing, piloting, implementing, and measuring the success of a social or digital initiative, product, or tool that counters the messaging of terrorist organizations communications and narratives.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Reducing Medicare Costs through Innovation Act

Bill: 114-s-3457
Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 

Reducing Medicare Costs through Innovation Act

 
This bill establishes a Medicare commercialization grant program, through which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shall award grants to eligible small businesses for certain activities related to developing novel eligible medical products and receiving Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for such products. CMS shall solicit grant applications annually, with a focus on the diseases or conditions that are the top ten cost drivers in the Medicare program.
 
To carry out the grant program, CMS shall use amounts allocated under the Small Business Act for the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.
 
The bill also establishes a pilot program (similar to a pilot program that was previously established in regulation) for parallel review of medical products with the purpose of reducing, with respect to certain medical products developed by Medicare commercialization grant recipients, the timeline for FDA approval and Medicare national coverage determinations. 
 
A Medicare commercialization grant applicant may choose to apply for FDA approval of novel medical products either through a traditional process or through the pilot program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3458
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Advisory bodies
Aging
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Child health
Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Disability and paralysis
Education of the disadvantaged
Elementary and secondary education
Executive agency funding and structure
Family relationships
Family services
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
HIV/AIDS
Health promotion and preventive care
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Intergovernmental relations
Mental health
Minority health
Nutrition and diet
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance
State and local government operations
Wages and earnings
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 

Two-Generation Economic Empowerment Act of 2016

 
This bill establishes the interagency Council on Multigenerational Poverty to carry out specified objectives and the 2-generation approach, including by providing guidance, and addressing questions pertaining to 2-generation programs and other programs engaging in efforts to break the cycle of multigenerational poverty.
 
The council shall develop, make available for public comment, and submit to the President and Congress, a strategic plan to end and prevent multigenerational poverty that includes activities under the 2-generation approach and other activities consistent with specified objectives.
 
The council shall ensure that specified information is made available to the public and displayed on the official website of the council, including the national strategic plan to end and prevent multigenerational poverty and certain information on the 2-generation program.
 
The Government Accountability Office must study, and report to Congress and the council, on federal block grants under the jurisdiction of council participants to identify barriers and opportunities for collaboration in order to carry out the 2-generation approach.
 
The council shall establish: (1) the 2-generation performance partnership pilot program, and (2) the 2-generation social impact bonds pilot program.
 
The Office of Management and Budget shall designate lead agencies for purposes of carrying out the 2-generation programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6238-6241)
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to enhance the requirements for secure geological storage of carbon dioxide for purposes of the carbon dioxide sequestration credit.

Bill: 114-s-3459
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
Introduced: 2016-09-28 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Income tax credits
Oil and gas
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise requirements for the secure geological storage of carbon dioxide for the purpose of the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration. 
 
The bill establishes a December 31, 2016, deadline and requirements for regulations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is required, under current law, to establish for determining adequate security measures for the geological storage of the carbon dioxide such that carbon dioxide does not escape into the atmosphere. 
 
The IRS regulations must consider the carbon dioxide to be disposed of in secure geological storage if it is stored in compliance with specified rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, the injection of carbon dioxide, and the criteria and standards for underground injection control programs that are applicable to Class II Wells. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-09-28
text: Introduced in Senate
Local Community and Sportsmen Input in Monuments Act

Bill: 114-s-3460
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Local Community and Sportsmen Input in Monuments Act

 
This bill makes the designation of a national monument by the President subject to the following consultation and approval requirements. 
 
No national monuments may be designated by the President unless:
 
 
each county, borough, parish, or equivalent unit of local government within and adjacent to the boundaries of which the proposed monument is to be located has been consulted respecting the designation and has approved it; and
 
the governor and the legislature of each state within the boundaries of which such monument is to be located has approved it. 
 
 
Any national monument that is designated subject to such requirements shall be open to hunting, fishing, other forms of recreation, grazing, and historic or traditional uses, unless the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the Department of the Army closes all or a portion of the monument to one or more of such uses in accordance with the purposes of federal law relating to monuments, ruins, sites, and objects of antiquity. 
 
Interior shall not impose any restrictions on hunting, fishing, grazing, wildlife management, or other historic or traditional uses at a national monument that is designated subject to this bill until the end of an appropriate review period which provides for, respecting the proposed restriction, concurrence by the applicable state wildlife management agencies, public input, and approval by Congress.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S6269)
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Securities and Exchange Commission Overpayment Credit Act

Bill: 114-s-3461
Sponsor: Sen. Kirk, Mark Steven [R-IL]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Executive agency funding and structure
Financial services and investments
Securities
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Securities and Exchange Commission Overpayment Credit Act

 
This bill instructs the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to offset, by a prescribed amount, future fees and assessments due by a national securities exchange or a national securities association that has paid fees and assessments to the SEC in an amount exceeding the amount of transaction fees required under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 if, within 10 years of paying such excess amount, the exchange or association informs the SEC about payment of that amount. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act

Bill: 114-s-3462
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Regulatory Relief for Small Businesses, Schools, and Nonprofits Act

 
This bill postpones from December 1, 2016, until June 1, 2017, the effective date of a final rule of the Department of Labor revising income thresholds for determining overtime pay for executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and computer (&quot;white collar&quot;) employees exempt from regular minimum wage and overtime pay requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Student Worker Exemption Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3463
Sponsor: Sen. Johnson, Ron [R-WI]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Student Worker Exemption Act of 
 
2016

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude students who are employed by an institution of higher education (IHE) and carrying a full-time academic workload at the IHE from being counted as full-time employees in calculating the IHE's shared responsibility regarding health care coverage under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Overtime Reform and Review Act

Bill: 114-s-3464
Sponsor: Sen. Alexander, Lamar [R-TN]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Overtime Reform and Review Act

 
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) with respect to exemptions from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements for executive, administrative, professional and outside sales employees to increase over a five-year period the salary threshold for such exemptions, beginning on December 1, 2016, with a subsequent increase on December 1, 2018, and each December 1 through 2021.
 
The Government Accountability Office shall conduct, and submit to Congress, a study of the implementation of the 2016 initial salary threshold.
 
The rule submitted by the Department of Labor entitled &quot;Defining and Delimiting the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales and Computer Employees&quot; shall cease to have any force or effect.
 
This bill amends the FLSA, with respect to requirements for updating the salary threshold, to direct Labor, for any change to the salary threshold, to: (1) propose a specific and enumerated rate of compensation required for an employee to be exempt from minimum wage and maximum hour requirements, and (2) issue a rule through notice and comment rulemaking.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-11-15
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 661.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6269-6270)
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Israel Against Economic Discrimination Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3465
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Foreign Trade and International Finance
Subjects: Arab-Israeli relations
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Corporate finance and management
Government lending and loan guarantees
Israel
Middle East
Sanctions
Trade restrictions
U.S. and foreign investments
United Nations

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Protecting Israel Against Economic Discrimination Act of 2016

 
This bill declares that Congress opposes politically motivated boycotts, divestment from, and sanctions against Israel. 
 
The bill amends the Export Administration Act of 1979 to declare that it shall be U.S. policy to oppose: 
 
 
requests by foreign countries to impose restrictive practices or boycotts against other countries friendly to the United States or against U.S. persons; and 
 
restrictive trade practices or boycotts fostered or imposed by an international governmental organization, or requests to impose such practices or boycotts, against Israel. 
 
 
The bill prohibits U.S. persons engaged in interstate or foreign commerce from:
 
 
requesting the imposition of any boycott by a foreign country against a country which is friendly to the United States; or 
 
supporting any boycott fostered or imposed by an international organization, or requesting imposition of any such boycott, against Israel.
 
 
The bill amends the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 to include as a reason for the Export-Import Bank to deny credit applications for the export of goods and services between the United States and foreign countries, opposition to policies and actions that are politically motivated and are intended to penalize or otherwise limit commercial relations specifically with citizens or residents of Israel, entities organized under the laws of Israel, or the Government of Israel.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Accelerating New Pharmaceutical Competition Act

Bill: 114-s-3466
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2016-09-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: 

Accelerating New Pharmaceutical Competition Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to permit brand name drug applications to rely upon investigations conducted in certain foreign countries if the drug has been approved in the foreign country where the investigations were conducted. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has 90 days to act on these applications.
 
The bill revises a provision regarding the effective date of the approval of a generic drug that is subject to a patent infringement action.
 The FDA must prioritize the review of, and act within 150 days on, generic drug applications or supplements to generic drug applications for drugs: (1) for which there is a shortage, or (2) that have not been recently introduced to the market by more than one manufacturer and for which tentative approval has not been granted to more than two applications.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-09-29
text: Introduced in Senate