hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to provide for a temporary, emergency authorization of defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the Kurdistan Regional Government, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-s-1188
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Foreign aid and international relief
International organizations and cooperation
Iraq
Licensing and registrations
Middle East
Military assistance, sales, and agreements
Racial and ethnic relations
Religion
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 
Expresses the sense of Congress that: 
 
 
 the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) poses an acute threat to the people and territorial integrity of Iraq, including the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, and the security and stability of the Middle East and the world;
 
defeating ISIL is critical to maintaining a unified Iraq in which all faiths and ethnicities are afforded equal protection and full integration into the government and society; and 
 
any outstanding issues between the government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) should be resolved expeditiously to allow for a resumption of normal relations.
 
 
Authorizes the President to: (1) provide defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the KRG military and security services to support international coalition efforts against ISIL or any successor group; and (2) issue licenses authorizing U.S. exporters to export defense articles, defense services, and related training directly to the KRG military and security services.
 
 States that nothing in this Act shall be construed as establishing a precedent for the future provision of such assistance to organizations other than a country or international organization.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2661)
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act

Bill: 114-s-1189
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Foreign labor
Health care coverage and access
Health personnel
Immigration status and procedures
Medical education
Rural conditions and development
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Act
 
 
Amends the Immigration and Nationality Technical Corrections Act of 1994 to make the J-1 visa waiver (Conrad state 30/medical services in underserved areas) program permanent.
 
Excludes from numerical immigration limitations alien physicians who have completed national interest waiver requirements by working in a health care shortage area (including alien physicians who completed such service before the date of enactment of this Act and any spouses or children of such alien physicians).
 
Sets forth specified employment protections and contract requirements for alien physicians working in underserved areas, including a six-month status extension for a physician whose application his been denied by an oversubscribed state who then agrees to work in an undersubscribed state.
 
Increases the number of alien physicians that a state may be allocated from 30 to 35 per fiscal year under specified circumstances. Provides for additional increases or decreases based upon demand.
 
Provides up to three visa waivers per fiscal year per state for physicians in academic medical centers. 
 
Permits dual intent for an alien coming to the United States to receive graduate medical education or training, or to take examinations required for graduate medical education or training. 
 
Exempts H-1B nonimmigrant aliens seeking to enter the United States to pursue graduate medical education or training from specified entry limitations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1190
Sponsor: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2015 

 
Amends part D (Voluntary Prescription Drug Benefit Program) of title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to direct any prescription drug plan that has in its network one or more pharmacies located in a health professional shortage area, in a medically underserved area, or among a medically underserved population, and that provides a reduction in coinsurance or copayments for covered part D drugs, to extend to any pharmacy located in that area, or among that population, the option to be an in-network pharmacy under terms and conditions comparable to those the plan has agreed upon with other in-network pharmacies located in the area or among that population. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Point Reyes Coast Guard Housing Conveyance Act

Bill: 114-s-1191
Sponsor: Sen. Boxer, Barbara [D-CA]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: California
Coast guard
Department of Homeland Security
Land transfers

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Point Reyes Coast Guard Housing Conveyance Act

 
This bill directs the Coast Guard to convey 32 acres of federal land (including all buildings, structures, utilities, and facilities on the land) known as CAMSPAC Housing in Point Reyes Station to Marin County, California, to be used for affordable housing or to provide a public benefit approved by the County.
 
The property must be sold at fair market value.
 
The Coast Guard may deposit the proceeds in the Coast Guard Housing Fund.
 
The Coast Guard's authority to convey the property expires after four years.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1192
Sponsor: Sen. Blunt, Roy [R-MO]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Cancer
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health promotion and preventive care
Minority health
Rural conditions and development
Surgery and anesthesia
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Breast Cancer Patient Education Act of 2015

 
Amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services to provide for the planning and implementation of an education campaign to inform breast cancer patients anticipating surgery about the availability and coverage of breast reconstruction, prostheses, and other options, with a focus on informing patients who are members of racial and ethnic minority groups.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make permanent and expand the temporary minimum credit rate for the low-income housing tax credit program.

Bill: 114-s-1193
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax credits
Low- and moderate-income housing
Real estate business

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the low-income housing tax credit, to make permanent the minimum 9% credit rate for new buildings that are not federally-subsidized and to establish a minimum 4% credit rate for existing buildings that are not federally-subsidized. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
GRIDD Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1194
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Adult education and literacy
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Employment and training programs
Social Security Administration
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Guiding Responsible and Improved Disability Decisions Act of 2015 or the GRIDD Act of 2015 

 
The Commissioner of Social Security shall prescribe rules and regulations that update medical-vocational guidelines used in disability determinations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1195
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Education programs funding
Government information and archives
Higher education
Performance measurement
Right of privacy
Student aid and college costs
Student records

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Student Right to Know Before You Go Act of 2015 
 
 
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify reporting requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in title IV federal financial aid programs. Currently, to retain title IV eligibility, IHEs must report data to the Department of Education (ED) through the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). 
 
This bill requires IHEs to submit additional student enrollment data to ED to enable coding and reporting on students' level of academic preparation. It also requires ED to calculate additional outcome measures by institution and program, including: 
 
 
 the percentage of students who receive federal, state, or institutional grants or loans;
 
the average amount of federal loan debt upon graduation;
 
the average amount of total federal loan debt of students who do not complete a program of study;
 
student transfer rates;
 
rates of continuation to higher levels of education; and
 
the percentage of students who receive the degree they initially sought. 
 
 
ED must report additional outcome measures established by this Act, as well as all existing student data in IPEDS, based on these student types:
 
 
 receipt or non-receipt of federal Pell Grants,
 
receipt or non-receipt of Stafford Loans, 
 
participation in the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Program, 
 
enrollment status, and
 
enrollment intensity.
 
 
ED must also, in cooperation with the Social Security Administration, make publicly available data on employment metrics and median annual earnings 2 years, 6 years, and 15 years after program completion. ED must report the data by:
 
 
 education program, 

 
credential received, 

 
institution, and 

 
state of employment.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2652)
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Land Access Act

Bill: 114-s-1196
Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Land use and conservation
Oil and gas
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pipelines

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Federal Land Access Act

 
This bill amends the Mineral Leasing Act, with respect to rights-of-way for pipelines through federal lands, to redefine federal lands, for purposes of granting an application for a natural gas pipeline right-of-way, to mean all lands owned by the United States, except only those lands held in trust for an Indian or Indian tribe and lands on the outer Continental Shelf.
 
The exception for the National Park System is repealed, thereby authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to grant natural gas pipeline rights-of-way on National Park System land.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-14
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Promoting Opportunity through Informed Choice Act

Bill: 114-s-1197
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Disability assistance
Government information and archives
Social security and elderly assistance
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Promoting Opportunity through Informed Choice Act

 
Directs the Commissioner of Social Security to make on-line tools publicly available through the Social Security Administration website to allow all individuals eligible for disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits under titles II (Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance) and XVI of the Social Security Act to assess the impact of earnings on their eligibility for, and amount of, benefits received through federal and state benefit programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Improving the Integrity of Disability Evidence Act

Bill: 114-s-1198
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Disability assistance
Evidence and witnesses
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Health information and medical records
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 

Improving the Integrity of Disability Evidence Act

 
This bill amends the Social Security Act to prohibit the Commissioner of Social Security from considering (except for good cause) any medical evidence with respect to whether an individual is under a disability which is furnished by: (1) any individual convicted of a felony relating to Medicare fraud, (2) any individual or entity excluded from participation in any federal health care program, and (3) any person with respect to whom a civil monetary penalty or assessment has been imposed for the submission of false evidence.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to authorize Federal agencies to provide alternative fuel to Federal employees on a reimbursable basis, and for other purposes.

Bill: 114-s-1199
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2015-05-05 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Motor fuels
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: 
This bill allows federal agencies to: (1) construct, operate, and maintain alternative fuel infrastructure on their property; and (2) provide alternative fuel on a reimbursable basis on their property for use by privately-owned vehicles used by federal employees, members of a uniformed service, contractors, or a visitor to a federal agency or facility (covered individuals). 
 
Agencies: (1) cannot provide compensation, benefits, or any other payment to covered individuals for purchasing alternative fuel; and (2) must charge fees for alternative fuel provided that are sufficient to cover the costs of only the alternative fuel.
 
After collected fees or commissions are put into the appropriate account in the Treasury, they will be available to the agency that collected them during the fiscal year the fees or commissions were collected and the following fiscal year.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-19
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-05-05
text: Introduced in Senate
Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1200
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2015-05-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Consumer affairs
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
Medical ethics
Prescription drugs
Veterinary medicine and animal diseases

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: 

Fairness to Pet Owners Act of 2015

 
Directs the Federal Trade Commission to require prescribers of animal drugs to verify prescriptions and provide copies of prescriptions to pet owners, pet owner designees, and pharmacies, without the prescriber demanding payment or establishing other conditions. 
Treats a violation of this Act as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Clean Distributed Energy Grid Integration Act

Bill: 114-s-1201
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2015-05-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Alternative and renewable resources
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy research
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Government studies and investigations
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: 

Clean Distributed Energy Grid Integration Act

 
This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to: (1) study the status of integration of clean distributed energy into electric grids, (2) identify issues requiring additional research or regulatory development, and (3) make grants for research proposals that address technical barriers identified in the study.
 
&quot;Clean distributed energy&quot; means energy technologies that are located on the customer site operating on the customer side of the electric meter and are interconnected with the electric grid. 
DOE shall convene a stakeholder working group to:
 
 
address regulatory barriers to deployment of intelligent grid integration of clean distributed energy technologies; and
 
provide guidance on how to address the technical, regulatory, and economic factors that limit widespread integration of grid-level clean distributed energy use in order to advance the integration of such energy into electric grids. 
 
 
DOE may make grants to implement integration demonstration projects, based on study findings, to state and local agencies, public institutions, private companies, electric utilities, and equipment manufacturers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-14
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act

Bill: 114-s-1204
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2015-05-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Endangered and threatened species
Mammals
North Carolina
Seashores and lakeshores
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: 

Corolla Wild Horses Protection Act

 
Directs the Department of the Interior to enter into an agreement with the Corolla Wild Horse Fund, Currituck County, and the state of North Carolina to provide for the management of free-roaming wild horses in and around the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge. 
 
Requires that such agreement:
 
 
allow a herd of no more than 130 free-roaming wild horses in and around the Refuge;
 
provide for cost-effective management of such horses;
 
provide for the introduction of a small number of free-roaming wild horses from the herd at Cape Lookout National Seashore as is necessary to maintain the genetic viability of the herd in and around the Refuge; and
 
specify that the Corolla Wild Horse Fund shall pay certain costs associated with the health, maintenance, removal, and placement of such horses. 
 
 
Bars Interior from excluding free-roaming wild horses from any part of the Currituck National Wildlife Refuge unless: (1) it is found that the presence of such horses on a part of the Refuge threatens the survival of an endangered species for which such land is designated as critical habitat, (2) such finding is based on a peer-reviewed scientific assessment, and (3) a period of public notice and comment is provided on such finding. 
 
Prohibits the removal of any horse from the Seashore for introduction at the Refuge, except with the approval of the Foundation for Shackleford Horses Inc. and consistent with the memorandum of understanding between the National Park Service (NPS) and the Foundation and the management plan for the Shackleford Banks Horse Herd. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Introduced in Senate
National Nurse Act of 2015

Bill: 114-s-1205
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2015-05-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Department of Health and Human Services
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Health promotion and preventive care
Nursing
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: 

National Nurse Act of 2015

 
Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to designate the Chief Nurse Officer of the Public Health Service as the National Nurse for Public Health within the Office of the Surgeon General.
 
Includes among the duties of this position: (1) providing leadership and coordination of Public Health Service nursing professional affairs for the Office of the Surgeon General and other agencies of the Public Health Service, (2) conducting outreach and education, and (3) providing guidance and leadership for activities that will increase public safety and emergency preparedness. 
 
Requires the National Nurse for Public Health to: (1) participate in identification of national health priorities, (2) encourage volunteerism of nurses and strengthen the relationship between government agencies and health-related national organizations, and (3) promote the dissemination of evidence-based practice in educating the public on health promotion and disease prevention activities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2015-05-06
text: Introduced in Senate