hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
EHR Regulatory Relief Act

Bill: 114-s-3173
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health personnel
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

EHR Regulatory Relief Act

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to: 
 
 
establish a 90-day reporting period with respect to determining whether an eligible professional or hospital is a meaningful electronic health record (EHR) user,
 
allow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to determine that an eligible professional or hospital is a meaningful EHR user if the professional or hospital meets a specified percentage of the applicable measures established by CMS, and
 
extend the applicability of the hardship exception with respect to meaningful EHR use.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
LADDER Act

Bill: 114-s-3174
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Employment and training programs
Energy assistance for the poor and aged
Executive agency funding and structure
Medicaid
Trade adjustment assistance
Unemployment
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Leveling Access to Demonstrated Drivers of Employment Results Act or the LADDER Act

 
This bill establishes in the executive branch an independent Interagency Council on Workforce Attachment to:
 
 
facilitate the coordination of federal programs and activities to promote workforce attachment among populations of individuals who face a challenge in consistently maintaining full-time employment,
 
collect evidence of effective strategies to promote workforce attachment among such populations at every level of government and within the private sector,
 
fund demonstration projects to ensure the evaluation of the effectiveness of strategies to promote workforce attachment among such populations; and
 
encourage the implementation of effective strategies.
 
 
The council shall: (1) review all federal programs and activities designed to promote workforce attachment among such populations, (2) recommend federal and state agency action to increase coordination and reduce duplication among such programs and activities, and (3) ensure that these authorities are implemented in a manner that includes a review of recommendations related to Medicaid Buy-In programs.
 
The council shall develop a National Strategic Plan to Promote Workforce Attachment.
 
The council shall award grants to eligible entities to conduct demonstration projects designed to develop, implement, and evaluate strategies to promote workforce attachment among such populations. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
First-Time Homebuyer Credit Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3175
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Housing finance and home ownership
Income tax credits
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

First-Time Homebuyer Credit Act of 2016 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify the first-time homebuyer tax credit, which expired in 2010. 
 
The bill allows a refundable tax credit for first-time homebuyers of a principal residence in the United States who are at least 18 years of age and not claimed as a dependent by another taxpayer. The credit is equal to 2.5% of the purchase price of the residence, subject to a $10,000 dollar limitation and limits based on the purchase price of the home and the adjusted gross income of the taxpayer. 
 
A taxpayer that purchases and disposes of a residence in the same taxable year is not eligible for the credit. Taxpayers that dispose of the residence within five years of claiming the credit are liable for additional taxes based on a specified recapture percentage of the amount of the credit that was allowed. The bill includes several exceptions for a disposal that occurs after circumstances such as a death, divorce, involuntary conversion of the residence, relocation of a military duty station, or changes in employment or health status. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
STAAR Act

Bill: 114-s-3176
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug therapy
Government information and archives
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Prescription drugs

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Strategies to Address Antibiotic Resistance Act or the STAAR Act

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise provisions regarding the Antimicrobial Resistance Task Force.
 
The Presidential Advisory Council on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria must provide advice, information, and recommendations to the Department of Health and Human Services.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must carry out activities to collect data on antibiotic resistance, including assessing conditions and outcomes related to antibacterial resistance and working with others to obtain human antibiotic drug consumption data.
 
The CDC must establish Antibiotic Resistance Surveillance and Laboratory Network sites, including to monitor antibiotic-resistant bacteria, describe and respond to outbreaks, and evaluate resistance testing methods.
 
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases must maintain: (1) a Clinical Trials Network on Antibacterial Resistance, and (2) a leadership group to advance a clinical research agenda to address antibacterial resistance.
 
The CDC must work with state and local health departments to support efforts by groups of health care facilities to prevent the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
 The CDC and the epicenters participating in the Prevention Epicenters Program must work with others to: (1) evaluate prevention programs and interventions to limit infections in health care facilities, and (2) facilitate research on the prevention and control of resistant organisms. The CDC must use research from the epicenters to create and disseminate educational materials for use in health care facilities.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Public Buildings Renewal Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3177
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Building construction
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Health facilities and institutions
Higher education
Income tax exclusion
Law enforcement administration and funding
Libraries and archives
Research administration and funding
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Public Buildings Renewal Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to permit the tax-exempt financing of certain government-owned buildings by expanding the definition of &quot;exempt facility bond&quot; to include bonds used for qualified government buildings. 
 
A qualified government building is a government-owned building or facility that consists of one or more of the following: 
 
 
an elementary or secondary school;
 
facilities of a state college or university used for educational purposes;
 
a public library;
 
a court;
 
hospital, health care, laboratory, or research facilities; 
 
public safety facilities; or
 
offices for government employees.
 
 
The bill excludes buildings or facilities that include specified recreational equipment or are used for the primary purpose of providing retail food and beverage services, recreation, or entertainment.
 
The bill establishes: (1) a $5 billion limit on the amount of tax-exempt financing which may be provided for government buildings, and (2) procedures for allocating and applying for the financing. 
 
The bill exempts the bonds for government buildings from the volume cap on private activity bonds. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Fairness for Our Hospitals Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3178
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Hospital care
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Fairness for Our Hospitals Act of 2016

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to allow a hospital that meets specified criteria and is located in a state with no rural areas to be considered a Medicare-dependent hospital. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services shall establish and implement a process for reimbursing impacted hospitals for any underpayments resulting from this bill's implementation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act

Bill: 114-s-3179
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Climate change and greenhouse gases
Income tax credits
Industrial facilities
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage Act 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify the tax credit for carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration. The bill modifies the credit to: 
 
 
allow certain new industrial facilities or equipment to qualify for the credit if construction begins before January 1, 2024; 
 
 allow qualified projects to claim the credit for 12 years, beginning on the date the equipment was originally placed in service; 
 
 increase the separate credit amounts, with respect to projects placed in service upon or after the enactment of this bill, that apply to captured CO2 that is: (1) disposed of in secure geological storage, and (2) used as a tertiary injectant in an enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project and disposed of in secure geological storage; 
 
expand the purposes for which captured CO2 may be used; 
 
 establish separate CO2 capture thresholds based on whether the facility is an electricity generating facility or used for other purposes; 
 
 specify that the 75 million metric ton cap on the CO2 that may qualify for the credit applies only to projects placed in service before the enactment of this bill; and 
 
 allow the credit to be transferred from the entity that owns and uses the capture equipment to the entity that disposes of or uses the CO2. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Flexible HIRE Act

Bill: 114-s-3180
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Commuting
Economic performance and conditions
Employee hiring
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Housing supply and affordability
Motor vehicles
Rural conditions and development
Transportation costs

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Flexible Hiring and Improving Recruitment, Retention, and Education Act of 2016 or the Flexible HIRE Act

 
This bill allows the President to authorize agencies to appoint candidates directly to positions that the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has determined are in geographic areas affected by a unique situation or circumstance that has directly and significantly affected employee recruitment and retention. 
 
In areas within the continental United States in which recruitment and retention have become a severe challenge as the direct result of a dramatic economic development, hardship, or remoteness, the President may permit agencies to appoint candidates without using the statutory preference eligible veteran procedures that would otherwise require such agencies to provide experience credits, award examination points, or restrict competition to certain veterans and families of disabled or deceased veterans. Agencies must still prioritize the hiring of veterans by following regulatory principles regarding the appointment of qualified veterans to competitive service positions.
 
For positions in such areas, the OPM may establish higher minimum rates of pay and authorize agencies to pay bonuses for recruitment, relocation, or retention.
 
The OPM must replace the $10 per day cap on the commuting allowance for employees assigned to remote worksites with the mileage reimbursement rate prescribed by the General Services Administration for the use of privately owned automobiles for official government business. 
 
Agencies may pay an allowance to employees assigned to sites remote from: (1) established communities, suitable residences, or affordable housing; (2) medical care, child care, or schools; (3) employment options for spouses; or (4) consumer goods and services.
 
The OPM must establish a permanent hiring working group to help agencies prepare and deal with such geographic areas.
 
Agencies must: (1) create pilot programs to increase the number of new employees placed in these unique geographic areas; (2) develop strategies to aide employees' spouses and families; and (3) enhance recruiting methods targeting colleges, veterans transition centers, and job placement programs in such areas.
 
The OPM must establish a centralized electronic database of individuals completing a federal internship program who are seeking full-time federal employment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
S Corporation Modernization Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3181
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Capital gains tax
Charitable contributions
Corporate finance and management
Employee benefits and pensions
Financial services and investments
Income tax deductions
Income tax rates
Sales and excise taxes
Securities
Small business
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

S Corporation Modernization Act of 2016 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of S corporations, to: 
 
 
 allow a nonresident alien to be a qualifying beneficiary of an electing small business trust (ESBT), which is a type of trust that is permitted to hold shares in an S corporation; 
 
allow S corporations to increase passive investment income from 25% to 60% without incurring additional taxes; 
 
 eliminate a provision terminating the S corporation status of corporations with excessive passive income for three consecutive years; 
 
 allow any S corporation bank to have individual retirement account shareholders; 
 
allow ESBTs to claim expanded tax deductions for charitable contributions; and 
 
allow an adjustment to the basis of an S corporation's assets upon the death of a shareholder, in the form of a 15-year amortization deduction. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3182
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Congressional oversight
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Financial services and investments
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
International monetary system and foreign exchange
Medicaid
Medicare
Securities
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Debt Management and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2016

 
 This bill requires the Secretary of the Treasury to provide a report to Congress prior to any date on which Treasury anticipates the public debt will reach the statutory limit. 
 
The Secretary must appear before the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee to submit a report including: 
 
 
historic, current, and projected levels of debt; 
 
historic levels of revenue; 
 
the drivers and composition of future debt; 
 
how the United States will meet debt obligations if the debt limit is raised;
 
reduction measures Treasury intends to take to fund obligations if the debt limit is not raised; 
 
a recommendation regarding a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution; and
 
contingency plans for any default on Treasury securities or downgrade of the U.S. credit rating. 
 
 
The Secretary must also provide a detailed explanation of: 
 
 
proposals to reduce the debt and a progress report on implementing them; 
 
the impact an increased debt limit will have on future spending, debt service, and the position of the U.S. dollar as the international reserve currency;
 
 projections of the fiscal health and sustainability of major entitlement programs; 
 
measures Treasury is taking or intends to take to avoid default, including a plan to publicly disclose the details; and 
 
Treasury's capability to pay only principal and interest on the debt if the limit is reached. 
 
 
Treasury must make specified information required by this bill available to the public on its website.
 
Upon request, Treasury must submit to Congress specified financial and economic data relevant to determining the amount of the public debt. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Back the Blue Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3184
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Civil actions and liability
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Detention of persons
Firearms and explosives
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Judges
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Legal fees and court costs
Violent crime
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Back the Blue Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the federal criminal code by establishing mandatory minimum sentences of 10 years in prison for offenders who kill, or attempt or conspire to kill, current or former U.S. judges and federal law enforcement officers. Offenders are subject to 30 years in prison or the death penalty if death results. 
 
Additionally, the bill makes it illegal to kill, or attempt or conspire to kill, current or former public safety officers or judicial officers who work for state or local governments that are federally funded if the officers were engaged in official duties or targeted on account of their duties. The penalties for crimes against federal officials are also applied for crimes against federally funded public safety officers.
 
The bill: (1) makes it a crime to assault an individual involved in crime and juvenile delinquency control or reduction, or enforcement of the laws of states; and (2) increases penalties based on the degree of bodily injury caused by the assault and the type of weapon used.
 
A new federal crime is established for fleeing authorities to avoid prosecution, custody, or confinement after conviction for a killing, attempting to kill, or conspiring to kill, a federal judge or law enforcement officer, or a federally funded public safety officer.
 
The bill expands the authority of federal and state law enforcement officers to carry firearms in federal facilities.
 
The Department of Justice must award grants to state, local, or tribal enforcement agencies for improving their relationships with the communities they serve.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5082-5083; text of measure as introduced: CR S5083-5085)
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to provide that section 4108(5)(C)(iv) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 may be known as "Bree's Law".

Bill: 114-s-3185
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Child safety and welfare
Crime prevention
Crimes against children
Domestic violence and child abuse
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Sex offenses
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 
This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) to specify that a provision of the Act may be cited as "Bree's Law." The relevant ESEA provision requires local educational agencies that receive certain funding under the Act to establish programs and activities that improve safety through the recognition and prevention of coercion, violence, or abuse.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Active Shooter Preparedness Enhancement Act of 2016

Bill: 114-s-3186
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2016-07-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Crime victims
Emergency communications systems
Emergency planning and evacuation
Firearms and explosives
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: 

Active Shooter Preparedness Enhancement Act of 2016

 
This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop and make available to state, local, tribal, territorial, and nongovernmental partners guidance to assist in the development of emergency action and response plans for active shooter and mass casualty incidents.
 
Such guidance may relate to the development of:
 
 
a strategy for properly responding to such incidents,
 
a plan for establishing a unified command,
 
a schedule for regular testing of equipment used to receive communications during such incidents,
 
a practiced method and plan to communicate with occupants of locations of such incidents and with the surrounding community,
 
a plan for coordinating with volunteer organizations to expedite assistance for victims,
 
a schedule for joint exercises and training, and 
 
a plan for outreach to facilities that have been identified by DHS as potentially vulnerable targets.
 
 
The bill permits funds under homeland security grants to states and high-risk urban areas to be used for training exercises to enhance preparedness for and response to mass casualty and active shooter incidents and security events at private locations (current law permits such funds to be used for such exercises at public locations). In allocating grant funds among states and high-risk urban areas, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall consider the threat from active shooters to critical infrastructure and U.S. populations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2016-07-13
text: Introduced in Senate