hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
TICKETS Act

Bill: 115-s-947
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Aviation and airports
Consumer affairs
Department of Transportation
Transportation costs
Transportation employees

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

Transparency Improvements and Compensation to Keep Every Ticketholder Safe Act of 2017 or the TICKETS Act

 
This bill prohibits an air carrier from denying the boarding of a flight by a passenger who has been cleared to board, without the passenger's consent, unless such passenger presents a safety, security, or health risk.
 
The Department of Transportation (DOT) shall revise federal regulations relating to oversold flights:
 
 
 to eliminate specified dollar amount limits on compensation provided to a passenger denied boarding involuntarily, and
 
 to determine whether limits on the number of seats oversold for a flight are necessary and, if so, to consider whether to impose such limits based on a percentage of seats available on the aircraft.
 
 
The DOT shall prescribe regulations to require an air carrier to:
 
 
 check in its employee or that of another air carrier seeking accommodation on a flight at least 60 minutes before its scheduled departure, and
 
 specify on a passenger's itinerary and publicly post its policies with respect to oversold flights and requiring passengers to give up their seats to air carrier employees.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-948
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers
Utah
Water use and supply
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

America's Red Rock Wilderness Act of 2017

 
 This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. 
 
The bill sets forth administrative requirements for: (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2560-2561; text of measure as introduced: CR S2556-2559)
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act

Bill: 115-s-949
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Forests, forestry, trees
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act

 
This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management to develop a distinct wildland firefighter occupational series. The series must apply to the following positions: 
 
 
forestry technician;
 
range technician; 
 
other positions related to significant prevention, preparedness, control, suppression, or management activities for wildland firefighters; and 
 
other positions conducting activities necessary to meet any other emergency incident. 
 
 
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture must use the series in the advertising and hiring of a wildland firefighter. 
 
The bill requires an employee in a wildland firefighter occupational series to receive a pay differential based on the unusual physical hardship or hazardous nature of the position. 
 
An individual employed as a wildland firefighter on the date on which the occupational series takes effect may: (1) remain in the occupational series in which the individual is working, or (2) be included in the wildland firefighter occupational series. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2561)
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Wildland Firefighter Fairness Act

Bill: 115-s-950
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Department of Agriculture
Department of Homeland Security
Department of the Interior
Disability and paralysis
Disaster relief and insurance
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Forests, forestry, trees
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
National and community service
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
Temporary and part-time employment
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

Wildland Firefighter Fairness Act

 
 This bill requires the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture to work with states and the Workforce Development Committee of the National Wildfire Coordinating Group to merge the Incident Qualification System and the Incident Qualification and Certification System into a single system by September 30, 2025.
 
The Office of Personnel Management shall establish a pilot program for seasonal or temporary federal employees, whose duties primarily involve being a firefighter. 
This bill allows wildland firefighters of the Forest Service or Interior who sustained injuries in the performance of their duties that prevent them from performing the physical duties of a firefighter, but who commence an equivalent federal position after receiving compensation for their work injuries, to retain the same retirement benefits that they would have received in their former position had they not been injured or disabled, without requiring them to complete any more years of service.
 
Compensation for disability or death of Forest Service and Interior wildland firefighters must include overtime pay received for wildfire suppression activity.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S2561-2563)
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-952
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Banking and financial institutions regulation
Congressional oversight
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of the Treasury
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Human trafficking
International organizations and cooperation
Sex offenses

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017

 
 This bill amends the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 to add the Secretary of the Treasury as a member of the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. The task force must submit to Congress recommendations for the revision of anti-money laundering programs to specifically target money laundering related to human trafficking.
 
The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council must review and enhance, where necessary: (1) training and procedures to improve the ability of anti-money laundering programs to target human trafficking operations, and (2) procedures for referring potential human trafficking cases to the appropriate law enforcement agency.
 
The Department of Justice must report on: (1) efforts to eliminate money laundering related to human trafficking; and (2) the number of investigations, arrests, indictments, and convictions in money laundering cases related to human trafficking.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
White House Visitor Logs Transparency Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-953
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
Introduced: 2017-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Executive Office of the President
Federal officials
Freedom of information
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: 

White House Visitor Logs Transparency Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the federal criminal code to require the following records created or maintained by the U.S. Secret Service in carrying out protective services to be made available to the public upon request:
 
 
the name of each individual who visits the White House for the purpose of conducting business and meets with the President or an employee of the Executive Office of the President;
 
the date and time each such visitor entered and left the White House; and
 
the name of each individual in the White House, including the President if applicable, with whom each such visitor met. 
 
 
The following records created or maintained by the Secret Service shall not be disclosed to the public:
 
 
information relating to an individual whose visit to the White House was as a guest of the President or the President's family and entirely personal in nature;
 
information that, if disclosed to the public, would cause a threat to national security interests; and
 
time-sensitive information concerning particularly sensitive meetings.
 
 
 
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-954
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Disability and health-based discrimination
Education programs funding
Government information and archives
Higher education
Racial and ethnic relations
School administration
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require each institution of higher education (IHE) to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment that includes: (1) a prohibition of harassment of students by other students, faculty, and staff; (2) a description of its programs to prevent harassment; (3) a description of the procedures that students should follow if harassment occurs; and (4) a description of the procedures it will follow once an incident of harassment has been reported. In addition, the report must include a description of each occasion in which a pattern of harassment occurs and the actions taken by the IHE.
 
Harassment includes certain conduct undertaken through technological means that limits a student's ability to benefit from the IHE's programs, or creates a hostile or abusive educational environment at the school.
 
The Department of Education (ED) may award grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to: prevent the harassment of students; provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; and train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs.
 
ED must publish a report of best practices for combating harassment at IHEs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Paying a Fair Share Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-955
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Employment taxes
Income tax deductions
Income tax rates
Inflation and prices
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Tax reform and tax simplification

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Paying a Fair Share Act of 201

7

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million (high-income taxpayer) to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax). The amount of the tax is the excess (if any) of the tentative fair share tax over the excess of: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's regular tax liability, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) amount, and the payroll tax for the taxable year; over (2) certain tax credits. 
 
The bill provides for a phase-in of such tax and requires an inflation adjustment to the $1 million income threshold for taxable years beginning after 2018.
 
The bill also expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress should enact tax reform that repeals unfair and unnecessary tax loopholes and expenditures, simplifies the tax system, and makes sure that the wealthiest taxpayers pay a fair share of taxes.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
OCEAN Act

Bill: 115-s-956
Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Monuments and memorials
Oil and gas
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Outer Continental Shelf Energy Access Now Act or the OCEAN Act

 
This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to limit the President's authority to prohibit oil and gas leasing on the outer Continental Shelf. 
 
The President may prohibit, through a rule making, oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf located in a national marine sanctuary. 
 
Any suspension of operations under a lease arising from a state of war or declaration of national emergency shall be for 90 days and may be renewed. 
 
The bill rescinds existing moratoriums on oil and gas leasing on areas of the outer Continental Shelf other than marine sanctuaries and national monuments.
 
The President may not declare or reserve any ocean waters or lands beneath ocean waters as a national monument.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-957
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Crime victims
Crimes against women
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Family planning and birth control
HIV/AIDS
Health care costs and insurance
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Military facilities and property
Military medicine
Military personnel and dependents
Sex offenses
Sexually transmitted diseases
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Access to Contraception for Women Servicemembers and Dependents Act of 2017

 
This bill expands the TRICARE health care program to entitle additional female beneficiaries and dependents to care related to the prevention of pregnancy. (Currently, such care is limited to certain female members of the uniformed service or a reserve component performing active duty or certain servicewomen performing inactive-duty training.)
 
 Cost-sharing may not be imposed or collected for such pregnancy prevention care, including for any method of contraception provided through a facility of the uniformed services, the TRICARE retail pharmacy program, or the national mail-order pharmacy program.
 
 Such pregnancy prevention care shall include: (1) all methods of contraception approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), (2) contraceptive care, (3) sterilization procedures, and (4) patient education and counseling.
 
 The Department of Defense shall establish a uniform standard curriculum to be used in family planning education programs for all men and women members of the Armed Forces. 
 
 Every military treatment facility, upon request, shall provide emergency contraception, information about FDA-approved methods of emergency contraception, and notification of confidentiality rights to any woman who: (1) states, or is accompanied by another individual who states, that the woman is a victim of sexual assault; or (2) is reasonably believed to be a survivor of sexual assault.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-958
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Air quality
Aquatic ecology
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Economic performance and conditions
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Research administration and funding
Rural conditions and development
Travel and tourism

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Coral Reef Sustainability Through Innovation Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Coral Reef Conservation Act to authorize the 12 federal agencies on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, which includes the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, to carry out, either individually or cooperatively, prize competitions that promote coral reef research and conservation. The prize competitions should be designed to help the United States achieve its goal of developing new and effective ways to advance the understanding, monitoring, and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. 
 
Priority is given to establish programs that address communities, environments, or industries that are in distress due to the decline or degradation of coral reef ecosystems.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act

Bill: 115-s-959
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Coal
Debt collection
Disability assistance
Employee benefits and pensions
Mining
Railroads
Social security and elderly assistance
Transportation employees
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act

 
This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act to prohibit the application of, and repeal authority for, administrative offsets to Social Security, railroad retirement, and black lung benefits. (An administrative offset is the withholding of funds payable by or held by the United States to satisfy a debt.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2618; text of measure as introduced: CR S2618-2619)
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Preserving Data in Government Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-960
Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Digital media
Government information and archives

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Preserving Data in Government Act of 2017

 
This bill requires that any open government data that is made available to the public for at least 90 consecutive days must: (1) remain machine-readable, available in an open format, and part of the worldwide public domain or, if necessary, be published with an open license; and (2) not be altered in such a way as to decrease its machine-readable nature.
 
 It shall not be a violation of such requirement to alter: (1) the digital location or format of open government data for routine asset maintenance or long-term archiving if such alteration does not decrease the open public accessibility or the machine-readable nature of the data, or (2) the contents of such data to update it or correct an error. Any substantial alteration of the data's contents shall be recorded in a log that is made available to the public in an open format along with the data.
 
 An agency may remove such data from public availability if: 
 
 
the agency determines that the data is too costly to maintain or does not provide sufficient value to the public,
 
 the agency publishes specified notice at least six months in advance of such removal, and 
 
 the data is available for download on the worldwide public domain for at least six months before such removal.
 
 
This bill shall not apply to such data that is required to be removed from public availability or altered under another provision of law.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Using Evidence to Move Welfare Recipients into Work Act

Bill: 115-s-961
Sponsor: Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
Introduced: 2017-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Employment and training programs
Government information and archives
Performance measurement
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: 

Using Evidence to Move Welfare Recipients into Work Act

 
This bill amends title IV (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) (TANF) of the Social Security Act to direct the Department of Health and Human Services, in consultation with the Department of Labor, to develop a database of projects that have used a proven or promising approach in moving TANF recipients into work. The database shall be called the "What Works Clearinghouse of Proven and Promising Projects to Move Welfare Recipients into Work." 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate