hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
PSLF Technical Corrections Act

Bill: 115-s-2136
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Child care and development
First responders and emergency personnel
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government lending and loan guarantees
Health personnel
Higher education
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Law enforcement officers
Lawyers and legal services
Libraries and archives
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Student aid and college costs
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

PSLF Technical Corrections Act

 
This bill amends the the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) under the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan Program. Under current law, the PSLF program forgives the the balance of a borrower's student debt after the borrower makes 120 qualifying loan payments under specified repayment plans while while employed in a public service job. This bill expands the program to include comparable payments under additional repayment plans as payments that qualify borrowers for loan forgiveness under PSLF.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Rural Development Act of 1972 to improve access to grants for evidence-based substance use disorder treatment services in rural areas, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-2137
Sponsor: Sen. Donnelly, Joe [D-IN]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Health promotion and preventive care
Rural conditions and development

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 
This bill amends the Rural Development Act of 1972, with respect to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Health and Safety Education Competitive Grants Program, to require USDA to give priority to applicants that will use the grants for substance use disorder education, prevention, or treatment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
AIM HIGH Act

Bill: 115-s-2138
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Department of Education
Disability and paralysis
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational technology and distance education
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Accessible Instructional Materials in Higher Education Act or the AIM HIGH Act

 
This bill provides for an independent commission to develop and issue voluntary accessibility guidelines for postsecondary electronic instructional materials, including to ensure students with disabilities are afforded the same educational benefits provided to nondisabled students.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2139
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural practices and innovations
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Floods and storm protection
Land use and conservation
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Water quality
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Chesapeake Bay Farm Bill Enhancements Act of 2017 

 
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify and increase funding for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). 
 
(The RCPP operates through several USDA conservation programs to provide funding for partners to join in efforts with producers to increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife, and related natural resources on regional or watershed scales. The RCPP includes the purposes and functions of several conservation programs such as the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative.)
 
The bill modifies the RCPP to:
 
 
 increase mandatory funding and revise the requirements for distributing funds, 
 
allow in-kind support to count toward a partner's matching contribution,
 
 allow partners to apply for a funding renewal of a partnership agreement,
 
 authorize USDA to provide information and feedback to applicants throughout the application process, 
 
 authorize grants for partners to directly operate conservation projects,
 
authorize USDA to advance funding to partners for technical assistance for project development and outreach activities,
 
require USDA to make publicly available the amounts available for technical assistance under a partnership agreement,
 
 limit USDA costs for technical assistance to costs specific and necessary to carry out the objectives of the partnership agreement, 
 
 modify the criteria for a critical conservation area, and
 
revise the requirements for prioritizing applications. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7298-7299)
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to provide for an exchange of Federal land and non-Federal land in the State of Idaho, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-2140
Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Idaho
Land transfers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 
This bill directs the Department of the Interior, if the J.R. Simplot Company offers to convey three identified parcels of land, to convey to the Simplot Company two identified parcels of federal land within the Pocatello Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management in Idaho.
 
The bill states that the exchange of such federal and nonfederal lands shall not constitute a major federal action for purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S7299)
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Military Justice Improvement Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2141
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Military law
Military personnel and dependents
Sex offenses

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Military Justice Improvement Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to grant independent military prosecutors the authority to decide whether to convene courts-martial for sexual assault cases and other serious crimes punishable by confinement of more than one year (currently, this authority lies within the chain of command). The bill allows the chain of command to retain authority to decide whether to prosecute serious crimes uniquely military in nature and all crimes punishable by less than one year of confinement.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
CHP Support Act

Bill: 115-s-2142
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Manufacturing
Public-private cooperation

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

CHP Support Act

 
This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to redesignate the Department of Energy's Clean Energy Application Centers as the CHP Technical Assistance Partnership Program. The program must encourage deployment of combined heat and power technologies and provide project specific support to building and industrial professionals through economic and engineering assessments and advisory activities. This bill reauthorizes the program through FY2022.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
WAGE Act

Bill: 115-s-2143
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Civil actions and liability
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Evidence and witnesses
Labor-management relations
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Workplace Action for a Growing Economy Act or the WAGE Act

 
This bill amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) to
 
 
require the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to award back pay and additional damages to any employee whose rights under the NLRA have been violated by an employer; 
 
impose penalties upon an employer for failing to post a notice of the rights of their employees under the NLRA; 
 
impose penalties upon an employer whose violations of the NLRA result in the discharge of an employee or other serious economic harm to the employee; 
 
provide civil remedies, including restraining orders, and a private right of action for violations of the NLRA; 
 
require the NLRB to issue an order requiring collective bargaining when a majority of valid ballots have been cast in favor of union representation; 
 
prevent the classification of employees as supervisors for the purpose of denying such employees the protections of the NLRA; and
 
expedite the establishment of initial collection bargaining agreements. 
 
 
The bill empowers the NLRB to enforce its own orders without petitioning a court for enforcement.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
SECURE Act

Bill: 115-s-2144
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Congressional oversight
Department of Homeland Security
Foreign labor
Immigration status and procedures
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Safe Environment from Countries Under Repression and Emergency Act or the SECURE Act

 
This bill permits a qualifying alien who is not inadmissible or deportable under certain criminal or security grounds or who did not participate in persecution to apply for adjustment to lawful permanent resident status if such alien: (1) is in temporary protected status (TPS), (2) held TPS status, (3) qualified for TSP status at the time of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) last TPS designation, or (4) is a national of a foreign country that was at any time a TPS-designated country. TPS designation permits eligible nationals of designated counties affected by armed conflict or natural disasters to temporarily reside and work in the United States. 
 
An alien who has applied for status adjustment may work while the application is pending. 
 
The spouse, domestic partner, child, or unmarried son or daughter of an alien who has adjusted to lawful permanent resident status may also adjust to such status subject to certain conditions. An unmarried son or daughter must additionally establish physical presence in the United States for at least one year.
 
An alien subject to a final order of removal may not be removed if the alien has a pending status adjustment application or is prima facie eligible to file an application and indicates an intention to do so. An alien who raises the defense of status adjustment eligibility may not be removed unless DHS has already denied the alien's application.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
No Ban on Refugees Act

Bill: 115-s-2145
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Immigration status and procedures
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

No Ban on Refugees Act

 
This bill prohibits any U.S. government agency from preventing a refugee from entering the United States based on the refugee's country of origin.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Urban Indian Health Parity Act

Bill: 115-s-2146
Sponsor: Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Health
Indian social and development programs
Medicaid
Minority health
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Urban Indian Health Parity Act

 
This bill applies a Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., the federal matching rate under Medicaid) of 100% with respect to amounts expended as medical assistance for services received through an Urban Indian organization under a grant or contract with the Indian Health Service.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Senate Committee on Indian Affairs discharged by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Butch Lewis Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2147
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Department of the Treasury
Employee benefits and pensions
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government trust funds
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Butch Lewis Act of 2017

 
This bill establishes the Pension Rehabilitation Administration within the Department of the Treasury and a related trust fund to make loans to certain multiemployer defined benefit pension plans. 
 
To receive a loan, a plan must be either in critical and declining status (including any plan with respect to which a suspension of benefits has been approved) or insolvent, if the plan became insolvent after December 16, 2014, and has not been terminated. 
 
Treasury must issue bonds to fund the loan program and transfer amounts equal to the proceeds to the trust fund established by this bill. The Pension Rehabilitation Administration may use the funds, without a further appropriation, to make loans, pay principal and interest on the bonds, or for administrative and operating expenses. 
 
The bill amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to allow the sponsor of a multiemployer pension plan that is applying for a loan under this bill to also apply to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) for financial assistance if, after receiving the loan, the plan will still become (or remain) insolvent within the 30-year period beginning on the date of the loan.
 
The bill also appropriates to the PBGC the funds that are necessary to provide the financial assistance required by this bill. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-30
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-161.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2148
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Crime prevention
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Homeland Security
Department of Justice
Employment and training programs
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Hate crimes
Intergovernmental relations
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Military personnel and dependents
Political movements and philosophies
Racial and ethnic relations
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Domestic Terrorism Prevention Act of 2017

 
This bill authorizes: (1) a Domestic Terrorism Unit within the Office of Intelligence and Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which shall be responsible for monitoring and analyzing domestic terrorism activity; (2) a Domestic Terrorism Office in the Counterterrorism Section of the National Security Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which shall be responsible for investigating and prosecuting incidents of domestic terrorism; and (3) a Domestic Terrorism Section within the Counterterrorism Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which shall be responsible for investigating domestic terrorism activity. Such offices shall focus on the most significant domestic terrorism threats, as determined by the number of domestic terrorism related incidents in the preceding year.
 
DHS, DOJ, and the FBI shall annually submit to Congress a joint report authored by such offices, which shall include:
 
 
 an assessment of the domestic terrorism threat posed by White supremacists; 
 
 an analysis of incidents or attempted incidents of domestic terrorism that have occurred in the United States since April 19, 1995, for the first report, and during the preceding year, for each subsequent report; and 
 
 a quantitative analysis of domestic terrorism for the preceding year.
 
 
The bill also authorizes a Domestic Terrorism Executive Committee, which shall coordinate with key public safety officials to promote information sharing and ensure an effective joint effort to combat domestic terrorism. 
 
The State and Local Anti-Terrorism Program, funded by DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance, shall include training and resources to assist state, local, and tribal law enforcement officers in understanding, detecting, deterring, and investigating acts of domestic terrorism. 
 
The joint terrorism task forces of the FBI and state, local, and regional fusion centers shall each, in coordination with the committee and such offices: (1) share intelligence to address domestic terrorism activities; (2) conduct an annual, intelligence-based assessment of domestic terrorism activities in their jurisdictions; and (3) formulate and execute a plan to address and combat such activities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to make a technical correction to the provision of law authorizing a withdrawal and reservation of public land at Limestone Hills Training Area, Montana.

Bill: 115-s-2149
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Land transfers
Military education and training
Military facilities and property
Montana

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 
This bill amends the Military Construction Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to increase the number of acres of public lands in the Limestone Hills Training Area in Broadwater County, Montana, which are withdrawn and reserved for defense-related activities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Imitation Firearms Safety Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2150
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child safety and welfare
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer affairs
Department of Commerce
Firearms and explosives
Manufacturing
Product safety and quality

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Imitation Firearms Safety Act of 2017

 
This bill revises requirements related to imitation firearms, including by prohibiting a person from manufacturing, selling, shipping, transporting, or receiving an imitation firearm unless its exterior is brightly colored.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to streamline the oil and gas permitting process and to recognize fee ownership for certain oil and gas drilling or spacing units, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-2151
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Licensing and registrations
Oil and gas

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 
This bill states that a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) drilling permit shall not be required under either the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 or the Code of Federal Regulations for an action occurring within an oil and gas drilling or spacing unit, if: (1) less than 50% of the minerals within the oil and gas drilling or spacing unit are federally owned, and (2) the federal government neither owns nor leases the surface estate within the unit's boundaries. 
 
The bill retains the right of the federal government to receive royalties from the production of federal minerals within the unit. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate
Truck Technology Parity Act

Bill: 115-s-2153
Sponsor: Sen. Heller, Dean [R-NV]
Introduced: 2017-11-16 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Motor carriers
Roads and highways
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: 

Truck Technology Parity Act

 
This bill allows a vehicle that is propelled exclusively by means of electric battery power to exceed the Interstate System vehicle weight limit by an amount that is equal to the difference between: (1) the weight of the vehicle attributable to the electric batteries and the vehicle's wiring system, and (2) the weight of a comparable diesel tank and fueling system. Current law caps the weight of a vehicle at 80,000 pounds. This bill allows an electric vehicle to have a maximum gross weight of 82,000 pounds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-11-16
text: Introduced in Senate