hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights

Bill: 115-s-1418
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory bodies
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Aviation and airports
Civil actions and liability
Competition and antitrust
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Consumer credit
Contracts and agency
Corporate finance and management
Department of Transportation
Disability and paralysis
Food industry and services
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Transportation costs
Transportation employees
Transportation safety and security
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to prescribe regulations relating to: 
 
 
protections for airline passengers from being required to involuntarily relinquish their seats, unless necessary for safety or security; 
 
the elimination of the dollar limitations on compensation to passengers denied boarding due to overbooking; 
 
compensation to passengers for delayed or cancelled flights; 
 
interline agreements between air carriers and other transportation providers; 
 
training on the rights of passengers; 
 
unreasonable air carrier fees; 
 
unrestricted access of consumers to information on schedules, fares, fees, and taxes; 
 
accuracy in pricing of tickets and disclosure of lowest fares; and 
 
notifications to passengers of their rights and eligibility for refunds. 

 
The Federal Aviation Administration must: (1) review existing aircraft cabin evacuation procedures, (2) prohibit any air carrier from reducing seat size or leg room, and (3) report on the quality of food and potable water on passenger aircraft and the sufficiency of flight crews and aircraft. 
 
The bill provides a private right of action for passengers aggrieved by airline actions and increases civil penalties on air carriers for violations of passenger protections. 
 
The Government Accountability Office must conduct an analysis of cooperative agreements between domestic and foreign air carriers and air carrier mergers. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1419
Sponsor: Sen. Leahy, Patrick J. [D-VT]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Federal-Indian relations
Jurisdiction and venue
Racial and ethnic relations
State and local government operations
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to allow a representative official of an Indian tribe, with authorization from the governing body of the tribe, to request one or more polling places to be located on tribal lands. The state or political subdivision shall provide each requested polling place at no expense to the Indian tribe if certain criteria are met.
 
A federal court shall retain jurisdiction to enforce constitutional voting guarantees, but also certain violations of the Act as well as of any federal prohibition against discrimination on the basis of race, color, or membership in a language minority group, for an appropriate period to prevent commencement of new devices to deny or abridge the right to vote.
 
Any state (and all of its political subdivisions) shall be subject to certain requirements for a 10-year period if:
 
 
15 or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years; or 
10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least one of which was committed by the state itself (as opposed to a political subdivision within it). 
 
 
A state or political subdivision that obtains a declaratory judgment that it has not used a device to deny or abridge the right to vote shall be exempt from such requirements unless as specified. 
 
This bill prescribes transparency requirements regarding any changes to specified matters.
 
Department of Justice authority to assign observers receives new extensions. 
 
Courts shall grant preliminary injunctive relief if a complainant raises a serious question whether the challenged covered practice violates the Act or the Constitution and, on balance, the hardship imposed upon the defendant by the relief will be less than the hardship on the plaintiff if the relief were not granted.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3733-3734)
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
LOVE Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1420
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Congressional oversight
Department of State
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government studies and investigations
Marriage and family status
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Lavender Offense Victim Exoneration Act of 2017 or the LOVE Act of 2017

 
This bill requires the Department of State to review employee terminations at the State Department in the 1950s and 1960s to determine who was wrongfully terminated due to their actual or perceived sexual orientation (known as the Lavender Scare).
 
The bill contains an apology from Congress for its role in encouraging the termination of State Department employees based on sexual orientation.
 
The State Department is required to:
 
 
create a reconciliation board to change the employment records of those affected, to receive oral testimony of those affected, and to allow former employees to bring a grievance if they believe their termination was due to their sexual orientation; 
 
create an advancement board to address employment issues of current LGBTQI Foreign Officers; 
 
establish a permanent exhibit about the terminations in the State Department's U.S. Diplomacy Center; 
 
report to Congress about countries refusing to issue visas to spouses of Foreign Service personnel because of their sexual orientation.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Agriculture Equipment and Machinery Depreciation Act

Bill: 115-s-1422
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Agricultural equipment and machinery
Business investment and capital
Income tax deductions

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Agriculture Equipment and Machinery Depreciation Act

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the placed-in-service restriction on the depreciation of certain farming business machinery and equipment and to make permanent the five-year recovery period for such property.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe Skies Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1423
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Aviation and airports
Department of Transportation
Labor standards
Transportation employees
Transportation safety and security
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Safe Skies Act of 2017 

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to modify a specified DOT final rule relating to flight crew member duty and rest requirements so that the requirements under that rule apply to all-cargo flight crew members to the same extent they apply to air passenger flight crew members.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Aviation Administration Veterans' Preference Protection Act

Bill: 115-s-1424
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Department of Transportation
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Federal Aviation Administration Veterans' Preference Protection Act

 
This bill applies federal veterans' preference provisions for filling a position in the competitive service and remedies for violations of such provisions to the personnel management system of the Federal Aviation Administration.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
EMPOWERS Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1427
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Adoption and foster care
Child safety and welfare
Energy assistance for the poor and aged
Executive agency funding and structure
Family services
Financial literacy
Food assistance and relief
Housing and community development funding
Intergovernmental relations
Low- and moderate-income housing
Poverty and welfare assistance
Rural conditions and development
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Economic Mobility, Prosperity, and Opportunity with Waivers that Enable Reforms for States Act of 2017 or the EMPOWERS Act of 2017

 
This bill establishes the Interagency Board for Empowering Low-Income Families and allows a governor to apply to the board for a four-year waiver from certain federal assistance program requirements. Specifically, under such a waiver, the governor's state may consolidate, replace, or alter eligibility requirements for two or more specified federal assistance programs related to nutrition, housing, income, foster care and adoption, and other social and community services. The board must evaluate waiver applications on the basis of whether a proposed project promotes employment, family stability, and financial literacy and savings with respect to program participants. Specified provisions are excluded from waiver authority.
 
The bill specifies waiver application requirements, deadlines and processes for review of applications, and limitations on project funding.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1428
Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Business education
Computer security and identity theft
Licensing and registrations
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration to establish a program for certifying employees of small business development centers to provide cybersecurity planning assistance to small businesses. 

action_date: 2017-08-02
text: 
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)
 

Small Business Cyber Training Act of 2017

 
(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Small Business Act to require the Small Business Administration to establish a program for certifying employees of small business development centers to provide cybersecurity planning assistance to small businesses. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-04-25
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-300.
action_date: 2017-08-02
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 199.
action_date: 2017-08-02
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Reported by Senator Risch without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2017-08-02
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Reported by Senator Risch without amendment. Without written report.
action_date: 2017-08-02
text: Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act

Bill: 115-s-1429
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Aquatic ecology
Chesapeake Bay
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Marine pollution
Water quality
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Chesapeake Bay Program Reauthorization Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to permanently reauthorize the Chesapeake Bay Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act

Bill: 115-s-1430
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Chesapeake Bay
Historic sites and heritage areas
Historical and cultural resources
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Watersheds

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network Reauthorization Act 

 
This bill amends the Chesapeake Bay Initiative Act of 1998 to reauthorize through FY2023 the Chesapeake Bay Gateways and Watertrails Network and the Chesapeake Bay Gateways Grants Assistance Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Volunteer Pilot Protection Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1431
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Civil actions and liability
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Transportation employees
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Volunteer Pilot Protection Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Volunteer Protection Act of 1997 to protect a volunteer pilot from civil liability for harm caused while operating an aircraft on behalf of a nonprofit organization that arranges flights for public benefit. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prevent the Federal Aviation Administration's Aircraft Registry Office from closing during a Government shutdown.

Bill: 115-s-1432
Sponsor: Sen. Inhofe, James M. [R-OK]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Appropriations
Aviation and airports
Department of Transportation
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Licensing and registrations
Oklahoma

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to designate employees at the FAA Aircraft Registry Office in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as excepted employees in the event of a government shutdown or emergency furlough to ensure that it remains open for the duration of the lapse in federal government appropriations to the FAA.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to approve the 2010 Compact Review Agreement with Palau, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-1433
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Foreign aid and international relief
International law and treaties
Palau

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 
This bill approves the Compact Review Agreement and appendices signed by the United States and the Republic of Palau on September 3, 2010, in connection with the Compact of Free Association with Palau, with the funding schedule therein to be modified by the parties to the agreement as necessary.
 
Amounts provided to Palau by the United States in FY2011-FY2017 shall be considered as funding to implement the agreement.
 
The Compact of Free Association Amendments Act of 2003 is amended to extend through FY2024 eligibility for appropriations and grants for specified education assistance and for services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
ACCESS Act

Bill: 115-s-1434
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Child care and development
Congressional oversight
Department of Defense
Military facilities and property
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Availability of Child Care for Every Servicemember and Spouse Act or ACCESS Act

 
This bill declares that the hours of operation of each childcare development center of the Department of Defense shall, to the extent practicable, be set and maintained in a manner that takes into account the demands and circumstances of members of the Armed Forces who use such center to facilitate the performance of their military duties.
 
Each military department must: (1) provide for a childcare coordinator at each military installation at which are stationed significant numbers of members of the Armed Forces with accompanying dependent children, and (2) carry out a pilot program on collaboration between commanders of such military installations with private providers of childcare services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1435
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal justice information and records
Evidence and witnesses
Firearms and explosives
Government information and archives
Historical and cultural resources
Licensing and registrations
Military personnel and dependents
Museums, exhibitions, cultural centers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

Veterans' Heritage Firearms Act of 2017

 
This bill provides a 90-day amnesty period during which veterans and their family members can register in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record any firearm acquired before October 31, 1968, by a veteran while a member of the Armed Forces stationed outside the continental United States. 
 
The bill: (1) grants such an individual limited immunity under the federal criminal code and the Internal Revenue Code with respect to the acquisition, possession, transportation, or alteration of such firearm before or concurrent with such registration; and (2) extends such immunity to a veteran who attempts to register a qualifying firearm outside of the amnesty period if the veteran surrenders the firearm within 30 days after being notified of potential criminal liability for continued possession.
 
The Department of Justice (DOJ) shall provide clear notice of, and the Department of Veterans Affairs shall carry out an outreach program and develop a communications strategy to provide veterans information regarding, the amnesty and registration period. 
 
DOJ shall: (1) transfer each firearm qualifying as a curio or relic that has been forfeited to the United States to the first qualified museum that requests it, and (2) publish information identifying each such firearm that is available to be transferred to a museum. The bill: (1) prohibits DOJ from destroying any such firearm that has been forfeited until five years after the forfeiture, and (2) requires that any firearm transferred to a qualified museum be registered to the transferee.
 
The prohibition against transfer or possession of a machine-gun shall not apply to a transfer to or by, or to possession by, a museum that is open to the public and incorporated as a not-for-profit corporation under applicable state law.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate
National Fish Habitat Conservation Act

Bill: 115-s-1436
Sponsor: Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
Introduced: 2017-06-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Aquatic ecology
Department of the Interior
Executive agency funding and structure
Fishes
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: 

National Fish Habitat Conservation Act

 
This bill establishes the National Fish Habitat Board to: (1) promote, oversee, and coordinate the implementation of this bill and the National Fish Habitat Action Plan (NFHAP); (2) establish national goals and priorities for fish habitat conservation; and (3) review and make recommendations regarding fish habitat conservation projects.
 
The board may designate Fish Habitat Partnerships to coordinate implementation of the NFHAP at a regional level and develop and carry out fish habitat conservation projects. 
 
The bill sets forth requirements for approval by the board of a fish habitat conservation project. Property acquired for a project must be open to the public for compatible fish and wildlife-dependent recreation and be closed only to protect public safety, the property, or the habitat. 
 
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must establish the National Fish Habitat Conservation Partnership Program with duties to include providing funding for the operational needs of the Fish Habitat Partnerships. 
 
The USFWS, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey must provide technical and scientific assistance to the partnerships, the project participants, and the board.The bill permits the head of each federal agency to coordinate with NOAA and the USFWS to promote healthy fish populations and fish habitats.
 
 Any funds made available to carry out this bill may not be used for fish and wildlife mitigation purposes under any federal law or court settlement.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-06-26
text: Introduced in Senate