hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Airline Accountability Act

Bill: 115-s-2079
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2017-11-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Age discrimination
Aviation and airports
Disability and health-based discrimination
Employee leave
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Labor standards
Labor-management relations
Public contracts and procurement
Transportation costs
Transportation employees
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: 

Airline Accountability Act

 
This bill directs the General Services Administration (GSA) to require an air carrier, as a condition of eligibility for a contract under the City Pair Program, to: (1) disclose to the Department of Labor, annually, whether within the preceding three-year period any administrative merits determination, arbitral award or decision, or civil judgment has been issued against the carrier or any of its subcontractors for violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, the National Labor Relations Act, the Davis-Bacon Act, the Service Contract Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, or other specified labor laws and executive orders; and (2) incorporate into each subcontract a requirement that the subcontractor disclose to the carrier any such determination, award, decision, or judgment rendered against the subcontractor within the preceding three-year period for violations of any of such laws.
 
Labor shall provide an air carrier that makes such a disclosure an opportunity, annually, to report any steps taken by the carrier or any of its subcontractors to correct the violations or improve compliance. may negotiate corrective measures that the carrier or any of its subcontractors may take in order to avoid having the carrier placed on the list.
 
For each year that a contract is solicited under the program, Labor shall prepare and submit to the GSA a list of air carriers that shall be ineligible for such solicitation based on serious, repeated, willful, or pervasive violations of the labor laws and the failure of such carriers or any of its subcontractors to complete a corrective measure negotiated. The GSA shall not solicit a contract under the program from any carrier on the list that applies to the year of the solicitation.
 
Labor may negotiate corrective measures that a carrier or any of its subcontractors may take in order to avoid having the carrier placed on the list.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Introduced in Senate
End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2080
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-11-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: 

End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2017

 
This bill revises the duties of the Department of the Treasury's Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence to include combating illicit financing relating to human trafficking. 
 
The bill amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to report on efforts to eliminate money laundering relating to human trafficking.
 
The Federal Financial Institutions Examinations Council must review procedures relating to the detection and deterrence of human trafficking-related financial transactions. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-09
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-158.
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

Bill: 115-s-2081
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2017-11-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Consumer affairs
Educational guidance
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Interest, dividends, interest rates
School administration
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: 

Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

 
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify loan counseling requirements applicable to institutions of higher education (IHEs).
 
Currently, an IHE must provide entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill replaces required entrance counseling with required annual financial counseling concerning information on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of the grant or loan. Also, it expands the required recipients of such annual counseling to include, in addition to student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients and parent PLUS Loan borrowers.
 
Additionally, the bill revises, expands, or establishes specific annual counseling information requirements for student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients, or parent PLUS Loan borrowers.
 
The bill revises and expands exit counseling information requirements for borrowers to include an outstanding loan balance summary, the anticipated monthly payments under standard and income-based repayment plans, an explanation of the grace period preceding repayment, the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes, the right to request an annual credit report, and loan servicer contact information.
 
It directs the Department of Education to maintain a consumer-tested online counseling tool that provides annual and exit counseling.
 
 The Institute of Education Sciences must study the impact and effectiveness of exit counseling, annual counseling, and the online counseling tool.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Visa Lottery Repeal Act

Bill: 115-s-2082
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
Introduced: 2017-11-06 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Immigration status and procedures
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: 

Visa Lottery Repeal Act

 
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to eliminate the diversity immigrant visa program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-11-06
text: Introduced in Senate
Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2083
Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Computer security and identity theft
Federal-Indian relations
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Intergovernmental relations
Law enforcement administration and funding
Marine and inland water transportation
Navigation, waterways, harbors
State and local government operations
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Strengthening Cybersecurity Information Sharing and Coordination in Our Ports Act of 2017

 
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to facilitate increased information sharing about cybersecurity among maritime interests.
 
DHS must:
 
 
develop, implement, and continually review a maritime cybersecurity risk assessment model to evaluate current and future cybersecurity risks; 
 
seek input from at least one information sharing and analysis organization representing maritime interests in the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center; 
 
establish voluntary reporting guidelines for maritime-related cybersecurity risks and incidents; and
 
request that the National Maritime Security Advisory Committee report and make recommendations to DHS about methods to enhance cybersecurity and information sharing among security stakeholders from federal, state, local, and tribal governments; public safety and emergency response agencies; law enforcement and security organizations; maritime industry participants; port owners and operators; and maritime terminal owners and operators.

 
Through the Coast Guard, DHS must also:
 
 
direct each Area Maritime Security Advisory Committee to facilitate the sharing of information about, and development of plans to address, port-specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities; and 
 
require that area maritime security plans and facility security plans approved after enactment of this bill include mitigation measures to prevent, manage, and respond to cyber threats and vulnerabilities.

 
The bill amends the federal shipping codes to include cybersecurity in facility and vessel vulnerability assessments.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Community Partnerships in Education Act

Bill: 115-s-2084
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Adult education and literacy
Community life and organization
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Higher education
Performance measurement
Public-private cooperation
Student records
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Community Partnerships in Education Act

 
This bill modifies various Department of Education programs to establish requirements for including nonprofit organizations, such as community partners and intermediary organizations, in the planning and delivery of education and career training programs. 
 

 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Nourishing Our Golden Years Act

Bill: 115-s-2085
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Food assistance and relief
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Nourishing Our Golden Years Act 

 
This bill amends the Agriculture and Consumer Protection Act of 1973 to establish a minimum certification period of one year for the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP). During the certification period, a participant in the program may continue to receive benefits without a formal review of eligibility.
 
(The CSFP provides supplemental food to low-income elderly persons who are at least 60 years of age. Certification periods currently vary by state.) 
 
Upon the request of a state, the Department of Agriculture must approve a state certification period of more than year, if, on an annual basis, the local agency administering the program: (1) verifies the address and continued interest of each participant in receiving benefits; and (2) has sufficient reason to determine that the participant still meets the income eligibility standards, which may include a determination that the participant has a fixed income. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Sugar Policy Modernization Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2086
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural marketing and promotion
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural trade
Alternative and renewable resources
Food industry and services
Motor fuels
Tariffs

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Sugar Policy Modernization Act of 2017 

 
This bill amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 and other agricultural laws to modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sugar program. 
 
The bill modifies the sugar program to: 
 
 
reduce the rates for price support loans to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets;
 
 require USDA to recover the net cost of the program from domestic sugar processors;
 
 extend through 2019 and then terminate the Feedstock Flexibility Program under which USDA purchases surplus sugar from domestic processors for resale to ethanol producers; 
 
extend through 2020 and then repeal the flexible marketing allotments which limit the amount of sugar that domestic processing companies may sell for domestic human use; 
 
require USDA to administer the program to provide adequate supplies of sugar at reasonable prices; 
 
 require USDA to adjust sugar tariff-rate quota imports to achieve specified ratios of sugar stocks to total sugar use; and
 
 allow the transfer of quotas between countries.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act

Bill: 115-s-2087
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Department of Education
Disability and paralysis
Disability assistance
Education programs funding
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Health information and medical records
Hearing, speech, and vision care
Language arts
Special education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

 

Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act 

 

 

 

This bill amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to require a state to identify, evaluate, and provide special education and related services to children who have visual or hearing disabilities (or both) and also are, or may be, classified in another disability category. A state must ensure that it has enough qualified personnel to serve children who have such disabilities and that a full continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of disabled children for special education and related services.
 

 

 
The individualized education program for each child that is either (or both) visually or hearing impaired must include specified components and must provide the child with instruction that meets the child's unique learning needs. Similarly, the individualized family service plan for an infant or toddler with a hearing disability must include specified components.
 

 

 
A state's closure of a special school serving deaf or blind children shall count as a reduction of its financial support for special education and related services for purposes of the prohibition against reducing state financial support for such services from one fiscal year to the next.
 

 

 
The bill also: (1) authorizes grants for training special education personnel, to be used in preparing individuals to become qualified teachers and early intervention specialists for children with hearing disabilities; and (2) establishes within the Department of Education the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence to better support students with visual disabilities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2088
Sponsor: Sen. Fischer, Deb [R-NE]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Cemeteries and funerals
Department of Defense
Military facilities and property
Military personnel and dependents
Monuments and memorials
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Gold Star Family Support and Installation Access Act of 2017

 
This bill directs the appropriate military department to issue a standardized Gold Star Installation Access Card to the widow and dependent children of a deceased member of the Armed Forces to allow them to gain unescorted access to military installations to attend memorial events, visit gravesites, and obtain on-installation services and benefits.
 
The Department of Defense shall prescribe regulations to provide that a surviving spouse of a deceased member, regardless of martial status, who has guardianship of dependent children of the deceased member, is entitled to use commissary stores and MWR retail facilities to the same extent and on the same basis as the unremarried spouse of a member of the uniformed services.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2089
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Aging
Department of Health and Human Services
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care coverage and access
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Mental health
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

LGBT Elder Americans Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to include the specific needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals among the "greatest social needs" served under that Act. An LGBT individual shall be considered a "minority" for purposes of services provided under the Act.
 
The bill authorizes the Administration of Aging to designate within it a person with responsibility for addressing issues affecting LGBT older individuals. In addition, the administration shall conduct studies and collect data to determine the services needed by LGBT older individuals. 
 
The administration shall establish and operate the National Resource Center on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Aging to provide national, state, and local organizations with the information and technical assistance needed by those organizations to effectively serve LGBT older individuals.
 
The Long-Term Care Ombudsman of each state shall, as a condition of receiving certain federal funding under the Act, collect and analyze data related to discrimination against LGBT older individuals in long-term care settings.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
MEMA Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2090
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Building construction
Disaster relief and insurance
Floods and storm protection
Geography and mapping
Government information and archives
Public contracts and procurement
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Municipality Empowerment Mapping Achievement Act of 2017
 
or the MEMA Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to require National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) rate maps to be published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for the entire United States (current law directs the mapping of certain risk areas). In developing these rate maps, FEMA must use the most current remote sensing technology. 
 
In coordination with the Technical Mapping Advisory Council, FEMA shall establish a digital database to display the flood hazard risk of buildings in NFIP. The database must contain specified information about each property, including a certification of the building's elevation. FEMA shall provide a one-time premium credit for the purchase of an elevation certificate by a policyholder.
 
The bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to allow reimbursement to local governments that assist FEMA in developing flood risk zone data.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Surcharge Relief Act

Bill: 115-s-2091
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Building construction
Disaster relief and insurance
Floods and storm protection
Small business
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Small Business Surcharge Relief Act

 
This bill amends the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968 to partially exempt small businesses and nonprofit organizations from the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act (HFIAA) surcharge. The bill limits application of the HFIAA surcharge to two buildings on the same property, exempting additional buildings. The business or organization must certify that the savings will be used for flood mitigation on the property.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
Flood Insurance Continuing Education and Training Act

Bill: 115-s-2092
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Business education
Disaster relief and insurance
Floods and storm protection
Insurance industry and regulation
Licensing and registrations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

Flood Insurance Continuing Education and Training Act

 
This bill amends the Bunning-Bereuter-Blumenauer Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2004 to require insurance agents selling flood insurance policies to complete a continuing education course every two years. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate
COASTAL Implementation Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2093
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2017-11-07 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Department of Homeland Security
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental technology
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Floods and storm protection
Government studies and investigations
Natural disasters

Summary:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: 

COASTAL Implementation Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 to revise the authority of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, including to authorize (1)the deployment of sensors to enhance data collection in coastal states that are at highest risk of experiencing geophysical events, and (2)post-storm assessments for each coastal state that suffers indeterminate loses from a storm.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: Introduced in Senate