hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act

Bill: 115-s-1652
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Civil actions and liability
Community life and organization
Congressional oversight
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Government studies and investigations
Labor standards
Personnel records
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Wage Theft Prevention and Wage Recovery Act

 
This bill amends the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) to require employers to make initial disclosures to employees of the terms of their employment, provide such employees with regular paystubs, and make final payment to a terminating employee for uncompensated hours within 14 days of the employee's termination. 
 
An employer shall compensate an employee at the rate specified in an employment contract or other employment agreement, including a collective bargaining agreement, that specifies a rate of pay higher than the minimum wage rate. 
 
The bill establishes new and increased civil and criminal penalties for violations of FLSA overtime or minimum wage requirements, including referral to the Department of Justice for criminal prosecution of employers who engage in wage theft, falsification of wage records, or retaliation against employees. 
 
The bill: (1) increases damages for employees who are victims of wage theft from two to three times the wages owed or who are fired for filing a complaint concerning wage theft or for cooperating in an investigation by the Department of Labor, (2) revises requirements for wage recordkeeping by employers and establishes penalties for violations of those requirements, (3) grants employees the right to inspect employer wage records, and (4) increases the statute of limitation for bringing a claim for owed wages from two to four years (three to five years for willful violations). 
 
Labor must award grants to assist certain entities in the enforcement of FLSA wage and hour requirements. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1653
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Appropriations
Child care and development
Child health
Education of the disadvantaged
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Family planning and birth control
Family relationships
HIV/AIDS
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Higher education
Indian social and development programs
Medical research
Minority education
Sex and reproductive health
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Sexually transmitted diseases
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Real Education for Healthy Youth Act of 2017

 
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in coordination with the Department of Education, to award grants for: (1) comprehensive sex education for adolescents, (2) comprehensive sex education provided by institutions of higher education, and (3) training faculty and staff to teach comprehensive sex education to adolescents. HHS must enter a contract with a nonprofit organization to evaluate and report on these grants. The bill makes appropriations to carry out the the bill.
 
Grants may not be used for health education programs that:
 
 
 withhold health-promoting or lifesaving information about sexuality-related topics, including HIV;
 
are medically inaccurate or have been scientifically shown to be ineffective;
 
promote gender or racial stereotypes;
 
are insensitive and unresponsive to the needs of certain youth, including survivors of sexual abuse or assault, sexually active youth, pregnant or parenting youth, or individuals with varying gender identities or sexual orientations; or
 
are inconsistent with the ethical imperatives of medicine and public health.
 
 
The bill amends the Public Health Service Act to revise requirements and eliminate prohibitions regarding the content of educational programs funded through the AIDS prevention program.
 
The bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow funding to be used for: (1) materials or programs that promote or encourage sexual activity, and (2) contraceptive distribution in schools.
 
The bill amends title V (Maternal and Child Health Services) of the Social Security Act to repeal the program for abstinence education. Unobligated funds for abstinence education are transferred and made available to carry out this bill.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Email Privacy Act

Bill: 115-s-1654
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Business records
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Right of privacy
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Email Privacy Act

 
This bill amends the federal criminal code to revise provisions that limit an electronic communication service (ECS) or remote communication service (RCS) provider from disclosing the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is in electronic storage. 
 
Additionally, it revises the standards for the government to compel an ECS or RCS provider to disclose contents of a wire or electronic communication or noncontent records or information pertaining to a subscriber or customer. 
 
An ECS or RCS provider may notify a subscriber or customer of the receipt of a warrant, court order, subpoena, or request, unless the government obtains an order for delayed notification. 
 
The bill revises the process for obtaining a delayed notification order and lengthens the maximum duration of a delayed notification order. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Medical Device Cybersecurity Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1656
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Medical Device Cybersecurity Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), in coordination with others, to create a cybersecurity report card for devices that have network or Internet connectivity, connect to an external drive or external media, or have any other cyber capability.
 
Report cards must contain specified information, including: (1) information pertaining to the essential elements described in the most recent version of the Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security, (2) a cybersecurity risk assessment conducted by the manufacturer or third party, and (3) whether the device is capable of being accessed remotely.
 
A cyber device manufacturer must include a report card in any premarket notification or application for premarket approval. The FDA shall provide a copy of a device's report card if requested by a health care industry entity or an entity with a valid interest in the report card. 
 
The bill establishes procedures, including notifications to providers and patients, for manufacturers when cyber devices are remotely accessed or no longer going to be sold. Fixes and updates to cyber devices must be free of charge for specified time periods.
 
The bill expands the responsibilities of the Department of Homeland Security's Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team to include investigating cybersecurity vulnerabilities of cyber devices that may cause harm to human life or the significant misuse of personal health information, and coordinating device-specific responses.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
ECPA Modernization Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1657
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Business records
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Evidence and witnesses
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Law enforcement officers
Right of privacy
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

ECPA Modernization Act of 2017

 
This bill revises provisions that limit an electronic communication service provider or remote communication service provider from disclosing to law enforcement the contents of a wire or electronic communication that is in electronic storage. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1658
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Education

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Mentoring to Succeed Act of 2017

 
This bill requires the Department of Education to award grants to entities to establish, expand, or support school-based mentoring programs that assist at-risk students in developing cognitive and social-emotional skills to prepare them for success in high school, postsecondary education, and the workforce.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4427-4428; text of measure as introduced: CR S4428-4429)
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1659
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer credit
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Interest, dividends, interest rates

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 
 
2017

 
 This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%.
 
The bill also sets forth criminal penalties for violations and empowers state Attorneys General to enforce the bill.
 
Credit card billing statements must include the fee and interest rate, displayed as &quot;FAIR,&quot; instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4429-4430)
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Stop Foreign Donations Affecting Our Elections Act

Bill: 115-s-1660
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Consumer credit
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Government information and archives
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Stop Foreign Donations Affecting Our Elections Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to prohibit political committees from accepting any Internet credit card contribution unless:
 
 
the individual or entity making the contribution is required, at the time of the contribution, to disclose the credit card's verification value; and 
the billing address associated with the card is located in the United States or, if the contribution comes from an individual U.S. citizen living outside of the United States, the individual gives the committee the U.S. mailing address he or she uses for voter registration.
 
 
The person receiving an Internet credit card contribution shall forward it to the treasurer of the political committee within 10 days, together with the name and address of the contributor and the date of receipt. The treasurer shall keep an account of the contributor's name and address, together with the date and amount of the contribution.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1661
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Foreclosure Relief and Extension for Servicemembers Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Honoring America's Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act of 2012 to make permanent the extended one-year period after a servicemember's military service during which: (1) a court may stay proceedings to enforce an obligation on real or personal property owned by the servicemember prior to such military service; and (2) the sale, foreclosure, or seizure of such property is invalid without a court order or agreement. (The extended one-year period expired on December 31, 2014, and returned to a nine-month period under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
CO2 Regulatory Certainty Act

Bill: 115-s-1663
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Air quality
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental regulatory procedures
Income tax credits
Oil and gas
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

CO2 Regulatory Certainty Act 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise requirements for the secure geological storage of carbon dioxide for the purpose of the tax credit for carbon dioxide sequestration. 
 
The bill establishes a December 31, 2017, deadline and requirements for regulations that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is required, under current law, to establish for determining adequate security measures for the geological storage of the carbon dioxide such that carbon dioxide does not escape into the atmosphere. 
 
The IRS regulations must consider the carbon dioxide to be disposed of in secure geological storage if it is stored in compliance with specified rules promulgated by the Environmental Protection Agency under the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act for the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide, the injection of carbon dioxide, and the criteria and standards for underground injection control programs that are applicable to Class II wells. 
 
The bill also revises the definition of &quot;qualified enhanced oil or natural gas recovery project&quot; to exclude a requirement for the first injection of liquids, gases, or other matter to commence after December 31, 1990.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Relief for Recovering Communities Act

Bill: 115-s-1664
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Public transit
Transportation programs funding
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Relief for Recovering Communities Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Transportation to treat an area as an &quot;urbanized area&quot; following a major disaster under the Disaster Relief Act of 1974 until the second decennial census conducted after such disaster if: (1) the area was defined and designated as such by the Department of Commerce in the decennial census immediately preceding such disaster, effective with the 2000 decennial census; and (2) the population of the area fell below 50,000 as a result of such disaster. This designation as an urbanized area permits an application for federal transit funding based upon population levels in the area prior to the major disaster. 
 
An area treated as an urbanized area shall be assigned the population and square miles of the urban cluster designated by Commerce in the most recent decennial census.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (text of measure as introduced: CR S4430)
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Confirming State Land Grants for Education Act

Bill: 115-s-1665
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Elementary and secondary education
Land transfers
Land use and conservation
Utah

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Confirming State Land Grants for Education Act 

 
This bill allows the state of Utah, subject to valid existing rights, to select certain lands under the administrative jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior that are identified as available for disposal by land exchange in the Record of Decision for the Pony Express Resource Management Plan and Rangeland Program Summary for Utah County in fulfillment of certain land grants made to Utah upon being admitted as a state to further the purposes of the State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, without further land use planning action by the BLM. 
 
The criteria listed in Decision 3 of the Lands Program of the resource management plan shall not apply to any lands selected by Utah pursuant to this bill. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-02-07
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 115-502.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
HOT CARS Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1666
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child safety and welfare
Congressional oversight
Department of Transportation
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
State and local government operations
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Helping Overcome Trauma for Children Alone in Rear Seats Act of 2017 or the HOT CARS Act of 2017

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue a final rule requiring all new passenger motor vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight to be equipped with a system to alert the operator to check rear designated seating positions after the vehicle engine is turned off.
 
The alert shall: (1) include a distinct auditory and visual alert, which may be combined with a haptic alert (i.e., vibrations); and (2) be activated when the vehicle engine is turned off.
 
DOT must enter into an agreement with an independent third-party for a study on retrofitting existing passenger motor vehicles with technology to address the problem of children left in rear seats after the vehicle engine is turned off. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act

Bill: 115-s-1667
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Consumer affairs
Disability and health-based discrimination
Health care costs and insurance
Insurance industry and regulation
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Rates Act

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to declare that the review by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of unreasonable increases in health care coverage premiums does not prohibit a state from imposing on health insurers additional rate requirements that are more protective of consumers. The HHS review, which currently covers only premium increases, is expanded to include all rate increases.
 
HHS or the relevant state agency must ensure that any excessive, unjustified, or unfairly discriminatory rates are corrected before, or as soon as possible after, implementation, including through mechanisms such as denying rates, modifying rates, or requiring rebates to consumers. HHS may apply civil monetary penalties to health insurers that fail to comply with a corrective action taken by HHS and may make the plan involved ineligible for classification as a qualified health plan. (Qualified health plans are sold on health insurance exchanges, are the only plans eligible for premium subsidies, and fulfill an individual's requirement to maintain minimum essential coverage.) HHS must determine whether HHS or the state will undertake the corrective actions based on whether the state can adequately undertake the actions.
 
 This bill applies to health plans grandfathered under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4430-4431)
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Environmental Cleanup Infrastructure Act

Bill: 115-s-1669
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2017-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Air quality
Appropriations
Coal
Economic development
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Executive agency funding and structure
Government lending and loan guarantees
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Military facilities and property
Mining
Motor carriers
Motor fuels
Pollution liability

Summary:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: 

Environmental Cleanup Infrastructure Act

 
This bill provides funds through October 1, 2026, for: (1) remedial actions at National Priority List sites (i.e., Superfund sites); (2) remedial actions to address releases of hazardous substances at eligible abandoned coal mining sites; (3) environmental restoration of formerly used defense sites under the Defense Environmental Restoration Program; (4) the Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program; and (5) the Diesel Emissions Reduction Program.
 
The Environmental Protection Agency must prioritize remediation efforts that have the potential to facilitate economic revitalization when providing funding for the remediation of abandoned coal mining sites with funds made available under this bill.
 
An abandoned coal mine site is eligible for such funding if: (1) the site is described in the Department of the Interior's Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System, and (2) the site's restoration costs are not funded by the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate