hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1400
Sponsor: Sen. Heinrich, Martin [D-NM]
Introduced: 2017-06-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Archaeology and anthropology
Cemeteries and funerals
Federal-Indian relations
Historical and cultural resources
Smuggling and trafficking

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: 

Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the federal criminal code to double the maximum prison term (from 5 years to 10 years) for persons convicted of selling, purchasing, using for profit, or transporting for sale or profit the human remains of Native Americans or cultural items obtained in violation of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
 
The bill prohibits the export of Native American cultural items that were obtained in violation of the Act, Native American archaeological resources that were obtained in violation of the Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979, or Native American objects of antiquity that were obtained in violation of the criminal code. Violators may be subject to fines, imprisonment, or both. 
 
The Department of the Interior and the Department of State must each designate a liaison to facilitate and hold trainings and workshops on the voluntary return of human remains or cultural items.
 
Interior must refer individuals and organizations to Indian tribes or Native Hawaiian organizations to facilitate the voluntary return of human remains or cultural items.
 
 In addition, Interior must convene a tribal working group consisting of representatives of tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to provide advice on issues concerning the return of, and illegal trade in, human remains or cultural items.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2017-11-08
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-236.
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Introduced in Senate
Get the Lead Out of Schools Act

Bill: 115-s-1401
Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-06-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Child care and development
Child health
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental regulatory procedures
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: 

Get the Lead Out of Schools Act

 
This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate a national primary drinking water regulation for schools and day care facilities that: (1) establishes a lead action level (a level of lead in drinking water that triggers additional actions to control lead contamination) of at least 15 parts per billion; (2) directs each public water system to sample for lead in the drinking water at schools and day care facilities if the EPA determines there is a risk that the lead in the drinking water will meet or exceed the action level; and (3) directs public water systems that serve schools or day cares that meet or exceed the action level to notify the local educational agency, the relevant local health agencies, the municipality, and the state as soon as practicable, but no later than five business days after the system receives the sampling results.
 
The EPA must also establish a grant program for: (1) testing drinking water in schools and day care facilities for lead contamination, and (2) remediating lead contamination in such drinking water by replacing lead pipes and certain plumbing materials with lead-free material.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Introduced in Senate
School Food Modernization Act

Bill: 115-s-1402
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2017-06-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Appropriations
Child health
Congressional oversight
Department of Education
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Executive agency funding and structure
Food assistance and relief
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Nutrition and diet
Poverty and welfare assistance
School administration
State and local finance
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: 

School Food Modernization Act

 
This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue loan guarantees to local educational agencies (LEAs), school food authorities, tribal organizations, and other eligible entities to finance infrastructure improvements or equipment purchases to facilitate their provision of healthy meals through the school lunch program. USDA must give preference to applicants that demonstrate a substantial or disproportionate need for food service infrastructure or durable equipment, and shall establish fees for the loan guarantee program that are sufficient to cover the federal government's administrative costs in operating the program.
 
USDA must also award competitive matching grants to assist LEAs, school food authorities, tribal organizations, and other eligible entities in purchasing the durable equipment and infrastructure they need to serve healthier meals and improve food safety. In doing so, USDA must give grant priority to applicants that: (1) have identified and are reasonably expected to meet an unmet local or community need, and (2) are located in states that have enacted funding measures to assist them with such purchases. 
 
 In addition, USDA must award competitive matching grants to experienced third-party training institutions to provide school food service personnel with the training and technical assistance they need to: (1) meet school lunch program nutrition standards, and (2) improve the efficacy and efficiency of the school lunch and breakfast programs. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3689)
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Introduced in Senate
Natural Gas Export Expansion Act

Bill: 115-s-1404
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2017-06-21 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Canada
Latin America
Mexico
Oil and gas
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: 

Natural Gas Export Expansion Act

 
This bill amends the Natural Gas Act regarding natural gas imports or exports to expand the expedited application and approval process to any nation, even if not a party to a free trade agreement with the United States, that is not specifically excluded by this bill.
 
The bill excludes any nation subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States or excluded by the President or Congress for national security reasons.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2017-06-21
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 31, United States Code, to provide for the issuance of Green Bonds and to establish the United States Green Bank, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-1406
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Corporate finance and management
Credit and credit markets
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Executive agency funding and structure
Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises
Government lending and loan guarantees
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Motor fuels
Securities
State and local finance

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

This bill establishes a U.S. Green Bank that provides financial support to assist regional, state, and local institutions finance: (1) clean energy (e.g., solar or wind energy) projects, or (2) energy efficiency projects that reduce energy use or substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
The Department of the Treasury must issue green bonds to provide the bank with: (1) an initial capitalization of $10 billion; and (2) additional capitalization, upon the bank's request, of no more than $50 billion in aggregate at any one time.
 
The bill also establishes in the Treasury a revolving Green Bank Establishment Fund.


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
Made in America Deduction Enhancement (MADE) Act

Bill: 115-s-1407
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Buy American requirements
Income tax deductions
Manufacturing

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Made in America Deduction Enhancement (MADE) Act

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities, to allow an increased deduction for manufacturers that use materials produced in the United States during their production process. 
 
The bill allows the increased deduction for taxpayers with a domestic input percentage that exceeds 75%. 
 
A &quot;domestic input percentage&quot; is the ratio of: (1) domestically produced input costs, to (2) the total costs of direct material inputs included in the cost of goods sold which are allocable to gross receipts derived from qualified property (tangible personal property other than a film, computer software, sound recordings, a natural resource extracted by the taxpayer, or property produced in a farming business). 
 
&quot;Domestically produced input costs&quot; are costs for materials which: (1) become an integral part of property produced by the eligible taxpayer; or (2) can be identified or associated with particular units or groups of units of property produced by the eligible taxpayer, if all or virtually all of the material is produced in the United States. 


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
A bill to enhance effective prosecution and defense in courts-martial, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-1408
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Lawyers and legal services
Military law
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 
This bill amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 to require of detailed trial and defense counsel in a court-martial that there be adequate supervision and oversight to ensure effective prosecution and defense in the court-martial.
 
The military department concerned may assign the function of supervising and overseeing prosecution or defense in courts-martial by less experienced judge advocates to civilian employees of the department or the Department of Homeland Security, as applicable, who have extensive litigation experience.
 
The bill revises requirements concerning pilot programs on the professional development process for judge advocates to direct the military department concerned to assess the feasibility and advisability of a military justice career track for judge advocates under the department's jurisdiction.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Technologies for Energy Jobs and Security Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1409
Sponsor: Sen. Carper, Thomas R. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Alternative and renewable resources
Business investment and capital
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Income tax credits
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Residential rehabilitation and home repair

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Technologies for Energy Jobs and Security Act of 2017 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify tax credits for residential energy efficient property and investments in energy property. 
 
The bill modifies the tax credit for residential energy efficient property to extend through 2021 the credits for expenditures for fuel cell property, small wind energy property, and geothermal heat pump property. For each extended credit, the bill phases out the current credit rate of 30% of expenditures by reducing it to 26% or 22%, depending on the date that the property is placed in service.
 
The bill extends the tax credit for investments in energy property for the following property with construction that begins before January 1, 2022: 
 
 
 fiber-optic solar energy property, 
 
thermal energy property. 
 
 fuel cell property, 
 
 microturbine property, 
 
 combined heat and power system property, and
 
 small wind energy property.
 
 
The bill phases out the current credit rate of 30% for investments in geothermal energy property, fiber-optic solar energy property, fuel cell property, and small wind energy property by reducing it to 26% or 22%, depending on the date that the property is placed in service. 
 
The bill also allows an energy tax credit through 2021 for investment in waste heat to power property that does not have a capacity in excess of 50 megawatts. &quot;Waste heat to power property&quot; is property comprising a system which generates electricity through the recovery of a qualified waste heat resource. 


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 DRONE Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1410
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advisory bodies
Aviation and airports
Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Department of Transportation
Disaster relief and insurance
Education programs funding
Employment and training programs
Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Licensing and registrations
Public utilities and utility rates
Telephone and wireless communication
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Safe Development, Research, and Opportunities Needed for Entrepreneurship Act of 2017 or the Safe DRONE Act of 2017

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT), in coordination with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry stakeholders, to develop an implementation plan to achieve full operational capability of unmanned aircraft systems traffic management and to ensure the safety and security of all aircraft..
 
DOT shall designate consortia of public, two-year institutions of higher education as Community and Technical College Centers of Excellence in Small Unmanned Aircraft System Technology Training.
 
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 is amended to extend the pilot program for the integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the National Airspace System through September 30, 2024. The bill permits the operation of unmanned aircraft (i.e., drones) without specific operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) if specified conditions apply, such as if the aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use.
 
The FAA shall: (1) initiate a process to periodically update the operational parameters for drones, and (2) maintain on its website a list of community-based organizations under which small drones may be operated.
 
The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on developments and protections relating to cybersecurity and operational control concerns with respect to drones. 


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
A bill to amend title 10, United States Code, to provide for a five-year extension of the payment of the special survivor indemnity allowance under the Survivor Benefit Plan.

Bill: 115-s-1411
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Marriage and family status
Military personnel and dependents
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 
This bill extends through FY2023 the special survivor indemnity allowance for a surviving or former spouse of a deceased member of the Armed Forces whose annuity under the survivor benefit program is offset by the amount of dependency and indemnity compensation received from the Department of Veterans Affairs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act

Bill: 115-s-1412
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Health personnel
Higher education
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Law enforcement officers
Military personnel and dependents
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act

 
This bill amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on a William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan made after this bill's enactment. (Currently, the balance of a borrower's Direct Loan is canceled if the borrower is not in default and has made 120 monthly payments on such loan while employed as a public service employee.)
 
The bill: (1) requires borrowers availing themselves of such loan cancellation to submit an employment certification form that includes self-certification of employment and employer certification of employment dates, and (2) places the borrower's loan in deferment during the period in which the borrower is employed in an eligible public service job if the borrower submits such form to ED.
 
If a portion of a loan is canceled for any year, the interest on such loan for such year must be canceled.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Teachers Are Leaders Act

Bill: 115-s-1413
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Higher education
Teaching, teachers, curricula

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Teachers Are Leaders Act

 
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to authorize grants for the establishment of professional development programs for teachers who remain in the classroom while also carrying out formalized leadership responsibilities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
SHIPS Act

Bill: 115-s-1414
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Defense spending
Military operations and strategy
Military procurement, research, weapons development

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

Securing the Homeland by Increasing our Power on the Seas Act or the SHIPS Act

 
This bill declares that it shall be the policy of the United States to have available, as soon as practicable, at least 355 battle force ships, comprised of the optimal mix of platforms, with funding subject to the annual authorization and appropriation of funds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
LNG Now Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1415
Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Disaster relief and insurance
Government information and archives
Oil and gas
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Trade restrictions
War and emergency powers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 

License Natural Gas Now Act of 2017 or the LNG Now Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to prohibit the federal government from imposing any restriction on the importation and exportation of natural gas.
 
The bill does not limit the President's ability to restrict the importation or exportation of natural gas: (1)during national emergencies or disasters, and (2)to foreign countries if the President declares a national emergency with respect to such country.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 28, United States Code, to redefine the eastern and middle judicial districts of North Carolina.

Bill: 115-s-1416
Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
Introduced: 2017-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: Federal district courts
North Carolina

Summary:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: 
This bill amends the federal judicial code to move portions of four counties encompassing the Fort Bragg Military Reservation and Camp Mackall from the Middle District to the Eastern District of North Carolina.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate