hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
ARC-CO Improvement Act

Bill: 115-s-1998
Sponsor: Sen. Heitkamp, Heidi [D-ND]
Introduced: 2017-10-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Government information and archives

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: 

ARC-CO Improvement Act 

 
This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make certain adjustments to county yields used to calculate actual crop revenue under the Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Level program (ARC-CO) to reduce disparities between neighboring and nearby counties with similar soils and climate that cannot be explained by a localized weather event. 
 
(Under ARC-CO, farmers receive payments when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.)
 
In the case of county coverage, USDA must: (1) prioritize the use of yields from sources that provide the greatest geographic coverage of county-level data from the same source; and (2) use the yield, benchmark revenue, and payment rate based on the county of the physical location of the farm. 
 
With respect to a farm that crosses county boundaries, USDA must: (1) split the base acres on a pro rata basis based on the relative quantity of cropland in each county, and (2) calculate any payments on the same pro rata basis. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Ellie's Law

Bill: 115-s-1999
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-10-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health programs administration and funding
Medical research
Neurological disorders
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: 

Ellie Helton, Lisa Colagrossi, Teresa Anne Lawrence, and Jennifer Sedney Focused Research Act or Ellie's Law

This bill authorizes the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to conduct or support research on unruptured brain aneurysms in a patient population diversified by age, sex, and race.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Introduced in Senate
National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2000
Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced: 2017-10-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Consumer affairs
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental health
Environmental regulatory procedures
Government information and archives
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Metals
Public utilities and utility rates
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: 

National Opportunity for Lead Exposure Accountability and Deterrence Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to revise the national primary drinking water regulations for lead and copper. The rule must direct:
 
 
public water systems to meet certain reporting requirements;
 
 the EPA to develop a sampling protocol and develop instructions for compliance with the protocol;
 
 the EPA, or the state exercising primary enforcement responsibility, to require on-site investigations for determining the source of lead when the concentration of lead or copper contamination exceeds specified levels;
 
 public water systems to meet certain notification and reporting requirements when lead or copper concentration limits are exceeded;
 
the systems to develop and publish an inventory of the material composition of the service lines at residential and nonresidential facilities;
 
the systems to collect and publish information about the ownership of those service lines; and
 
the systems, when replacing lead service lines, to entirely replace the lines instead of partially replacing them. 
 
 
The EPA must also revise the rule to lower the allowable level of lead in drinking water.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Introduced in Senate
State Public Option Act

Bill: 115-s-2001
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2017-10-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Appropriations
Child health
Department of Health and Human Services
Executive agency funding and structure
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Income tax credits
Medicaid
Medicare
Performance measurement
State and local finance
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: 

State Public Option Act

 
This bill allows residents not already eligible for Medicaid who are not concurrently enrolled in other health insurance coverage to buy into a state Medicaid plan beginning January 1, 2018.
 
The bill makes such buy-in coverage eligible for premium subsidies and reduced cost sharing under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
 
 The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality shall develop standardized, state-level metrics of access to, and satisfaction with, providers for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans.
 
Primary care services furnished under Medicaid by certain providers must be paid at a rate that is not less than the rate under Medicare part B.
 
Beginning in FY2019, the Department of Health and Human Services may award grants to states for the purpose of improving access to services for individuals enrolled in state Medicaid plans.
 
The bill provides the enhanced federal medical assistance percentage to every state that expands Medicaid coverage for individuals who are newly eligible under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, regardless of when such expansion takes place.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring Protections for Intelligence Community Contractor Whistleblowers Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2002
Sponsor: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]
Introduced: 2017-10-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: 

Ensuring Protections for Intelligence Community Contractor Whistleblowers Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the National Security Act of 1947 to prohibit reprisals or discrimination against a intelligence community whistle-blower (including an employee, an applicant for employment, former employee, or contractor) who makes a protected disclosure to an agency Inspector General (IG) or certain other federal officials while carrying out a contract that contains a covered intelligence community element (i.e., the Central Intelligence Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the National Reconnaissance Office.) A &quot;protected disclosure&quot; means any lawful disclosure of information that an employee believes is evidence of a violation of federal law, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.
 
A whistle-blower who has been subjected to a reprisal may submit a complaint to an agency IG, the Department of Defense IG, or the IG of the Intelligence Community. The appropriate IG must investigate the complaint and make a determination as to its validity. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Select Committee on Intelligence.
action_date: 2017-10-24
text: Introduced in Senate
FDA Cosmetic Safety and Modernization Act

Bill: 115-s-2003
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

FDA Cosmetic Safety and Modernization Act

 
This bill establishes a series of requirements relating to cosmetics regulation, including requiring cosmetics manufacturers and distributors to report serious adverse health events to the Food and Drug Administration.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act

Bill: 115-s-2004
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Appropriations
Drug therapy
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Medical research
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Combating the Opioid Epidemic Act

 
This bill amends the 21st Century Cures Act to provide additional funds through FY2027 for state grants to address the opioid abuse crisis.
 
The bill provides funds to the Department of Health and Human Services through FY2022 for state grants to conduct research on addiction and pain related to substance misuse.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act

Bill: 115-s-2005
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Corporate finance and management
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Lighting and heating
Lighting, heating, cooling
Motor fuels
Solid waste and recycling
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of &quot;qualifying income&quot; for such partnerships (known as master limited partnerships) to include income and gains from renewable and alternative energy generation projects (in addition to fossil fuel-based energy generation projects) and related infrastructure for transportation or storage, including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2006
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require mammography facilities to include up-to-date information about breast density in both the written report of the results of a mammography examination provided to a patient's physician and the summary of that written report given to the patient. The summary must convey: (1) the effect of breast density in masking the presence of breast cancer on a mammogram, and (2) that individuals with dense breasts should talk with their health care providers about any questions or concerns regarding the summary and whether they would benefit from additional tests.
 
The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to expand and intensify research on breast density, the cost-effectiveness and feasibility of supplemental imaging relating to breast density, and best practices concerning mammograms and supplemental screening for those with dense breasts.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6817-6818)
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Upward Mobility Enhancement Act

Bill: 115-s-2007
Sponsor: Sen. Flake, Jeff [R-AZ]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Income tax exclusion
Inflation and prices
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Upward Mobility Enhancement Act 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the exclusion for educational assistance programs, to increase the maximum amount of employer-provided educational assistance that may be excluded from the gross income of an employee. 
 
The bill: (1) specifies that the exclusion applies only to the first $11,500 of educational assistance furnished to an individual during a calendar year, and (2) requires the $11,500 amount to be adjusted for inflation after 2017. 
 
(Under current law, the exclusion applies only to the first $5,250 of educational assistance furnished to an individual during a calendar year and is not adjusted for inflation.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Forensic Drug Testing Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2008
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Law enforcement administration and funding
Medical tests and diagnostic methods

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Combating the Opioid Epidemic Through Forensic Drug Testing Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to authorize the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance to award grants to states to address the distribution, sale, and use of heroin, fentanyl, and associated synthetic drugs.
 
 Grants may be used to:
 
 
reimburse forensic science laboratories and medical examiner and coroner offices for efforts to address and prevent testing backlogs and efforts to conduct autopsies and toxicology testing related to drug overdose deaths;
 
reimburse law enforcement agencies for equipment to identify or detect heroin, fentanyl, and associated synthetic drugs;
 
investigate, arrest, and prosecute distributors or sellers; and
 
support health department services for users.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Background Check Expansion Act

Bill: 115-s-2009
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Crime prevention
Criminal justice information and records
Firearms and explosives
Licensing and registrations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Background Check Expansion Act

 
This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals).
 
Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check.
 
The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2010
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Evidence and witnesses
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Judicial review and appeals
Legislative rules and procedure
Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board
Specialized courts

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

FISA Amendments Reauthorization Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 to extend the Act through December 31, 2025.
 
The bill prohibits the intelligence community from intentionally acquiring a communication about a non-U.S. entity if the communication contains a reference to the entity but is not from or directed to that entity (this kind of communications collecting is called abouts collection) unless the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) submit to Congress a written notice of the intent to implement the authorization of such communications collection. The notice triggers a 30-day congressional review period that requires Congress to pass specific legislation in order to prohibit the authorization of such communications collection. Information obtained about a U.S. person through an abouts collection can only be used against that U.S. person for specified criminal proceedings.
 
The bill allows the FISA court's amici curiae (lawyers who argue against the government's FISA requests) to participate in matters pertaining to abouts collection.
 
DOJ and the ODNI must create procedures and keep records pertaining to queries, which are searches done with data the government already acquired and use a specific search term for the purpose of discovering or retrieving content or metadata. 
 
The bill exempts the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board from certain open meetings laws.
 
The penalty for the unauthorized removal of classified documents or materials is increased to up to 10 years in prison.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: By Senator Burr from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 115-182. Additional and Minority views filed.
action_date: 2017-11-07
text: By Senator Burr from Select Committee on Intelligence filed written report. Report No. 115-182. Additional and Minority views filed.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 252.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Select Committee on Intelligence. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Burr. Without written report.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Select Committee on Intelligence. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Burr. Without written report.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act

Bill: 115-s-2011
Sponsor: Sen. Sanders, Bernard [I-VT]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Inflation and prices
Medicaid
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act

 
This bill makes a series of changes relating to the prices of prescription drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans, including requirements relating to rebates for low-income individuals and drug price negotiations.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Tribal Economic Assistance Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-2012
Sponsor: Sen. Hoeven, John [R-ND]
Introduced: 2017-10-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Building construction
Business investment and capital
Community life and organization
Economic development
Education programs funding
Educational facilities and institutions
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Indian social and development programs
Minority education
Minority employment
Sales and excise taxes
Securities
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: 

Tribal Economic Assistance Act of 2017 

 
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify several tax provisions relating to Indian reservations. 
 
The bill: 
 
 
repeals a provision that limits an Indian tribal government's eligibility for certain excise tax exemptions to transactions involving the exercise of an essential government function; 
 
makes permanent the special depreciation rules for property used predominantly within an Indian reservation; 
 
makes permanent the Indian employment tax credit; 
 
requires the Department of the Treasury to give priority to qualified low-income community investments on Indian reservations when allocating new markets tax credits; and
 
allows qualified school construction bonds allocated for schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs to be used for reasonable and necessary predevelopment costs directly associated with the construction, rehabilitation, or repair of a school. 
 
 
The bill also amends the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act to establish a federal escrow account to carry out a qualified Indian school construction bond program for schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act

Bill: 115-s-2013
Sponsor: Sen. Perdue, David [R-GA]
Introduced: 2017-10-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Civil actions and liability
Housing finance and home ownership

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-26
text: 

Portfolio Lending and Mortgage Access Act

 
This bill amends the Truth in Lending Act to modify provisions related to residential mortgage loans. In general, a creditor that is a depository institution shall not be subject to suit for violating specified ability-to-pay requirements with respect to a residential mortgage loan if: (1) the creditor has consistently held the loan on its balance sheet, and (2) prepayment penalties associated with the loan comply with specified limitations. Similarly, a mortgage originator shall not be subject to suit for such a violation if: (1) the creditor is a depository institution; and (2) the creditor informs the mortgage originator, which informs the consumer, that the creditor intends to hold the loan on its balance sheet for the life of the loan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-10-26
text: Introduced in Senate