hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Smart Cities and Communities Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1904
Sponsor: Sen. Cantwell, Maria [D-WA]
Introduced: 2017-10-02 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Air quality
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Community life and organization
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Economic development
Employment and training programs
Energy efficiency and conservation
Executive agency funding and structure
Foreign aid and international relief
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Infrastructure development
International law and treaties
International organizations and cooperation
Licensing and registrations
Public contracts and procurement
Public-private cooperation
State and local government operations
Technology assessment
U.S. and foreign investments

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: 

Smart Cities and Communities Act of 2017

 
This bill establishes programs for the implementation and use of smart technologies and systems in communities of various sizes. A &ldquo;smart city or community&rdquo; is one in which innovative, advanced, and trustworthy information, communication, and energy technologies are applied to: (1) improve the health and quality of life of residents; (2) increase efficiency of operations and services; (3) promote economic growth; and (4) improve safety, security, sustainability, resiliency, livability, and work life.
 
The Department of Commerce shall establish a regional demonstration grant program focused on facilitating adoption, and allowing measurement and validation of performance, of advanced smart city or community technologies and systems. Commerce shall also convene a working group to develop tools for evaluating the cybersecurity of smart city or community technologies.
 
The Department of Labor shall establish a pilot program to furnish competitive grants for technology-based job training and education programs that provide industry-recognized credentials.
 
The bill requires strong federal encouragement and support for private sector-led standards development activities.
 
The bill requires the establishment of a strategic international smart cities and communities trade program that includes trade missions to promote and assist smart-community activities, as by leveraging expertise in infrastructure development.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: Introduced in Senate
Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act

Bill: 115-s-1905
Sponsor: Sen. Stabenow, Debbie [D-MI]
Introduced: 2017-10-02 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: 

Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act

 
This bill amends the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 to increase the number of states that may participate in two-year Medicaid demonstration programs that improve access to community mental health services. It also extends the two-year term for existing state demonstration programs by one year.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-02
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to each of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the Nation.

Bill: 115-s-1906
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Africa
Congressional tributes
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information
Law enforcement officers
Libya
Middle East
Terrorism
Veterans' organizations and recognition

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 
 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith in recognition of their contributions to the nation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
National Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1907
Sponsor: Sen. Nelson, Bill [D-FL]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

National Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2017

 
 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify various tax deductions, credits, and requirements that affect disaster areas and U.S. possessions. 
 
With respect to areas in which a federally declared disaster occurred from 2012 through 2022, the bill allows: 
 
 
 expensing of certain disaster expenses, 
 
 modifications to rules regarding the deduction of losses attributable to disasters, 
 
 additional new markets tax credits, 
 
 an exclusion from gross income for certain cancellations of indebtedness, 
 
 additional advance refundings of certain tax-exempt bonds, and 
 
 additional low-income housing tax credit allocations.
 
 
The bill permanently: (1) excludes from gross income disaster mitigation payments received from state and local governments, and (2) allows taxpayers to create tax-exempt catastrophe savings accounts to pay expenses related to a major disaster. 
 
With respect to U.S. possessions, the bill: 
 
 
 repeals the limitation on the amount of distilled spirits excise taxes covered over (paid) to the treasuries of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico,
 
makes permanent the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities in Puerto Rico, 
 
modifies the rules for claiming the refundable portion of the child tax credit, and
 
requires the Department of the Treasury to make payments to certain U.S. possessions to either compensate for revenue lost due to specified provisions in the bill or allow residents to benefit from the provisions. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6289-6290)
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1908
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Department of the Treasury
Employee benefits and pensions
Government Operations and Politics
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Income tax credits
Personnel records
Right of privacy
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

Commonsense Reporting Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Internal Revenue Code to modify the requirements for employers to report health insurance coverage information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by the end of the tax year. 
 
The bill changes the information that is required and permits employers to voluntarily report the information prior to the beginning of open enrollment.
 
The Department of the Treasury must develop a prospective reporting system to permit: 
 
 
employers to voluntarily report specified health insurance coverage information before the annual open enrollment period; 
 
 the exchanges, the Federal Marketplace Data Services Hub, and the IRS to access the information to carry out their missions and provide the Department of Health and Human Services with information related to eligibility for advance payment of premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies; 
 
 the exchanges to communicate with employers and employees regarding eligibility for the tax credits or cost-sharing subsidies; and 
 
employers to provide updates to the hub regarding changes in coverage for employees. 
 
 
At the time of enrollment, exchanges must provide employers the names of employees and dependents that enroll in a qualified health plan for a year. 
 
If a health insurance issuer or employer is unable to obtain the taxpayer identification number of a dependent, Treasury may permit the individual's full name and date of birth to be used instead. 
 
Employers participating in the reporting system established by this bill are exempt from the requirement to report health insurance coverage information to the IRS by the end of the tax year. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
BENES Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1909
Sponsor: Sen. Casey, Robert P., Jr. [D-PA]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

Beneficiary Enrollment Notification and Eligibility Simplification Act of 2017 or the BENES Act of 2017

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act and the Internal Revenue Code to:
 
 
establish requirements for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to notify individuals of their potential eligibility for Medicare, 
 
require the Internal Revenue Service to disclose to CMS specified taxpayer information for the purpose of establishing individuals' potential Medicare eligibility, and 
 
restructure Medicare enrollment periods and coverage periods.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
State Regulatory Representation Clarification Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1910
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)
Federal officials
Government corporations and government-sponsored enterprises
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

State Regulatory Representation Clarification Act of 
 
2017

 
 This bill amends the Federal Deposit Insurance Act to require one presidential appointee to the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to have served as a state bank supervisor. (A state bank supervisor has primary regulatory authority over state banks or savings associations in the state.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
American Miners Pension Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1911
Sponsor: Sen. Manchin, Joe, III [D-WV]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Coal
Employee benefits and pensions
Government information and archives
Mining
Sales and excise taxes
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

American Miners Pension Act of 2017

 
This bill amends the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 (SMCRA) to transfer certain funds and provide loans to the 1974 United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) Pension Plan in order to provide pension benefits for retired coal miners. 
 
The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer additional funds from the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund and the General Fund of the Treasury to the 1974 UMWA Pension Plan to pay pension benefits required under that plan if the amounts available for transfer under SMCRA's $490 million annual limit exceed the amounts required to be transferred for other purposes (including to the UMWA Health Plans). The bill prohibits the plan from making certain changes to benefits during any year in which a transfer is received.
 
Treasury must make annual loans to the plan equal to the amount certified by the trustees of the plan as necessary to prevent insolvency. The loans may not exceed $600 million per year. The trustees must annually certify that the plan is projected to be solvent and is able to repay the loans under terms specified in the bill.
 
 The bill also establishes additional reporting requirements for the plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
Corporate Management Accountability Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1912
Sponsor: Sen. Reed, Jack [D-RI]
Introduced: 2017-10-03 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business records
Civil actions and liability
Corporate finance and management
Securities
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: 

Corporate Management Accountability Act of 2017

 
This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to issue final rules to require each reporting company (i.e., an issuer with registered securities and reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934) to disclose whether such company has established procedures to recoup from compensation paid to its executive officers fines and penalties for illegal behavior. If the reporting company has not established such procedures, it must explain why not having such procedures is necessary for the benefit of its shareholders.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6290)
action_date: 2017-10-03
text: Introduced in Senate
American Prairie Conservation Act

Bill: 115-s-1913
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural insurance
Congressional oversight
Disaster relief and insurance
Farmland

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

American Prairie Conservation Act 

 
This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to modify provisions, known as sodsaver provisions, that reduce benefits under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop insurance and noninsured crop disaster assistance programs for farmers who plant crops on native sod. 
 
The bill also amends the Agriculture Act of 2014 to extend the requirement for USDA to submit annual reports to Congress regarding cropland acreage. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Access to Diabetes Supplies Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1914
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Digestive and metabolic diseases
Health technology, devices, supplies
Medicare
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

Protecting Access to Diabetes Supplies Act of 2017

 
This bill amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to modify provisions relating to Medicare's competitive acquisition program (through which rates are set through a competitive bidding program rather than by an established fee schedule) with respect to diabetic testing strips. Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to:
 
 
use specified data to determine whether a bid satisfies certain requirements related to volume of coverage with respect to such products, 
 
reject a bid if the bidder does not demonstrate its ability to furnish such products in a manner consistent with its bid, and 
 
establish a process to monitor the extent to which an entity continues to cover the product types included in its bid.

 
The CMS may terminate a contract if it determines that an entity, for reasons other than product discontinuation, market-wide shortage, or introduction of a newer model, fails to maintain ready access to such products included its bid.
 
In addition, the bill specifies that an entity furnishing such products to beneficiaries under the program: (1) must furnish to each beneficiary a brand of strips that is compatible with the beneficiary's home blood glucose monitor, (2) may not attempt to influence or incentivize a beneficiary to switch the brand of either type of product, and (3) must contact and receive a request from a beneficiary no more than 14 days prior to dispensing a refill to the beneficiary.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1915
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Consumer Product Safety Commission
Firearms and explosives
Law enforcement administration and funding
Manufacturing
Product safety and quality
Research administration and funding

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

 

Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2017

 
This bill authorizes the National Institute of Justice to make grants to states or local governments, nonprofit or for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education to develop technology for personalized handguns (i.e., technology that enables only an authorized user to fire a handgun).
 
The bill prohibits, subject to exceptions: (1) the manufacture of a handgun inside the United States that is not a personalized handgun, and (2) the distribution in commerce of a handgun that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. It authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission and states to enforce violations, which are treated as violations under the Consumer Product Safety Act.
 
A manufacturer must, at an owner's request, retrofit a U.S.-manufactured handgun that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. The Department of Justice (DOJ) may use amounts from the DOJ Assets Forfeiture Fund to reimburse a manufacturer for the costs of retrofitting.
 
Finally, the bill amends the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act to modify the definition of &quot;qualified product.&quot; Current law limits civil actions against a licensed manufacturer, dealer, or seller of a qualified product for injuries resulting from the criminal or unlawful misuse of the product. This bill specifies that a newly manufactured handgun is not a qualified product unless is it a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act

Bill: 115-s-1916
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Firearms and explosives
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

Automatic Gunfire Prevention Act

 
This bill amends the federal criminal code to make it a crime to import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts, component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle but not convert the semiautomatic rifle into a machine gun.
 
The bill does not prohibit, with respect to such firearm accessories, the importation or manufacture for, sale or transfer to, or possession by a federal, state, or local government.
 
A violator is subject to criminal penalties&#8212;a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both.
 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-03-14
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2017-12-06
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S6351-6352)
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Police CAMERA Act of 2017

Bill: 115-s-1918
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Evidence and witnesses
Government studies and investigations
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Performance measurement
Photography and imaging
Right of privacy
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

Police Creating Accountability by Making Effective Recording Available Act of 2017 or the Police CAMERA 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 (BJA) to make grants to states, local governments, and Indian tribes to purchase or lease body-worn cameras and to implement body-worn camera programs.
 
A state, local government, or Indian tribe that receives a grant must comply with certain requirements, including to establish policies and procedures for the use of body-worn cameras and to adopt recorded data collection and retention protocols.
 
The BJA must establish and maintain a toolkit to provide training and technical assistance, including best practices for implementation, model policies and procedures, and research materials.
 
The BJA must also study and report to Congress on the efficacy, impact, and effect of using body-worn cameras.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Refuge from Cruel Trapping Act

Bill: 115-s-1919
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2017-10-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Civil actions and liability
Crimes against animals and natural resources
Legal fees and court costs
Outdoor recreation
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: 

Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act

 
 This bill amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. 
 
 The bill imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the System: (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. 
 
The bill makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this bill, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. 
 
 Persons found to be in violation of such prohibition shall pay all associated court costs. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2017-10-04
text: Introduced in Senate