hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Music Modernization Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2334
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2018-01-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional agencies
Digital media
Intellectual property
Library of Congress
Licensing and registrations
Music
Performing arts
Sound recording
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: 

Music Modernization Act of 2018

 
This bill amends the copyright law to create a statutory blanket license for making and distributing nondramatic musical sound recordings, including through digital delivery. The blanket license allows digital music services to distribute sound recordings covered by the license without negotiating for the rights for each individual recording, as long as the music service complies with the license's requirements, such as paying the required royalties.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-05-15
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S501-505)
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Introduced in Senate
GO Act

Bill: 115-s-2335
Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]
Introduced: 2018-01-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Forests, forestry, trees
Government liability
Land use and conservation
Licensing and registrations
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Rural conditions and development
Small business
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: 

Guides and Outfitters Act or the GO Act

 
This bill amends the Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act to specify the circumstances under which the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) may: (1) issue special recreation permits for federal recreational lands and waters, and (2) change a special recreation permit fee. 
 
Interior and USDA may issue special recreation permits: 
 
 
for specialized individual and group use of federal facilities and federal recreational lands and waters;
 
to recreation service providers who conduct outfitting, guiding, and other recreation services on federal recreational lands and waters; and 
 
to recreation service providers who conduct recreation or competitive events, which may involve incidental sales on federal recreational lands and waters. 
 
 
USDA and Interior shall implement a program that authorizes temporary permits for new recreational uses of federal recreational lands and waters managed by the Forest Service or the BLM, respectively. 
 
Interior and USDA shall revise certain:
 
 
special land use and special recreation permit regulations to streamline the processes for the issuance and renewal of outfitter and guide special use permits, and
 
cost recovery fee regulations to reduce costs and minimize the burden of cost recovery on small businesses and adverse impacts of cost recovery on jobs in the outfitting and guiding industry and on rural economies. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Supporting Veteran Families Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2336
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2018-01-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: 

Supporting Veteran Families Act of 2018

 
This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a pilot program with community partners to assess the feasibility of providing intensive community care coordination and supportive services to veteran families who lack adequate access to VA services or to services provided by federal, state, or local government.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness and Camp Hale Legacy Act

Bill: 115-s-2337
Sponsor: Sen. Bennet, Michael F. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2018-01-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Colorado
Emergency planning and evacuation
Firearms and explosives
Floods and storm protection
Forests, forestry, trees
Historic sites and heritage areas
Hunting and fishing
Insects
Land use and conservation
Livestock
Military education and training
Mining
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Watersheds
Wilderness and natural areas, wildlife refuges, wild rivers, habitats
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: 

Continental Divide Recreation, Wilderness and Camp Hale Legacy Act

 This bill amends the Colorado Wilderness Act of 1993 to designate the following federal lands in the White River National Forest in Colorado as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: 
 
the Proposed Ptarmigan Wilderness Additions; 
 
 the Holy Cross Wilderness Addition; 
 
the Hoosier Ridge Wilderness; 
 
the Tenmile Wilderness; and 
 
the Eagles Nest Wilderness Additions. 

 
The bill also designates the Proposed Williams Fork Wilderness in such forest as a potential wilderness area.
 
The bill finally designates certain federal lands in such forest as: 
 
 
the Tenmile Recreation Management Area,
 
the Porcupine Gulch Conservation Area, 
 
the Williams Fork Wildlife Conservation Area, and 
 
the Camp Hale National Historic Landscape. 

 
The bill modifies the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness in Colorado to adjust the park's boundaries to exclude 15.5 acres of land identified as potential wilderness to non-wilderness. 
 
The bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to permit nonmotorized access and use of the Bolts Ditch headgate and the Bolts Ditch within the Holy Cross Wilderness in Colorado for the diversion of water and use, maintenance, and repair of the ditch and headgate by the town of Minturn, Colorado.
 
The bill adjusts the boundary of the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado to incorporate 92.95 acres of land. USDA shall include all federal land within the boundary in the Bowen Gulch Protection Area. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2018-01-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Technical Amendments Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2338
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Border security and unlawful immigration
Department of Homeland Security
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Law enforcement officers

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Technical Amendments Act of 2018

 
This bill makes changes to how the pay for border patrol agents is calculated.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Government Shutdown Prevention Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2339
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Economics and Public Finance
Subjects: Appropriations
Executive agency funding and structure
Legislative rules and procedure

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Government Shutdown Prevention Act
 
of 2018

 
This bill provides specified continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the beginning of the fiscal year or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. The appropriations are provided to continue to fund programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Labor-Management Partnership Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2340
Sponsor: Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Executive agency funding and structure
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Labor-management relations
Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Federal Labor-Management Partnership Act of 2018

 
This bill establishes the Federal Labor-Management Partnership Council to: (1) advise the President on matters involving labor-management relations in the executive branch; (2) collect and disseminate information about and provide guidance on partnership efforts in the executive branch, including the results of those efforts; and (3) use the expertise of individuals, both inside and outside the federal government, to foster partnership arrangements in the executive branch.
 
 The head of each agency that is subject to authority permitting employees of the agency to select an exclusive representative shall take the following actions: (1) create labor-management partnerships by forming labor-management committees or councils at appropriate levels, or adapting existing committees or councils if such groups exist; (2) involve employees and employee representatives as full partners with management representatives to improve the civil service to better serve the public and carry out the mission of the agency; (3) provide systemic training of appropriate agency employees (including line managers, first-line supervisors, and labor organization representatives) in consensual methods of dispute resolution; (4) allow employees and employee representatives to have pre-decisional involvement in all workplace matters to the fullest extent practicable, without regard to whether those matters are negotiable subjects of bargaining; and (5) evaluate progress and improvements in organizational performance resulting from labor-management partnerships.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Veteran Debt Fairness Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2341
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Administrative remedies
Civil actions and liability
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Consumer credit
Debt collection
Department of Veterans Affairs
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Performance measurement
User charges and fees
Veterans' pensions and compensation

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Veteran Debt Fairness Act of 2018

 
This bill limits the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to recover overpayments of benefits from veterans.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Innovation Zone Act

Bill: 115-s-2342
Sponsor: Sen. Young, Todd [R-IN]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Performance measurement
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Innovation Zone Act

 
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to replace the Experimental Sites Initiative of the Department of Education (ED) with an innovation zone initiative consisting of voluntary experiments by participating institutions of higher education. Under the experiments, ED and the institutions may test the effectiveness of statutory and regulatory flexibility that aims for: (1) an increase in student success (e.g., reductions in student loan debt and increases in student retention and job placement rates); and (2) a reduction of regulations on institutions or ED, without harm to students. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Immigration Innovation Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2344
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Competitiveness, trade promotion, trade deficits
Congressional oversight
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Family relationships
Foreign labor
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Higher education
Immigration status and procedures
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula
User charges and fees
Visas and passports
Vocational and technical education
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Immigration Innovation Act of 2018

 
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise the formula for calculating the cap on H-1B nonimmigrant visas. It prohibits an employer from hiring an H-1B worker to replace a U.S. worker. 
 
The bill modifies the prevailing wage system by requiring that the first level of wages shall not be less than the lowest 50% of the wages surveyed. An employer may use an independent survey to determine the prevailing wage. 
 
For family-based visa petitions, the number of immigrant visas available to nationals of a single country may not exceed 15% of the total number of such visas made available in the fiscal year
 
The bill establishes the Promoting American Ingenuity Account to enhance U.S. economic competitiveness by strengthening standards in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including computer science. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S521-524)
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Justice Served Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2345
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Crime and Law Enforcement
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Justice Served Act of 2018

 
This bill amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to add, as a purpose area under the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program, increasing the capacity of prosecutors to address the backlog of violent crime cases involving suspects identified through DNA evidence. The Department of Justice (DOJ) must allocate a specified percentage of grant funds for such purpose, subject to limitations.
 
Additionally, of amounts made available over FY2019-FY2022 for a DNA analysis and capacity enhancement program and for other forensic activities, DOJ must allocate at least 5% for grants to prosecute cold cases involving violent crime, where suspects have been identified through DNA evidence.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-07-18
text: Committee on the Judiciary. Hearings held.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text of measure as introduced: CR S524)
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish an innovative water infrastructure workforce development program, and for other purposes.

Bill: 115-s-2346
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Higher education
Housing and community development funding
Minority employment
Public utilities and utility rates
Vocational and technical education
Water resources funding
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 
This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to establish a program that awards grants for workforce development in the water or wastewater utility sector. 
 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2347
Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Financial services and investments
Government information and archives
Securities

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 

Encouraging Public Offerings Act of 2018

 
This bill amends the Securities Act of 1933 to allow an issuer of securities to communicate with potential investors to ascertain interest in a contemplated securities offering, either before or after the filing of a registration statement (i.e., "test the waters"). Under current law, only emerging growth companies may engage in such communications. 
 
The bill also allows an issuer to submit a confidential draft registration statement to the Securities and Exchange Commission for review prior to public filing or within one year after the initial public offering or registration. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-06-26
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 115-354.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 49, United States Code, to ensure reliable air service to American Samoa.

Bill: 115-s-2348
Sponsor: Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT]
Introduced: 2018-01-25 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: American Samoa
Aviation and airports
U.S. territories and protectorates

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: 
This bill declares that in order to provide and sustain air transportation in American Samoa between the islands of Tutuila and Manu'a, the Department of Transportation may renew a foreign air carrier's emergency air transportation exemption every 180 days (instead of the current 30-day renewal period that applies to other areas). 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2018-01-25
text: Introduced in Senate
Improve Data on Sexual Violence Act

Bill: 115-s-2349
Sponsor: Sen. McCaskill, Claire [D-MO]
Introduced: 2018-01-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Congressional oversight
Crimes against women
Criminal justice information and records
Executive agency funding and structure
Government information and archives
Sex offenses
Violent crime

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: 

Improve Data on Sexual Violence Act

 
This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to establish an interagency working group to study federal efforts to collect data on sexual violence and to make recommendations on efforts to coordinate sexual violence data collection to produce complementary information, without compromising programmatic needs.
 
 The working group shall consider:
 
 
what activity constitutes different acts of sexual violence,
 
whether reports that use the same terms for acts of sexual violence are collecting the same data on these acts,
 
whether the context which led to such an act should impact how that act is accounted for in reports,
 
whether the data collected is presented in a way that allows the general public to understand what acts of sexual violence are included in each measurement, and
 
steps that agencies that compile reports relating to sexual violence can take to avoid double counting incidents.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-05-17
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2018-05-17
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2018-05-17
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S2731; text: CR S2731)
action_date: 2018-05-16
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S2731; text: CR S2731)
action_date: 2018-05-07
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 395.
action_date: 2018-05-07
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 115-238.
action_date: 2018-05-07
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 115-238.
action_date: 2018-02-14
text: Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: Introduced in Senate
Forest Incentives Program Act of 2018

Bill: 115-s-2350
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2018-01-29 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Building construction
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Energy efficiency and conservation
Forests, forestry, trees
Land use and conservation
Materials
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: 

Forest Incentives Program Act of 2018
 
 
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to create certain programs that provide incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
 
Specifically, USDA must establish an incentives program to achieve supplemental greenhouse gas emission reductions and carbon sequestration on U.S. private forest land (eligible land) through carbon incentives contracts and conservation easement agreements. Under the program, USDA must make payments to owners of eligible land for: (1) certain forestry practices that increase carbon sequestration and storage over a designated period on eligible land, and (2) conservation easements on eligible land. 
 
In addition, USDA must establish an incentives program to achieve supplemental greenhouse gas emission reductions from materials in nonresidential buildings used for commercial or state or local government purposes. Under the program, USDA must provide owners of such buildings payments for the use of eligible products for sequestering carbon in those buildings. Eligible products are commercial or industrial products that are composed of biological products, including renewable agricultural and forestry materials.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2018-01-29
text: Introduced in Senate