hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act

Bill: 116-s-4686
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia
Cambodia
Conflicts and wars
Congressional oversight
Congressional tributes
Firearms and explosives
Foreign aid and international relief
International organizations and cooperation
Laos
Vietnam

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act

 
This bill authorizes the President to provide humanitarian aid to Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia for (1) the clearance of unexploded ordnance, and (2) assistance for survivors of the explosive remnants of war in the region. The President shall annually brief Congress on such assistance activities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Made in America Shipbuilding Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4687
Sponsor: Sen. Baldwin, Tammy [D-WI]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Buy American requirements
Congressional oversight
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Marine and inland water transportation
Materials
Metals
Public contracts and procurement
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Made in America Shipbuilding Act of 2020

 
This bill expands domestic content requirements for certain shipboard components.
 
Specifically, the bill (1) prohibits an executive agency from entering into a contract for the acquisition, construction, or conversion of a vessel unless the vessel is to be constructed or converted in the United States; and (2) lists components that may be procured for vessels only if manufactured in the United States.
 
An agency may waive such limitation under specified circumstances, such as when the limitation would increase the cost of the overall acquisition by more than 25% or cause unreasonable delays.
 
An agency may not (with exceptions) enter into a contract (1) for the procurement of end items or components for ships that contain a specialty metal not melted or produced in the United States; and (2) for the construction of a vessel unless the steel, iron, aluminum, and manufactured products to be used in the construction are produced in the United States.
 
If a court or federal agency determines that a person intentionally affixed a label bearing a 
Made in America
 inscription to specified products sold in or shipped to the United States that were not made domestically, that person shall be debarred from contracting with the government for at least five years.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Rebuilding a Better Child Care Infrastructure Act

Bill: 116-s-4688
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Families
Subjects: Appropriations
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Caribbean area
Child care and development
Congressional oversight
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Guam
Indian social and development programs
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Northern Mariana Islands
Puerto Rico
U.S. territories and protectorates
Virgin Islands

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Rebuilding a Better Child Care Infrastructure Act

 
This bill (1) increases funding for child care assistance under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, (2) funds FY2021 grants for pandemic child care assistance, and (3) funds FY2022 grants to support access to child care in areas of concentrated poverty.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Small Business Disaster Relief Equity Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4689
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Business expenses
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Disaster relief and insurance
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Government lending and loan guarantees
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Small business
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Small Business Disaster Relief Equity Act of 2020

 
This bill makes state-legal cannabis businesses eligible for disaster assistance, and it requires each agency that administers disaster assistance to allow these businesses to retroactively apply. Disaster assistance is any service, grant, loan, tax credit, tax deduction, or any other assistance that is made available in connection with (1) a federally declared disaster, or (2) specified COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief programs.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Maternal Immunization Enhancement Act

Bill: 116-s-4690
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Child health
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health care quality
Health information and medical records
Health promotion and preventive care
Immunology and vaccination
Medicaid
Poverty and welfare assistance
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Maternal Immunization Enhancement Act

 
This bill establishes several administrative requirements relating to vaccination rates among pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). 
 
Specifically, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must (1) issue guidance to states with best practices for increasing vaccination rates for certain vaccines that are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and (2) include a quality measure regarding prenatal immunization status for pregnant women under Medicaid and CHIP. 
 
Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must report on vaccination rates among pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP, including barriers and demographic data.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Safeguarding Awards for Victims and Enforcement Settlements Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4691
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Law

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Safeguarding Awards for Victims and Enforcement Settlements Act of 2020

 
This bill imposes limitations on settlement agreements to which the United States is a party.
 
With certain exceptions, the United States may not enter into a settlement agreement requiring a payment or loan to an individual or to an entity other than the United States. Exceptions to this prohibition include payments or loans that (1) are intended to directly remedy the harm caused by the paying party and suffered by the recipient, (2) are for services rendered in connection with the case, and (3) are going to a third party for claims against that same third party.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
GUIDE Compliance Act

Bill: 116-s-4692
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Consumer credit
Government information and archives

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Give Useful Information to Define Effective Compliance Act or the GUIDE Compliance Act 

 
This bill sets forth procedures for the issuance of guidance from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Guidance includes written interpretive rules, bulletins, statements of policy, and other generally applicable authoritative documents that are not regulatory actions. The bureau must publish 
 
 
the types of guidance it will provide, 
 
the criteria used for selecting the type of guidance, 
 
the process for requests for guidance, 
 
the process for amending or revoking guidance, and 
 
guidelines for determining civil monetary penalties for a violation of consumer financial law. 
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
BEST Act

Bill: 116-s-4693
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Better Evaluation of Science and Technology Act or the BEST Act

 
This bill requires federal agencies to use the best available scientific information during rulemaking and publish specified documentation of the rulemaking process.
 
Specifically, the bill requires a federal agency, to the extent it is making a decision based on science when issuing a rule, to use scientific information, technical procedures, methods, protocols, methodologies, or models in a manner that is consistent with the best available science and the intended use of the information, based on the weight of the scientific evidence.
 
Each federal agency shall make available to the public (1) all of its notices, determinations, findings, rules, consent agreements, and orders in connection with a rule; (2) a nontechnical summary of each risk evaluation conducted in connection with a rule; and (3) a list of the studies considered by the agency in carrying out each evaluation, along with the results of those studies.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Russian Suspension Agreement Extension Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4694
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Nuclear power
Russia
Trade agreements and negotiations
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

 Russian Suspension Agreement Extension Act of 2020 

 
This bill extends limits on the importation of Russian low-enriched uranium, a fuel for nuclear reactors, and contains other related provisions. (These limits stem from a 1992 agreement with Russia to end a Department of Commerce antidumping investigation into Russian uranium imports.)
 
The bill extends these limits, which are currently set to expire in 2020, to 2040. The bill also specifies the maximum amounts of qualifying uranium that may be imported each year for 2021-2040. The Department of Commerce shall (1) administer these import limitations, and (2) periodically review U.S. demand for uranium for nuclear reactors and adjust the limits accordingly. 
 
Currently, qualifying uranium imported for the Department of Energy inventory do not count against these limits. The bill eliminates this exception but maintains two other exceptions for uranium imported for use in the initial core of a new reactor or for reprocessing and reexportation. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act

Bill: 116-s-4695
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Fires
First responders and emergency personnel
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act

 
 This bill provides that any hours worked by a firefighter under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for, or the amount of, any overtime pay. The bill defines 
qualified trade-of-time arrangement
 as an arrangement under which two firefighters who are employed by the same agency agree, solely at their option and with the approval of their employing agency, to substitute for one another during scheduled work hours in the performance of work in the same capacity.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act

Bill: 116-s-4696
Sponsor: Sen. Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Alaska
Congressional oversight
Higher education
Land transfers

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

University of Alaska Fiscal Foundation Act

 
This bill directs the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to establish a program to identify and convey available federal land in Alaska to the University of Alaska for a land grant to support higher education.
 
No later than two years after enactment of the bill, Alaska and the university may jointly identify no more than 500,000 acres of land for inclusion in the program. Upon the request of Alaska and the university, the BLM shall provide technical assistance in the identification of land.
 
If Alaska and the university submit to the BLM one or more joint letters concurring with the conveyance of all or a portion of the land identified for conveyance, the BLM shall convey the land to the Board of Regents of the university, to be held in trust for the exclusive use and benefit of the university.
 
The BLM shall convey no more than 360,000 acres of land to the university.
 
The BLM shall notify Congress upon conveyance of the land.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-11-18
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 116-382.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act

Bill: 116-s-4697
Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Business records
Congressional oversight
Consumer affairs
Consumer credit
Debt collection
Government information and archives
Health care costs and insurance
Health information and medical records
Interest, dividends, interest rates

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act

 
This bill establishes a series of requirements relating to the collection of medical debt. Among other provisions, the bill restricts the circumstances under which health care entities may initiate extraordinary collection actions, requires entities to provide detailed debt statements and payment receipts to patients, and establishes a public medical debt collection database with information about medical debt collectors.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
USACE Military Augmentation Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4698
Sponsor: Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Military personnel and dependents
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

USACE Military Augmentation Act of 2020

 
This bill expands the types of Army personnel entitled to receive certain pay and allowances while assigned to the Army Corps of Engineers on nonmilitary public works projects.
 
Currently, regular Corps officers and reserve Army officers assigned to the Corps are entitled to receive pay and allowances from funds appropriated for the project that they are working on. The bill also entitles warrant officers and enlisted members of the Army, whether regular or reserve, to receive such pay and allowances when assigned to the Corps.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
PREPARE Act

Bill: 116-s-4699
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Geography and mapping
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Natural disasters
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Providing Resources for Emergency Preparedness and Resilient Enterprises Act or the PREPARE Act

 
This bill permanently reauthorizes the pre-disaster mitigation loan program of the Small Business Administration (SBA).
 
Under this program, the SBA may loan up to $500,000 in a 12-month period to small businesses so that such businesses may use mitigation techniques to protect their commercial real estate, equipment, inventory, supplies, and materials from damages related to disasters.
 
The SBA must submit a report on the program that includes information such as (1) the geographic areas in which loan recipients are located, (2) the number and dollar value of loans made, and (3) the estimated aggregate value resulting from the use of funded mitigation techniques. 
 
The bill also authorizes the SBA to increase the amount of a disaster loan by up to 30% of the aggregate costs of any damage or destruction to enable a business to take mitigating measures that protect from possible future disasters.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to establish a Center for Artificial Intelligence of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-s-4700
Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 
This bill directs the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a Center for Artificial Intelligence.
 
The goals of the center must be to (1) coordinate and facilitate scientific and technological efforts relating to artificial intelligence across NOAA, and (2) expand external partnerships and build workforce proficiency to effectively transition artificial intelligence research and applications to operations.
 
Through the center, NOAA must implement a comprehensive program to improve the use of artificial intelligence systems in support of its mission.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
Ports-to-Plains Highway Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4701
Sponsor: Sen. Gardner, Cory [R-CO]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Colorado
Infrastructure development
Motor carriers
Motor vehicles
New Mexico
Oklahoma
Roads and highways
Texas
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Ports-to-Plains Highway Act of 2020

 
This bill expands and designates certain route segments on the National Highway System.
 
Specifically, the bill (1) designates the portion of the Heartland Expressway (relating solely to the portion from Limon, Colorado to Interstate Route I-76 in the vicinity of Brush, Colorado) and the Ports-to-Plains Corridor as future parts of the Interstate System; and (2) permits the continued operation of vehicles on any segment of the Heartland Expressway (relating solely to the portion from Limon, Colorado to I-76 in the vicinity of Brush, Colorado) and the Ports-to-Plains Corridor that is designated as a route on the Interstate System in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and New Mexico, without regard to vehicle weight limitation requirements.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
IMPROVE Addiction Care Act

Bill: 116-s-4702
Sponsor: Sen. Toomey, Patrick [R-PA]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Drug, alcohol, tobacco use
Health care quality
Health information and medical records
Medicaid
Prescription drugs
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

Improving Medicaid Programs' Response to Overdose Victims and Enhancing Addiction Care Act or the IMPROVE Addiction Care Act

 
This bill establishes additional requirements for state Medicaid drug-use review programs with respect to individuals who experience opioid-related overdoses. 
 
Specifically, programs must include protocols that (1) connect individuals who have experienced an opioid-related overdose within the last five years to appropriate treatment; (2) notify providers who prescribe opioids about subsequent fatal overdoses; (3) ensure providers are notified about an individual's history of opioid-use disorder, overdoses, or poisonings; and (4) educate providers about proper prescribing practices for these individuals.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate
West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4703
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2020-09-24 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Building construction
California
Department of Veterans Affairs
Executive agency funding and structure
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Health facilities and institutions
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Land use and conservation
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: 

West Los Angeles VA Campus Improvement Act of 2020

 
This bill requires that land use revenues received by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in connection with the use of an easement, certain leases, or third-party land use at the VA's West Los Angeles Campus in Los Angeles, California, be used exclusively for specified purposes on campus. 
 
The bill prescribes that such revenues be used exclusively for 
 
 
the renovation and maintenance of the land and facilities at the campus; 
 
supporting construction, maintenance, and services at the campus relating to temporary or permanent supportive housing for homeless or at-risk veterans and their families; 
 
implementing minor construction projects at the campus; or 
 
 implementing community operations at the campus that support the development of emergency shelter or supportive housing for homeless or at-risk veterans and their families. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5869)
action_date: 2020-09-24
text: Introduced in Senate