hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to amend the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to clarify the treatment of authentic Alaska Native articles of handicraft containing nonedible migratory bird parts, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-s-4650
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Animals
Subjects: Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Art, artists, authorship
Birds
Indian lands and resources rights
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 
This bill states that nothing in the Migratory Bird Treaty Act prohibits possessing, selling, bartering, purchasing, shipping, or transporting any authentic Alaska Native handicraft, clothing, or art on the basis that it contains a nonedible migratory bird part, so long as the bird was not taken in a wasteful manner.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
National Transit Frontline Workforce Training Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4651
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Employment and training programs
Government information and archives
Public transit
Transportation employees
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 

National Transit Frontline Workforce Training Act of 2020 

 
This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish a national transit frontline workforce training center to meet the needs of the rural and urban transit system frontline workforce through standards-based training relating to relevant maintenance and operations occupations. It must also evaluate, and provide a grant to, a nonprofit organization with demonstrated capacity to develop and provide transit career ladder programs through labor-management partnerships and apprenticeships on a nationwide basis to carry out the duties of the center.
 
The center must develop and carry out training and educational programs for public transportation employees serving in the frontline workforce, including programs relating to (1) developing consensus national training standards for key frontline occupations with demonstrated skill gaps; (2) developing national systems of qualification and apprenticeship for transit maintenance and operations occupations; and (3) establishing local, regional, and statewide transit training partnerships.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Election Mail Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4652
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Computers and information technology
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Postal service
State and local government operations
U.S. Postal Service
Voting rights

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 

Election Mail Act of 2020

 
This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to treat election mail as first-class mail and deliver such mail without postage, establishes certain standards for mail-in ballots, and requires states to count mail-in ballots that are postmarked by election day and arrive within 10 days after the election. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to protect the healthcare of hundreds of millions of people of the United States and prevent efforts of the Department of Justice to advocate courts to strike down the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Bill: 116-s-4653
Sponsor: Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Department of Justice
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Judicial review and appeals

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 
This bill prohibits the Department of Justice from advocating that a court invalidate any provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-10-01
text: Cloture on the motion to proceed to the measure not invoked in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 51 - 43. Record Vote Number: 200. (CR S6015)
action_date: 2020-09-29
text: Cloture motion on the motion to proceed to the measure presented in Senate. (CR S5890)
action_date: 2020-09-29
text: Motion to proceed to consideration of measure made in Senate. (CR S5890)
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 551.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time. (text: CR S5791)
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Great Lakes Navigation Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4654
Sponsor: Sen. Portman, Rob [R-OH]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 

Great Lakes Navigation Act of 2020

 
This bill requires that at least 12% of funds made available each fiscal year from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund be used for projects that are located within the Great Lakes Navigation System.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Main Street Lending Improvement Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4655
Sponsor: Sen. Perdue, David [R-GA]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Bankruptcy
Corporate finance and management
Credit and credit markets
Department of the Treasury
Federal Reserve System
Government lending and loan guarantees
Housing finance and home ownership
Interest, dividends, interest rates
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 

Main Street Lending Improvement Act of 2020 

 
This bill revises the Main Street Lending Program, a Federal Reserve lending facility established to provide COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) related business loans. Specifically, the bill (1) allows financial institutions to collect interest on the entirety of certain smaller loans if a participation in the loan is sold to the special purpose vehicle established under the program, and (2) requires the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston to establish a help line to address lender-specific questions. 
 
The special purpose vehicle must purchase 99% of the interest in a loan participation originated by certain financial institutions. Additionally, certain financial institutions must receive automatic preapproval for loans under the program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide for a reduction in certain loan fees for certain veterans affected by major disasters.

Bill: 116-s-4656
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2020-09-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Government lending and loan guarantees
Housing finance and home ownership
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
User charges and fees
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: 
This bill reduces specified Department of Veterans Affairs home loan fees for veterans affected by major disasters.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S5791)
action_date: 2020-09-22
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to designate one week each year as "Buddy Check Week" for the purpose of outreach and education concerning peer wellness checks for veterans, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-s-4657
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Commemorative events and holidays
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Government information and archives
Health promotion and preventive care
Mental health
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Telephone and wireless communication
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate one week each year as Buddy Check Week for the purposes of organizing outreach events and educating veterans on how to conduct peer wellness checks. The VA shall ensure that the Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for handling the potential increase in calls that may occur during such week.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Women’s Public Health and Safety Act

Bill: 116-s-4658
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Abortion
Health facilities and institutions
Health personnel
Medicaid
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Women's Public Health and Safety Act

 
This bill allows a state to exclude from participation in the state's Medicaid program a provider that performs an abortion, unless (1) the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) the woman suffers from a physical issue that would place her in danger of death unless an abortion is performed. (Under current law, a state plan for medical assistance must provide that any individual eligible for medical assistance may obtain required services from any provider qualified to perform them.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Rohingya Genocide Determination Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4659
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia
Burma
Congressional oversight
Human rights
Racial and ethnic relations
Religion
War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Rohingya Genocide Determination Act of 2020

 
This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress an assessment of the persecution of the Rohingya, a predominantly Muslim group in Burma (Myanmar), by Burma's military and security forces, and whether the situation constitutes genocide under U.S. law. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Diversity in Defense Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4660
Sponsor: Sen. Jones, Doug [D-AL]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Cancer
Congressional oversight
Crimes against property
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Criminal justice information and records
Department of Defense
Employee hiring
Employment and training programs
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Executive agency funding and structure
Federal officials
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Hate crimes
Health technology, devices, supplies
Higher education
Intergovernmental relations
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Military facilities and property
Military law
Military personnel and dependents
Military readiness
Minority employment
Performance measurement
Racial and ethnic relations
Sex, gender, sexual orientation discrimination
Violent crime
Women's employment
Women's health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Diversity in Defense Act of 2020

 
This bill adds certain diversity-related requirements for the U.S. Armed Forces, including (1) the appointment of a Chief Diversity Officer in military components of the Department of Defense (DOD) and in the Coast Guard; (2) the establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council in DOD to, among other things, align diversity and inclusion with DOD strategic goals; (3) enhanced reporting on diversity and inclusion; (4) requiring a mentoring and career counseling program; (5) developing plans to increase recruitment and retention of female and minority members in the Armed Forces, (6) establishing in DOD the Office of the Special Inspector General for Racial and Ethnic Disparities in the Armed Forces to examine the effect of military justice and personnel policies on racial and ethnic disparities; (7) tracking investigations of supremacist, violent extremist, and criminal gang activity in the Armed Forces; and (8) improving responses to pregnancy and childbirth for members of the Armed Forces.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to authorize the President to posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Alwyn C. Cashe for acts of valor during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Bill: 116-s-4661
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Conflicts and wars
Congressional tributes
Iraq
Middle East
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 
This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Alwyn C. Cashe for acts of valor during Operation Iraqi Freedom.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
PROTECT Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4662
Sponsor: Sen. Graham, Lindsey [R-SC]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Firearms and explosives
Law enforcement officers
Violent crime
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Penalizing Radicals and Others who Thwart Emergency Care and Transportation for Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2020 or the PROTECT Law Enforcement Officers Act of 2020

 
This bill establishes a new criminal offense for preventing or attempting to prevent a law enforcement officer from accessing emergency medical services for an injury caused by a criminal act or incurred in the line of duty.
 
An individual who engages in this conduct is subject to criminal penalties--a fine, a prison term of up to 20 years, or both. If death results, the prison term may be for a term of any years or for life.
 
In a prosecution of this offense, the government is not required to prove that the defendant knew the law enforcement officer suffered an injury caused by a criminal act or incurred in the line of duty.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Coin Metal Modification Authorization and Cost Savings Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4663
Sponsor: Sen. Hassan, Margaret Wood [D-NH]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Currency
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Metals

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Coin Metal Modification Authorization and Cost Savings Act of 2020

 
This bill authorizes the United States Mint to modify the metallic composition of circulating coins (including by prescribing reasonable manufacturing tolerances with respect to those coins) if a study and analysis conducted by the Mint indicates that the modification will
 
 
reduce costs incurred by.taxpayers;
 
be seamless, which shall be determined by verifying that the coins will work interchangeably in most coin acceptors using electromagnetic signature technology; and 
 
have as minimal an adverse impact as possible on the public and stakeholders. 
 
 
The Mint must notify Congress before making the modification and provide a justification for the modification.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide an exclusion from gross income for certain waste water management subsidies.

Bill: 116-s-4664
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax exclusion
Public utilities and utility rates
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
Solid waste and recycling
Water quality
Water use and supply

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 
This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, a taxpayer subsidy provided by a state or local government to a resident for the purchase or installation of any wastewater management measure intended solely for the taxpayer's principal residence. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require senior officials to report payments received from the Federal Government and to improve the filing and disclosure of financial disclosures by Members of Congress, congressional staff, and very senior employees.

Bill: 116-s-4665
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Federal officials
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government ethics and transparency, public corruption
Government information and archives
Members of Congress
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 
This bill requires senior government officials to report certain payments received from the federal government by the officials or certain immediate family members, and it revises availability requirements for certain financial disclosures. 
 
Specifically, the bill requires senior government officials, including the President, Members of Congress, and certain government employees, to file a report of certain payments made or promised to be made by the federal government (e.g., loan agreements, contracts, and grants). This report must include (1) an identification of the type of payment or thing of value applied for or received, (2) the name of the recipient and the recipient's relation to the person required to file the report, (3) the dates of the application for and receipt of the payment or thing of value, and (4) the amount of the payment or thing of value.
 
Further, the bill requires that certain financial disclosure reports that must be filed by senior government officials be available in a manner that (1) allows the public to search, sort, and download report data using specified criteria; (2) allows access through an application programming interface (i.e., a mobile application); and (3) complies fully with accessibility guidelines for online content. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4666
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Congressional operations and organization
Congressional oversight
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Economic performance and conditions
Elementary and secondary education
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Federal-Indian relations
Government studies and investigations
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Health information and medical records
Health programs administration and funding
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Higher education
Hospital care
Immunology and vaccination
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Intergovernmental relations
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Military civil functions
Minority health
Rural conditions and development
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2020

 
This bill establishes, in the legislative branch, the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States and sets forth its powers, duties, funding, and membership. Among other activities, the commission shall investigate the facts and circumstances of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic and make recommendations on preventing a similar outbreak from occurring in the future. 
 
The commission terminates 120 days after the submission of its final report. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Emergency Reporting Act

Bill: 116-s-4667
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2020-09-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Disaster relief and insurance
Emergency communications systems
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Government information and archives
Intergovernmental relations
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Public participation and lobbying
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: 

Emergency Reporting Act

 
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to report on certain activations of the Disaster Information Reporting System (the system through which communications providers report their operational status during times of crisis) and to adopt specified rules related to network outage reporting.
 
If the system was activated for at least seven days, the FCC must issue a preliminary a report that includes (1) the number and duration of any service outages, (2) the approximate number of users or the amount of infrastructure potentially affected by a service outage, and (3) the number and duration of any outages at public safety answering points (PSAPs) that prevent the PSAPs from receiving and routing emergency calls to emergency service personnel. The FCC must also hold at least one public field hearing in the area affected by the event, and it must issue a final report that includes recommendations on how to improve the resiliency of affected communications or networks recovery efforts.
 
The FCC must also determine the circumstances under which it shall require certain service providers to notify a PSAP of a communications service disruption that prevents the origination of 9&#8211;1&#8211;1 calls or the delivery of information that allows the PSAP to identify the number of or locate a 9&#8211;1&#8211;1 caller. Further, the FCC must require this notification to be made and specify the appropriate timing of the notification. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2020-09-23
text: Introduced in Senate