hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4033
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2020-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Accounting and auditing
American Samoa
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Caribbean area
Civil actions and liability
Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Disability assistance
Disaster relief and insurance
Election Assistance Commission
Elections, voting, political campaign regulation
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Executive agency funding and structure
Foreign labor
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Guam
Health promotion and preventive care
Health technology, devices, supplies
Indian lands and resources rights
Indian social and development programs
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Intergovernmental relations
Military personnel and dependents
Natural disasters
Postal service
Public contracts and procurement
Puerto Rico
Rural conditions and development
State and local finance
State and local government operations
Technology assessment
U.S. territories and protectorates
Virgin Islands
Voting rights
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: 

Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act of 2020

 
This bill revises and establishes voting procedures for federal elections. For example, states must establish plans to enable voting during an emergency and must take certain actions to facilitate early voting and absentee voting.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
COVID–19 Safer Detention Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4034
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2020-06-22 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Aging
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Department of Justice
Detention of persons
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Judicial review and appeals
Long-term, rehabilitative, and terminal care

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: 

COVID-19 Safer Detention Act of 2020

 
This bill modifies programs that allow for early release of certain federal inmates, including by expanding eligibility for the Elderly Home Detention Pilot Program and making vulnerability to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) a basis for compassionate release during the public health emergency.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (text: CR S3127-3128)
action_date: 2020-06-22
text: Introduced in Senate
Trail Stewardship for Economic Recovery Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4035
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Ecology
Forests, forestry, trees
Government trust funds
Horticulture and plants
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Pest management
Public contracts and procurement

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Trail Stewardship for Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 
This bill establishes the Trail Stewardship for Economic Recovery Fund. The Forest Service shall use amounts deposited in the fund to enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with an outfitter or guide to carry out on National Forest System lands (1) trail maintenance projects, and (2) additional invasive plant and noxious weed prevention and control projects. 
 
The Forest Service shall (1) give preference to projects that can be performed in an area that the Forest Service has selected as a trail maintenance priority area, and (2) expedite projects with the goal of initiating the majority of them not later than 120 days after enactment of this bill. 
 
The Forest Service must annually submit to Congress a list of those projects that (1) meet the criteria described above; and (2) have been, or are expected to be, funded from the deposited amounts.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Reforming Qualified Immunity Act

Bill: 116-s-4036
Sponsor: Sen. Braun, Mike [R-IN]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Due process and equal protection
Government liability
Law enforcement officers

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Reforming Qualified Immunity Act

 
This bill modifies the defense of qualified immunity in civil actions for deprivation of rights. 
Qualified immunity
 is a judicially created doctrine that protects government employees or those acting with state authority from being held personally liable for constitutional violations.
 
The bill provides that under the statute allowing a civil action alleging deprivation of rights under color of law, it shall not be a defense or immunity to any such action that (1) the defendant was acting in good faith or believed that his or her conduct was lawful at the time it was committed; (2) the rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or laws were not clearly established at the time of their deprivation; or (3) the state of the law was such that the defendant could not reasonably have been expected to know whether his or her conduct was lawful. 
A defendant sued in his or her individual capacity shall not be liable if specified conditions apply (concerning the defendant's belief that conduct was lawful or judicial decisions addressing the validity of laws), such as when the defendant establishes that, at the time the deprivation occurred, the conduct alleged to be unlawful was specifically authorized or required by a federal or state statute or regulation. 
A municipality or other unit of local government shall be liable for a violation by an agent or employee of the municipality or unit of local government acting within the scope of his or her employment. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Patient Credit Protection Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4037
Sponsor: Sen. Loeffler, Kelly [R-GA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
Subjects: Consumer credit
Debt collection
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Health information and medical records
Hospital care
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Patient Credit Protection Act of 2020 

 
This bill prohibits credit reporting agencies from including certain medical debt on a credit report if (1) the consumer was covered by a health insurance plan at the time of the medical event; and (2) the consumer has paid, or is paying as part of a payment plan, the consumer's share of copayments, deductibles, and coinsurance. 
 
Credit reporting agencies are also prohibited from reporting certain debts incurred for unconscionably excessive medical expenses for health care items and services furnished at a hospital participating in Medicare. 
 
The bill also provides for the removal from a credit report of an impairment resulting from a medical debt within 30 days of notification that the consumer (1) has paid in full, or (2) is in regular compliance with a payment plan. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
TREE Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4038
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Employee hiring
Energy efficiency and conservation
Forests, forestry, trees
Residential rehabilitation and home repair
Unemployment

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Tackling Residential Energy burdens Efficiently Act of 2020 or the
 
TREE Act of 2020

 
This bill directs the Department of Energy to establish a grant program for states, local governments, Indian tribes, and other entities to plant a minimum of 300,000 trees annually in residential neighborhoods throughout the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
TELEHEALTH HSA Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4039
Sponsor: Sen. Loeffler, Kelly [R-GA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Health technology, devices, supplies
Income tax deductions
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Telemedicine Everywhere Lifting Everyone's Healthcare Experience And Long Term Health HSA Act of 2020 or the TELEHEALTH HSA Act of 2020

 
This bill makes permanent the preferred treatment of telehealth and other remote care services for purposes of health savings accounts. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Gun Owner Privacy Act

Bill: 116-s-4040
Sponsor: Sen. Loeffler, Kelly [R-GA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Appropriations
Civil actions and liability
Criminal justice information and records
Firearms and explosives
Government liability
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Gun Owner Privacy Act

 
This bill restricts the use of federal funds in connection with the implementation and operation of a firearms-related background check system.
 
Specifically, it prohibits the use of federal funds for
 
 
a firearms-related background check system that does not immediately destroy all information about a person who is eligible to own firearms, or
 
the implementation or collection of a tax or fee in connection with a firearms-related background check.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
SAVE Jobs Act

Bill: 116-s-4041
Sponsor: Sen. Cornyn, John [R-TX]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Air quality
Appropriations
Business expenses
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Coal
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Energy revenues and royalties
Government trust funds
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Indian lands and resources rights
Industrial facilities
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Manufacturing
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Mining
Oil and gas
Sales and excise taxes
Strategic materials and reserves

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Save American Vital Energy Jobs Act or the SAVE Jobs Act

 
This bill extends energy-related tax provisions and expands incentives for job creation in the energy sector during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period. 
 
Specifically, the bill 
 
 
extends for one year the construction period for carbon oxide sequestration facilities for purposes of the tax credit, 
 
suspends capitalization rules in 2020 to permit immediate expensing of certain inventory costs, 
 
reduces the required deposit of certain motor fuel excise taxes from 95% to 25%,
 
allows expensing of intangible drilling costs in 2020, 
 
permits extensions and suspensions of production and operations under onshore and offshore leases during the COVID-19 emergency period,
 
requires a royalty rate reduction during the COVID-19 emergency period for a maximum 180-day period, and 
 
requires the Department of the Interior to delay until July 1, 2022, the effective date for compliance with the 2016 final rule titled 
Consolidated Federal Oil & Gas and Federal & Indian Coal Valuation Reform. 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
FARM Laborers Protection Act

Bill: 116-s-4042
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agriculture and Food
Business records
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Civil actions and liability
Contracts and agency
Department of Labor
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Employee leave
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Employment taxes
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government studies and investigations
Health information and medical records
Health technology, devices, supplies
Income tax exclusion
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Labor standards
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Migrant, seasonal, agricultural labor
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Transportation safety and security
Unemployment
Wages and earnings
Worker safety and health

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Frontline At-Risk Manual Laborers Protection Act or the FARM Laborers Protection Act

 
 This bill requires agricultural employers that receive federal agricultural-specific funding related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to provide employees with emergency paid sick leave and specified premium pay through 90 days after the date on which the COVID-19 public health emergency ends. Specifically, during such period, such agricultural employers must provide paid sick time to employees who are unable to work due to the effects of COVID-19. Full-time employees are entitled to 80 hours of such leave and part-time employees are entitled to such leave in the amount of the average number of hours the employee works during an average two-week period. Under current law, employers of fewer than 50 employees may be exempt from these emergency paid sick leave requirements.
 
 The bill also requires such agricultural employers to provide premium pay of $13 per hour up to a maximum of $10,000 per employee, or a maximum of $5,000 for employees who earn $100,000 or more per year, during the public health emergency and 90 days thereafter. The Department of Labor must provide grants for agricultural employers to meet these premium pay requirements. Labor also must promulgate rules to limit the involuntary furlough or termination of applicable agricultural workers during such time period.
 
 Additionally, the bill establishes grants to agricultural employers with 50 or fewer employees to provide employees with handwashing stations, portable restrooms, and personal protective equipment that comply with guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Military Aviators Cancer Incidence Study Act

Bill: 116-s-4043
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Aviation and airports
Cancer
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health information and medical records
Medical research
Medical tests and diagnostic methods
Military medicine
Military personnel and dependents

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Military Aviators Cancer Incidence Study Act

 
This bill directs the Department of Defense to develop a comprehensive database and repository on military aviators documenting the cancers, date of diagnosis, and mortality of such aviators and to conduct a study on cancer among military aviators in two phases.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S3158)
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
RESOURCES Act

Bill: 116-s-4044
Sponsor: Sen. Murray, Patty [D-WA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Congressional oversight
Consumer credit
Financial literacy
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Military education and training
Military personnel and dependents
National Guard and reserves

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Re-open Enrollment for Servicemembers to Opt-in to Updated Retirement Choice for Enduring Security Act of 2020 or the RESOURCES Act

 
This bill expands financial literacy training under the Financial Literacy Training Program for members of the Armed Forces. Specifically, the bill (1) establishes an Advisory Council on Financial Readiness, (2) modifies requirements for certain retirement pay to members, and (3) requires a plan for improving the access of members to information about the Thrift Savings Plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
HALT Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-4045
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Arms control and nonproliferation
Asia
Computer security and identity theft
Congressional oversight
Defense spending
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
International law and treaties
Military command and structure
Military procurement, research, weapons development
North Korea
Nuclear weapons
Russia
United Nations

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Hastening Arms Limitations Talks Act of 2020 or the HALT Act of 2020

 
This bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of funds to conduct an explosive nuclear weapons test that produces yield unless (1) the President details any change to the condition of the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile from the previous year, and (2) Congress enacts a joint resolution approving the test.
 
Further, the bill declares it to be U.S. policy to lead international negotiations on specific arms-reduction measures. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Climate Smart Ports Act

Bill: 116-s-4046
Sponsor: Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Air quality
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congressional oversight
Disability and paralysis
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Environmental health
Environmental technology
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Juvenile crime and gang violence
Labor standards
Lighting, heating, cooling
Marine and inland water transportation
Military personnel and dependents
Navigation, waterways, harbors
Public contracts and procurement
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Climate Smart Ports Act

 
This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for purchasing or installing equipment and technology that (1) is used at a port and produces zero exhaust emissions of certain pollutants and greenhouse gases, or (2) captures 100% of the exhaust emissions produced by an ocean-going vessel at berth.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate
Saving Our Street Act

Bill: 116-s-4047
Sponsor: Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA]
Introduced: 2020-06-23 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Appropriations
Business investment and capital
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Congressional oversight
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Employee benefits and pensions
Employee hiring
Employee leave
Employment taxes
Health care costs and insurance
Health care coverage and access
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Minority and disadvantaged businesses
Self-employed
Small business
Unemployment
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Wages and earnings
Women in business

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: 

Saving Our Street Act

 
This bill establishes and provides funding for the Microbusiness Assistance Fund through which the Department of the Treasury must provide grants to specified small entities.
 
Specifically, the bill provides $125 billion for grants to entities such as community small businesses and nonprofits that have suffered a drop in revenue of over 20% during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Such a grant shall not exceed $250,000 and may only be used for certain purposes, including (1) rehiring or hiring furloughed employees; (2) payment of compensation, rent or mortgage, utilities, or insurance; and (3) providing health care and benefits to employees.
 
Treasury is prohibited from denying a grant on the basis of any criminal history or involvement with the criminal legal system. Further, Treasury must give priority to people of color, veterans, women-owned community businesses, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and 75% of appropriated amounts shall be provided to businesses or nonprofits owned or controlled by one or more socially and economically disadvantaged individuals. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-23
text: Introduced in Senate