hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Refund to Rainy Day Savings Act

Bill: 116-hr-2112
Sponsor: Rep. Watson Coleman, Bonnie [D-NJ-12]
Introduced: 2019-04-04 in the House
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Appropriations
Bank accounts, deposits, capital
Poverty and welfare assistance
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-04
text: 

Refund to Rainy Day Savings Act 

 
This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish and implement a Refund to Rainy Day Savings Program to permit a taxpayer to defer payment on 20% of a tax refund to be deposited into a Treasury account, accumulate interest, and disbursed to the taxpayer in six months. 
 
The bill also reauthorizes the Assets for Independence (AFI) federal matched savings program through FY2024 and requires appropriations for the program to be reserved for
 
 
 general research and evaluation, 
 
 grants for AFI innovation projects to expand the availability of matched savings accounts to low-income individuals, and 
 
 a three-year matched savings account pilot program established by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to encourage savings by low-income taxpayers. 
 
 
 Under the pilot program, HHS may provide grants to qualified entities to match funds saved by low-income taxpayers under the Refund to Rainy Day Savings Program. 
 
Qualified entities for the pilot program include
 
 
 nonprofit organizations, 
 
state or local government agencies or tribal governments applying with a nonprofit organization, 
 
 sites that offer free tax assistance under certain Internal Revenue Service programs, and 
 
 certain low-income credit unions and community development financial institutions. 
 
 
HHS must (1) contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the pilot program, and (2) report annually to Congress on the progress and outcomes of the pilot program. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-04
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2019-04-04
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-04
text: Introduced in House
To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize grants for improving the energy efficiency of public buildings, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-hr-2119
Sponsor: Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Building construction
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government buildings, facilities, and property
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 
This bill reauthorizes for FY2021-FY2025 the program of Department of Energy grants to states to assist their units of local government in improving energy efficiency in public buildings and facilities. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-07-17
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by Voice Vote.
action_date: 2019-07-17
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2019-05-16
text: Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
action_date: 2019-05-16
text: Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2019-04-10
text: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
action_date: 2019-04-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
Saving for the Future Act

Bill: 116-hr-2120
Sponsor: Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-52]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Corporate finance and management
Employee benefits and pensions
Financial services and investments
Government trust funds
Income tax credits
Income tax rates
Public-private cooperation
Small business
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers
Tax-exempt organizations

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

Saving for the Future Act

 
This bill requires employers to make minimum contributions to savings plans for full-time employees and increases certain individual and corporate income tax rates. Specifically, it requires employers of 10 or more full-time employees to contribute 50 cents for each hour an employee works to a qualified pension plan. The minimum contribution increases to 60 cents per hour after two years and proportionally based on income beginning two years thereafter.
 
 The bill further establishes the Federal Universal Personal Savings Investment Board to oversee UP retirement and savings accounts. Employers may make contributions to such accounts directly as a qualified plan or through a state-run program. UP retirement accounts are portable, defined-contribution pension plans to which employees must contribute 4% of the employee's wages unless the employee opts out. Employers must make the minimum required contribution under this program as well as match employee contributions up to 10% of an employee's wages. The initial $2,500 of such employer contributions may be applied to an UP savings account and used for certain nonroutine expenses such as a large medical bill or home mortgage down payment.
 
 Employer contributions to UP accounts are generally exempt from income tax and employee contributions may be pretax or posttax. Employers also receive a tax credit for a specified portion of the minimum contribution amount for up to the employer's first 30 employees.
 
 Additionally, the bill also increases the highest individual income tax rate from 37% to 39.6% and the highest corporate income tax rate from 21% to 23%.
 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
STOP Organ Trafficking Act

Bill: 116-hr-2121
Sponsor: Rep. Reschenthaler, Guy [R-PA-14]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Child health
Crime victims
Criminal justice information and records
Human rights
Human trafficking
Medical ethics
Organ and tissue donation and transplantation
Smuggling and trafficking
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

Strategy To Oppose Predatory Organ Trafficking Act or the STOP Organ Trafficking Act

 
This bill authorizes the Department of State to deny issuing a passport to, or to revoke an already-issued passport belonging to, an individual who has been convicted of certain offenses related to acquiring, receiving, receiving, or transferring human organs. 
 
The bill expands protections against severe forms of trafficking in persons to include trafficking for the purpose of removing a person's organs. The bill defines such trafficking to include the use of coercion, abduction, or fraud to recruit, transport, or harbor a person for the purpose of removing that person's organs. 
 
The State Department shall annually report to Congress on human trafficking conducted for organ tracking purposes, including descriptions of the sources and methods associated with such trafficking, State Department activities to address such trafficking, and activities by other countries to address such trafficking.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-26
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
Protect Our Workers Act

Bill: 116-hr-2122
Sponsor: Rep. Smith, Christopher H. [R-NJ-4]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Army Corps of Engineers
Congressional oversight
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Labor standards
Personnel records
Public contracts and procurement
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

Protect Our Workers Act

 
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study on the contracting practices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, particularly with respect to compliance with the requirement to pay prevailing wages on federally financed construction jobs. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
United States-India Enhanced Cooperation Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2123
Sponsor: Rep. Wilson, Joe [R-SC-2]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia
Congressional oversight
Foreign aid and international relief
India
Military assistance, sales, and agreements
Military operations and strategy
Technology transfer and commercialization
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

United States-India Enhanced Cooperation Act of 2019

 
This bill adjusts India's status, for the purposes of various restrictions and requirements related to the transfer of defense articles and services, so that it is similar to the status of U.S. allies such as Australia and Japan. 
 
Under current law, the President must notify Congress of the proposed transfer of certain defense articles or services to another country, and Congress typically has 30 days to pass a joint resolution to block the transfer. The bill specifies that such transfers to India are subject to only a 15-day window for Congress to block the transfer. The bill also authorizes the President to (1) reduce or waive certain administrative and research costs related to the sale of defense articles or services to India; and (2) provide to India services related to the transfer of defense articles or services, such as quality inspection, without charge.
 
The bill expands existing annual reporting requirements relating to the U.S.-India defense partnership to include a description of the progress made in implementing existing agreements between the two countries, including the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
E–2 Visa Improvement Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2124
Sponsor: Rep. Rutherford, John H. [R-FL-4]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Foreign labor
U.S. and foreign investments
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

E-2 Visa Improvement Act of 2019

 
This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit a nonimmigrant E-2 alien (treaty investor) who has been in the United States in such status for at least 10 years and has created full-time employment for at least 2 individuals to apply for immediate employment-based immigrant status.
 
Up to 10,000 such visas may be made available each fiscal year.
 
 Sons and daughters of E-2 aliens (or aliens seeking such status) can remain on their parent's visa as a child until age 26. Employment authorization may be granted at age 18.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-05-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
To provide coverage under the Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program to certain crop, tree, bush, and vine losses due to flooding occurring in Iowa in calendar year 2019.

Bill: 116-hr-2125
Sponsor: Rep. Axne, Cynthia [D-IA-3]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural insurance
Disaster relief and insurance
Iowa
Natural disasters

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 
This bill expands the Department of Agriculture 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program to include coverage for certain crop, tree, bush, and vine losses due to flooding occurring in Iowa in 2019. (Under current law, the program provides disaster payments for certain losses resulting from hurricanes and wildfires during 2017.) 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-05-07
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
State and Local Pensions Accountability and Security Act

Bill: 116-hr-2126
Sponsor: Rep. Babin, Brian [R-TX-36]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government lending and loan guarantees
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

State and Local Pensions Accountability and Security Act

 
This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board from providing any loan, grant, or other form of financial assistance in support of a state or local pension plan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Education and Labor, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
No Taxpayer-Funded Art in Embassies Act

Bill: 116-hr-2127
Sponsor: Rep. Burchett, Tim [R-TN-2]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Art, artists, authorship
Diplomacy, foreign officials, Americans abroad
Government information and archives
Photography and imaging

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

No Taxpayer-Funded Art in Embassies Act

 
This bill prohibits the purchase, installation, insurance, or transport of art for display in a U.S. embassy or consulate. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
Tribal TANF Fairness Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2128
Sponsor: Rep. Cook, Paul [R-CA-8]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Family services
Indian lands and resources rights
Indian social and development programs
Poverty and welfare assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 
 
Tribal TANF Fairness Act of 2019
 
 
This bill allows a tribal government to lease land held in trust or in fee at a fair market value for the administration of a tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program. Current law treats such transactions as 
less-than-arm's-length leases
, and amounts charged to federal grants for such leases must be based on certain costs associated with property ownership rather than fair market value.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Ways and Means.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

Bill: 116-hr-2129
Sponsor: Rep. Guthrie, Brett [R-KY-2]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Consumer affairs
Educational guidance
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Interest, dividends, interest rates
School administration
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

Empowering Students Through Enhanced Financial Counseling Act

 
This bill modifies student loan counseling requirements applicable to institutions of higher education (IHEs).
 
Currently, an IHE must provide entrance counseling to a student who is a first-time federal student loan borrower. This bill replaces required entrance counseling with required annual financial counseling concerning information on the terms, conditions, and responsibilities of the grant or loan. Also, it expands the required recipients of such annual counseling to include, in addition to student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients and parent PLUS Loan borrowers.
 
In additional, the bill revises, expands, or establishes specific annual counseling information requirements for student borrowers, Pell Grant recipients, or parent PLUS Loan borrowers.
 
The bill revises and expands exit counseling information requirements for borrowers to include an outstanding loan balance summary, the anticipated monthly payments under standard and income-driven repayment plans, an explanation of the grace period preceding repayment, the option to pay accrued interest before it capitalizes, the right to request an annual credit report, a cautionary statement about third-party student debt relief companies, and loan servicer contact information.
 
It directs the Department of Education to maintain a consumer-tested online counseling tool that provides annual and exit counseling.
 
 The Institute of Education Sciences must study the impact and effectiveness of exit counseling, annual counseling, and the online counseling tool.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
State Cyber Resiliency Act

Bill: 116-hr-2130
Sponsor: Rep. Kilmer, Derek [D-WA-6]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Computer security and identity theft
Education programs funding
Emergency communications systems
Emergency planning and evacuation
Employment and training programs
Higher education
State and local government operations
Student aid and college costs

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

State Cyber Resiliency Act

 
This bill establishes the State Cyber Resiliency Grant Program to assist state, local, and tribal governments in preventing, preparing for, protecting against, and responding to cyber threats.
 
Under this program, the Department of Homeland Security may award grants to a state for the development and implementation of an active cyber resiliency plan. Such plan must be tailored to achieve specific objectives, including
 
 
enhancement of the response and resiliency of computer networks, industrial control systems, and communications systems against cybersecurity threats or vulnerabilities;
 
implementation of continuous vulnerability assessments and threat mitigation practices;
 
adoption of cybersecurity best practices by entities performing cybersecurity functions within a state; and
 
confirmation that continuity of communications and data networks would be maintained in the event of a catastrophic disruption of such communications or networks.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-29
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Innovation.
action_date: 2019-04-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
Medicare Advantage Quality Payment Relief Act of 2019

Bill: 116-hr-2131
Sponsor: Rep. Kind, Ron [D-WI-3]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Health care quality
Medicare

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 

Medicare Advantage Quality Payment Relief Act of 

2019

 
This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to disregard the application of certain percentage quality increases when calculating the maximum payment that may be made to a Medicare Advantage organization.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-10
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2019-04-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
To exempt certain structures from removal from Army Corps of Engineers property on Table Rock Lake, and for other purposes.

Bill: 116-hr-2132
Sponsor: Rep. Long, Billy [R-MO-7]
Introduced: 2019-04-08 in the House
Policy area: Water Resources Development
Subjects: Arkansas
Floods and storm protection
Lakes and rivers
Land use and conservation
Missouri
Water storage

Summary:
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: 
This bill directs the Department of the Army to (1) suspend activities requiring certain property owners to remove eligible structures from the Table Rock Lake project, and (2) provide various land rights required for the maintenance of such eligible structures.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2019-04-09
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2019-04-08
text: Introduced in House