hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Hong Kong Victims of Communism Support Act

Bill: 116-s-3892
Sponsor: Sen. Sasse, Ben [R-NE]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Asia
China
Congressional oversight
Foreign aid and international relief
Hong Kong
Human rights
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Rule of law and government transparency
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Hong Kong Victims of Communism Support Act

 
This bill makes certain Hong Kong residents eligible for asylum status. To qualify, an individual must have the right of abode in Hong Kong since birth and must have maintained continuous residency in Hong Kong since birth.
 
Under this bill, an otherwise qualified individual shall not be denied asylum due to a politically motivated adverse government action, such as an arrest, against the applicant. 
 
The Department of State shall report to Congress a strategy for providing assistance to other countries offering to provide migration services and asylum to eligible Hong Kong permanent residents.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
PASTURE Act

Bill: 116-s-3893
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Farmland
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Land use and conservation

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Pandemic Authority Suitable To Utilize Reserve Easements Act or the PASTURE Act

 
This bill provides authority for the Department of Agriculture during a pandemic to permit activities such as emergency haying and grazing on land that is subject to a contract under the Conservation Reserve Program.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S2735-2736)
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3894
Sponsor: Sen. Braun, Mike [R-IN]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural marketing and promotion
Agricultural practices and innovations
Air quality
Business investment and capital
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congressional oversight
Credit and credit markets
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Farmland
Forests, forestry, trees
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Land use and conservation
Licensing and registrations
Livestock

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2020

 
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a voluntary program to certify technical assistance providers and third-party verifiers that assist farmers, ranchers, or private forest landowners in preventing or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, sequestering carbon, or verifying processes described in protocols for greenhouse gas credit markets. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-24
text: Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 116-477.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Eric Garner Excessive Force Prevention Act

Bill: 116-s-3895
Sponsor: Sen. Gillibrand, Kirsten E. [D-NY]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Assault and harassment offenses
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Crime victims
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Detention of persons
Due process and equal protection
Law enforcement administration and funding
Law enforcement officers
Racial and ethnic relations

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Eric Garner Excessive Force Prevention Act

 
This bill modifies the criminal civil rights statute that prohibits deprivation of rights under color of law. 
 
Current law prohibits the deprivation of federally protected rights, privileges, or immunities by a government official (including a law enforcement officer). It also prohibits the application of different punishments, pains, or penalties based on an individual's alien status, color, or race. 
 
This bill specifies that the application of any pressure to the throat or windpipe, the use of maneuvers that restrict blood or oxygen flow to the brain, or the use of carotid artery restraints which may prevent or hinder breathing or reduce intake of air is a deprivation of a right, privilege, or immunity and is a punishment, pain, or penalty.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Europe’s Energy Security Clarification Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3897
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Asia
Congressional oversight
Europe
Foreign and international corporations
Foreign property
Germany
Insurance industry and regulation
Oil and gas
Pipelines
Russia
Sanctions
Turkey
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Protecting Europe's Energy Security Clarification Act of 2020

 
This bill expands existing sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that engage in certain activities relating to the construction of the Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream energy pipelines. 
 
Current law generally imposes visa- and property-blocking sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly took actions such as selling or leasing vessels that engaged in pipe laying related to the pipelines. Under this bill, the President shall also impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that engage in other specified activities, such as (1) providing underwriting services or insurance for such vessels, (2) installing welding equipment for such vessels, or (3) providing testing or inspection services for the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Homeless Veterans Coronavirus Response Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3898
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Building construction
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Department of Veterans Affairs
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Food assistance and relief
Health technology, devices, supplies
Homelessness and emergency shelter
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Land use and conservation
Telephone and wireless communication
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Veterans' medical care

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Homeless Veterans Coronavirus Response Act of 2020

 
This bill addresses the administration of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs and benefits for homeless veterans during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
 
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, the bill authorizes the VA to
 
 
reallocate specified grant funds to provide homeless veterans and veterans participating in the Department of Housing and Urban Development-VA Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program with transportation, assistance required for safety and survival, and communications equipment and services;
 
collaborate with organizations to manage use of VA land for homeless veterans for living and sleeping;
 
provide a maximum rate, in certain situations, for per diem payments that is three times the rate authorized for state homes for domiciliary care;
 
provide amounts for additional transitional housing beds to facilitate access to housing and services provided to homeless veterans; and
 
waive certain inspection and safety code requirements to allow grant recipients and therapeutic housing facilities to make adjustments (e.g., facilitating social distancing or isolation needs).
 
 
Per diem payments may be used to provide assistance required for safety and survival (e.g., food) for homeless veterans and formerly homeless veterans residing in a facility operated by a grant recipient or entity that receives per diem payments for furnishing services to homeless veterans.
 
Finally, the bill requires the VA to ensure that veterans participating in or receiving services under a program for homeless veterans have access to telehealth services. The VA must ensure telehealth capabilities are available to such veterans, VA case managers, and community-based service providers.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3899
Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Congressional oversight
Educational technology and distance education
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Employee hiring
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Labor market
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Student aid and college costs
Unemployment
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Veterans Economic Recovery Act of 2020

 
This bill addresses the employment and retraining of veterans, specifically during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
 
The bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a program under which the VA must provide up to 12 months of nontransferable retraining assistance to up to 35,000 eligible veterans for the pursuit of a specified program of education. Under the bill, an eligible veteran is an individual who, among other requirements, is unemployed due to COVID-19. Veterans who receive retraining assistance may only use such assistance to pursue specified programs, including those designed to provide training for high-demand occupations.
 
The Government Accountability Office must report on the outcomes and effectiveness of the retraining assistance program.
 
The bill provides access to the National Directory of New Hires to the VA and the Department of Labor for the purpose of tracking the employment of veterans.
 
The bill makes updates to the VA's High Technology Pilot Program, including by expanding the class of providers of high technology education programs.
 
The bill reauthorizes and expands the program for the provision of off-base transition training for veterans and their spouses, including by requiring a preference for participation by states with economies significantly impacted by COVID-19.
 
Finally, the bill implements a five-year grant program requiring the VA to make grants to organizations for the provision of transition assistance to members of the Armed Forces who are separated, retired, or discharged from the Armed Forces, and spouses of such members.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
PROMOTES Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3900
Sponsor: Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Defense spending
Education programs funding
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Military education and training
Performance measurement
Science and engineering education

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Providing Resources and Organization to Maximize Opportunities for Training and Education in STEM Act of 2020 or the PROMOTES Act of 2020

 
This bill authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out a grant program to assist high schools in providing education to students in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps in subjects including science, technology, math, engineering, computer science, and related areas. Local educational agencies may use grant funds for purposes including training and other support for instructors, acquisition of instructional materials, travel opportunities, mentoring programs, and certifications for students. In making the grants, DOD must give preference to schools with high percentages of children from low-income families.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
AI Scholarship-for-Service Act

Bill: 116-s-3901
Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Education
Subjects: Advanced technology and technological innovations
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Education programs funding
Employee hiring
Employment and training programs
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Higher education
Performance measurement
Research administration and funding
Science and engineering education
Student aid and college costs
Temporary and part-time employment

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

AI Scholarship-for-Service Act

 
This bill establishes a federal artificial intelligence (AI) scholarship-for-service program to recruit and train AI professionals to lead and support AI in federal, state, local, and tribal governments.
 
Specifically, the National Science Foundation must establish criteria to designate qualified institutions of higher education (IHEs) as eligible to participate in the program. Such criteria must include (1) measures of an IHE's demonstrated excellence in the education of students in AI; and (2) measures of an IHE's ability to attract and retain a diverse and nontraditional student population in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
 
Further, the program must (1) provide scholarships through qualified IHEs to students who are enrolled in programs of study related to AI, (2) provide scholarship recipients with internship opportunities, (3) prioritize the employment placement of scholarship recipients in executive agencies, (4) identify opportunities to promote multidisciplinary programs of study that integrate basic or advanced AI training with other fields of study, and (5) support education research programs to train AI researchers and practitioners.
 
Additionally, the post-award employment obligations of a scholarship recipient must include three years of work for an executive agency; Congress; an interstate agency; a state, local, or tribal government; or a government-affiliated nonprofit that is considered to be critical infrastructure. A scholarship recipient who completes less than the required three years of service must repay the scholarship, or the scholarship must be treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that is subject to repayment. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
CIVIL Act

Bill: 116-s-3902
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Department of Defense
Due process and equal protection
Judicial review and appeals
Legislative rules and procedure
Military civil functions
Military personnel and dependents
Militias and paramilitary groups
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents
Protest and dissent
Supreme Court

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Curtailing Insurrection act Violations of Individuals' Liberties Act or the CIVIL Act

 
This bill prohibits the President from invoking authority to use military force to enforce federal authority or suppress an insurrection in a state unless a certification is made to Congress by the President, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Justice that a state governor has requested such assistance or that the state is unable or unwilling to suppress such an insurrection. The President must consult with Congress, in every instance possible, before invoking the authority to use military force. 
 
The bill terminates the authority to use military force to suppress an insurrection after 14 days unless Congress enacts a joint resolution extending such authority. It also sets forth provisions for expedited consideration of a joint resolution in the House of Representative and the Senate. 
 
The bill allows individuals or entities who have been injured by, or have a credible fear of injury from, the use of military force to bring a civil action for declaratory or injunctive relief.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
ELITE Act of 2020

Bill: 116-s-3903
Sponsor: Sen. Duckworth, Tammy [D-IL]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Government studies and investigations
Military education and training
Military personnel and dependents
Minority employment

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Equality in Leadership and Inclusion in Top Elements Act of 2020 or the ELITE Act of 2020 

 
This bill directs the Department of the Defense to seek to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center with relevant expertise to conduct an evaluation of the barriers to minority participation in specified units of the Armed Forces.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Write the Laws Act

Bill: 116-s-3904
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2020-06-04 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Congressional-executive branch relations
Government information and archives
Legislative rules and procedure
Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: 

Write the Laws Act

 
This bill prohibits an act of Congress from containing any delegation of legislative powers, whether to any component within the legislative branch, the President or any other member of the executive branch, the judicial branch, any agency or quasi-public agency, any state or state instrumentality, or any other organization or individual.
 
The Government Accountability Office must identify to Congress all statutes enacted before 90 days after this bill's enactment that contain any delegation of legislative power.
 
Any act of Congress, presidential directive, adjudicative decision, rule, or regulation that is enacted 90 days or more after this bill's enactment and is noncompliant with this bill shall have no force or effect.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-04
text: Introduced in Senate
Offshore Cap Parity Act

Bill: 116-s-3906
Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA]
Introduced: 2020-06-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Alabama
Energy revenues and royalties
Gulf of Mexico
Louisiana
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Mississippi
Oil and gas
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: 

Offshore Cap Parity Act

 
This bill eliminates the cap on the revenue that states may receive from oil and gas drilling off their coasts in the Gulf of Mexico.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Introduced in Senate
PPP for Critical Access Hospitals Act

Bill: 116-s-3907
Sponsor: Sen. Collins, Susan M. [R-ME]
Introduced: 2020-06-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce
Subjects: Bankruptcy
Business expenses
Cardiovascular and respiratory health
Emergency medical services and trauma care
Government lending and loan guarantees
Health care coverage and access
Health facilities and institutions
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Rural conditions and development
Small business
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: 

PPP for Critical Access Hospitals Act

 
This bill expands the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to encompass critical access hospitals.
 
A critical access hospital is a hospital that, among other things, is located in a rural area, furnishes 24-7 emergency services, and has 25 or fewer inpatient beds.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S2764)
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act

Bill: 116-s-3908
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2020-06-08 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Asia
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Customs enforcement
Department of the Treasury
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign and international banking
Government information and archives
Licensing and registrations
North Korea
Sanctions
Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations
Technology transfer and commercialization
Trade restrictions
Travel and tourism
United Nations
Visas and passports

Summary:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: 

Enhancing North Korea Humanitarian Assistance Act

 
This bill addresses humanitarian concerns related to sanctions on North Korea.
 
The Office of Foreign Assets Control shall take one or more specified actions relating to U.S. sanctions on North Korea, such as (1) expanding the current humanitarian exception to such sanctions to include items that meet basic human needs and are not subject to the Export Administration Regulations, or (2) exempting certain nonsensitive items for humanitarian operations from specific licensing requirements.
 
For the purposes of such sanctions, personal computers for authorized humanitarian activities by nongovernmental organizations shall not be considered luxury goods.
 
The Department of State shall direct the U.S. representative to the United Nations (UN) to urge the UN to (1) make it less burdensome for nongovernmental organizations to apply for humanitarian exemptions to UN sanctions on North Korea, and (2) speed up approval for such applications. 
 
The State Department shall devise a strategy to expedite and simplify the process for U.S. passport holders to obtain permission to travel to North Korea to provide humanitarian assistance.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2020-06-08
text: Introduced in Senate