hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
UPDATED USPS Act

Bill: 117-s-4809
Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Introduced: 2022-09-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: 

Uniform Postal Data Acquisition for Transparency and Early Detection within the United States Postal Service Act or the UPDATED USPS Act

 
This bill modifies requirements relating to advance electronic information for cargo.
 
Specifically, the bill eliminates
 
 
a restriction on the use of advance electronic information for commercial enforcement, and
 
waivers of the requirement to transmit advance electronic information for countries.
 
 
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) must refuse entry for any international mail shipments for which advance electronic information is not transmitted for shipments received after December 31, 2022.
 
By December 31, 2022, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) shall arrange for the transmission to CBP of information for all international mail shipments. The USPS, at least every 30 days, must publish the number of such shipments for which the information was not transmitted to CBP during the preceding 30-day period.
 
The bill requires monthly reports of specified information, including the volume of international mail shipments and other cargo received by the USPS and private sector importers for which advance electronic information is submitted.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Introduced in Senate
American Workforce Act

Bill: 117-s-4810
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced: 2022-09-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: 

American Workforce Act

 
This bill establishes the American workforce program to provide subsidies to employers who enter contracts to provide on-the-job training to individuals with a high school diploma (or equivalent). The total subsidy per contract may not exceed $9,000.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Introduced in Senate
BLUE Pacific Act

Bill: 117-s-4811
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Introduced: 2022-09-08 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: 

Boosting Long-term U.S. Engagement in the Pacific Act or the BLUE Pacific Act

 
This bill requires and authorizes activities related to U.S. foreign policy in the Pacific Islands, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Vanuatu. 
 
The bill requires specified departments and agencies to develop and implement strategies in the region to
 
 
expand the coverage of the International Law Enforcement Academies program;
 
help build the capacity of local civilian and national security institutions;
 
expand trade capacity and promote regional development;
 
assist in preparing for natural disasters and other emergencies;
 
assist in building public health capacity and improving outcomes, including in response to COVID-19;
 
address climate change, with a focus on improving critical infrastructure and supporting ecosystem conservation efforts;
 
provide expanded media content to the Pacific Islands and partner with journalists;
 
support efforts to reduce gender-based violence and promote gender equality; 
 
promote educational and professional development of young adult leaders and professionals; and
 
promote the development of civil society.
 
 
The bill also requires the Department of State to prioritize efforts to help the Pacific Islands ratify and implement international legal conventions related to transnational crime. The State Department must also coordinate with regional allies and partners in providing assistance to the Pacific Islands. 
 
The President may provide assistance to the Pacific Islands to promote quality basic education and to promote the dissemination of free and accurate information.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act

Bill: 117-s-4812
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2022-09-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: 

Fire Sale Loophole Closing Act

 
This bill imposes restrictions on the transfer of business inventory firearms by a firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer whose license is revoked or denied. 
 
An individual who violates the restrictions is subject to criminal penalties&#8212;a fine, prison term of up to one year (or five years if the violation was willful), or both. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Paperwork Reduction for Farmers and H–2A Modernization Act

Bill: 117-s-4813
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2022-09-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: 

Paperwork Reduction for Farmers and H-2A Modernization Act

 
This bill expands the H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) visa program to cover additional types of labor, makes various changes to the program, and provides a safe harbor for errors in nonimmigrant worker visa applications in certain instances.
 
The bill makes H-2A visas available to an alien providing temporary labor that falls within the federal government classification categories for (1) grounds maintenance workers; (2) farming, fishing, and forestry occupations; or (3) forest, conservation, and logging workers.
 
The bill authorizes joint employers to file a joint petition for an H-2A alien. 
 
The bill allows (1) employers seeking to rehire an H-2A worker to submit a simplified petition, and (2) employers seeking to hire H-2A workers for different time periods during a fiscal year to submit a single petition for such workers. 
 
The Department of Labor shall establish an electronic filing and appeals system for H-2A petitions. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) shall communicate electronically with an H-2A employer when USCIS requests evidence from the employer, if the employer asks to do so.
 
An employer who uses a third-party service to apply for a nonimmigrant worker visa shall not be civilly or criminally liable for errors in the application if the employer reasonably believed that the application was accurate and complied with statutory requirements. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2022-09-08
text: Introduced in Senate
START Act

Bill: 117-s-4815
Sponsor: Sen. Capito, Shelley Moore [R-WV]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 

Simplify Timelines and Assure Regulatory Transparency Act
 
or the START Act

 
This bill sets forth a variety of provisions to expedite the environmental review of energy projects, such as the Mountain Valley Pipeline project.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prevent the use of additional Internal Revenue Service funds from being used for audits of taxpayers with taxable incomes below $400,000 in order to protect low- and middle-income earning American taxpayers from an onslaught of audits from an army of new Internal Revenue Service auditors funded by an unprecedented, nearly $80,000,000,000, infusion of new funds.

Bill: 117-s-4817
Sponsor: Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 
This bill prohibits the use of additional funds appropriated to the Internal Revenue Service under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 for audits of taxpayers with taxable incomes below $400,000.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to prohibit the use of Federal and local funds to impose or enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate in District of Columbia schools, and to repeal the Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Regulation Amendment Act of 2021 enacted by the District of Columbia Council.

Bill: 117-s-4818
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 
This bill prohibits the District of Columbia (DC) from using federal or local funds to require that students in elementary or secondary schools receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also nullifies the Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Regulation Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-85), enacted by the DC Council on January 12, 2022.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Lead by Example Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4819
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 

Lead by Example Act of 2022

 
This bill requires the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency to set all thermostats in their respective headquarters to at least 78 degrees Fahrenheit when air conditioning is being used.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Communications Networks from Chinese Communist Party Espionage Act

Bill: 117-s-4820
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 

Protecting Communications Networks from Chinese Communist Party Espionage Act

 
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to auction licenses for a specified portion of the electromagnetic spectrum for nonfederal use, shared federal and nonfederal use, or a combination of those uses, with proceeds going towards the Secure and Trusted Communications Networks Reimbursement Program (a program that reimburses certain communications providers for replacing equipment deemed to be a threat to national security).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
SOIL Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4821
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2022-09-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: 

Security and Oversight for International Landholdings Act of 2022 or the SOIL Act of 2022 

 
This bill expands provisions related to foreign investment in certain agricultural land transactions. For example, the bill requires the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review an investment that could result in certain foreign control of U.S. agricultural land. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2022-09-12
text: Introduced in Senate
Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act

Bill: 117-s-4823
Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Guaranteeing Overtime for Truckers Act

 
This bill requires employers of commercial truck drivers to provide overtime pay to such drivers engaged in a workweek longer than 40 hours.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4577)
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
North Korea Policy Oversight Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4824
Sponsor: Sen. Menendez, Robert [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

North Korea Policy Oversight Act of 2022

 
This bill requires additional reports and briefings related to North Korea.
 
The Department of State shall periodically report to Congress on diplomatic engagement with and by North Korea. The bill contains various additional reporting requirements, such as for the President to report a detailed strategy for implementing certain policies related to achieving North Korea's denuclearization.
 
The State Department shall brief Congress after each high-level U.S.-North Korea diplomatic talk.
 
The President shall notify Congress no later than five days after entering into any agreement with North Korea related to North Korea's nuclear and missile program. The notice shall include the agreement and an assessment of the extent to which the State Department can verify North Korea's compliance with the agreement. The President shall also periodically report on North Korea's compliance with the agreement and other related matters. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Safe Passage on Interstates Act

Bill: 117-s-4825
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Criminal procedure and sentencing
First responders and emergency personnel
Motor vehicles
Roads and highways
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Safe Passage on Interstates Act

 
This bill establishes new federal criminal offenses for conduct involving the obstruction of interstate highways.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Community Wildfire Protection Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4826
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Community Wildfire Protection Act of 2022

 
This bill modifies the definition of 
at-risk community
 with respect to the hazardous fuel reduction program to eliminate the requirement that such a community be an interface community as defined in the notice titled 
Wildland Urban Interface Communities Within the Vicinity of Federal Lands That Are at High Risk From Wildfire
 or be within or adjacent to federal land.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4577)
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
LuLu’s Law

Bill: 117-s-4827
Sponsor: Sen. Cassidy, Bill [R-LA]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

National Sepsis Data Trust, Outcomes, and Innovation Act or LuLu's Law

 
This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to address sepsis. (Sepsis is a life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection.)
 
In particular, HHS must
 
 
standardize the definition of sepsis;
 
make sepsis a nationally notifiable condition;
 
develop a national strategy for treating and eliminating the burden of sepsis; and
 
establish a national sepsis data trust to improve the collection and sharing of data concerning sepsis cases, including through grants to support state-based data trusts.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
PFAS Intergovernmental Coordination Act

Bill: 117-s-4829
Sponsor: Sen. Peters, Gary C. [D-MI]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

PFAS Intergovernmental Coordination Act

 
This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a working group to address contamination by perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS. These substances are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing.
 
Specifically, the working group shall facilitate more effective cooperation, coordination, and mutual accountability among the federal government and state, local, and tribal governments on a holistic response to PFAS contamination in communities across the United States.
 
The working group shall terminate two years after its establishment.
 
The OMB must report to Congress, describing any guidelines created in performing its duties and making a recommendation with respect to extending the working group's authorization.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to reaffirm actions taken by the Secretary of the Interior for the benefit of Indian Tribes, and for other purposes.

Bill: 117-s-4830
Sponsor: Sen. Moran, Jerry [R-KS]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 
This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to take land into trust for all federally recognized Indian tribes.
 
Specifically, the bill applies the Indian Reorganization Act to all federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when a tribe became recognized. The amendments made by this bill are retroactively effective as if included in the Indian Reorganization Act. This effectively overrules the Supreme Court's decision in 
Carcieri v. Salazar, 
which held that Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the Indian Reorganization Act was enacted in 1934.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
No CBDC Act

Bill: 117-s-4831
Sponsor: Sen. Lee, Mike [R-UT]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

No Central Bank Digital Currency Act or the No CBDC Act

 
This bill generally prohibits the Federal Reserve Board, Federal Reserve Banks, the Department of the Treasury, and other agencies from issuing or using a central bank digital currency. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Increase Reliable Services Now Act

Bill: 117-s-4832
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 
 
Increase Reliable Services Now Act 

 
This bill imposes limits on Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement activities and hiring. 
 
The bill prohibits the IRS from hiring any person for enforcement activities until the end of a period in which the IRS has maintained for six consecutive months a level of service for accounts management phone lines of not less than 70%, and an average speed of answering phone calls in five minutes or less. The bill also requires that not less than 90% of regular IRS employees perform work in person at their job sites. 
 
The bill prohibits the IRS from auditing taxpayers with taxable incomes below $400,000 at a greater rate than before the enactment of this bill. 
 
Further, the IRS may not hire additional personnel (other than for return processing activities and call center operations) until its tax return processing backlog is not in excess of 1 million cases and it issues tax refunds within six weeks or less after receipt of a tax return.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (text: CR S4578)
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Save Our Sequoias Act

Bill: 117-s-4833
Sponsor: Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Animal and plant health
California
Congressional oversight
Emergency planning and evacuation
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental education
Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Government information and archives
Intergovernmental relations
Internet, web applications, social media
Land use and conservation
Parks, recreation areas, trails

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Save Our Sequoias Act

 
This bill provides for the conservation of giant sequoia trees (
Sequoiadendron giganteum
) in California, including by 
 
 
 providing statutory authority for the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition;
 
directing the coalition to submit a Giant Sequoia Health and Resiliency Assessment;
 
declaring an emergency on certain public lands and allowing officials to carry out protection plans during the emergency to respond to the threat of wildfires, insects, and drought;
 
directing the Department of the Interior and the National Forest System to develop and implement a Giant Sequoia Reforestation and Rehabilitation Strategy; and
 
establishing a variety of programs and funds to support the conservation of giant sequoias.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-29
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S4578)
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Small-diameter Timber and Underutilized Material Act of 2022

Bill: 117-s-4835
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Fires
Forests, forestry, trees
Land use and conservation
User charges and fees

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Small-diameter Timber and Underutilized Material Act of 2022

 
This bill addresses the removal of small-diameter trees in fire hazard areas.
 
Specifically, the bill prohibits the Forest Service (FS) and the Department of the Interior from
 
 
charging a fee to authorize the removal of a small-diameter tree in a fire hazard area, including a fee for a special use permit; or
 
recovering any processing or monitoring cost of authorizing such removal.
 
 
The FS or Interior may charge a fee for removal of a small-diameter tree of a particular species of tree in a fire hazard area upon determining that the fee is appropriate and disclosing that determination to the public.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-29
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Hearings held.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate
Prioritizing Disaster Relief Act

Bill: 117-s-4836
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2022-09-13 in the Senate
Policy area: Emergency Management

Summary:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: 

Prioritizing Disaster Relief Act

 
This bill allows COVID-19 relief funds to be used for disaster assistance.
 
Specifically, the bill authorizes a state, local government, Indian tribe, or tribal organization to use such funds for expenses related to assisting communities, individuals, and businesses affected by and located within the designated area of a major disaster or emergency.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2022-09-13
text: Introduced in Senate