hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act

Bill: 117-s-1362
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Health personnel
Medicare
Prescription drugs
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act

 
This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Disaster Assistance Simplification Act

Bill: 117-s-1363
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Disaster relief and insurance
Government lending and loan guarantees
Housing and community development funding
Small business

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Disaster Assistance Simplification Act

 
This bill addresses the interaction of disaster recovery relief assistance provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
 
Specifically, the bill prohibits HUD and recipients of HUD disaster relief grants from (1) considering whether an applicant for assistance rejected a separate disaster loan from the SBA, or (2) reducing the amount of assistance by the amount of a rejected SBA loan.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act

Bill: 117-s-1364
Sponsor: Sen. Burr, Richard [R-NC]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Federal-Indian relations
Indian lands and resources rights
North Carolina

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina Recognition Act

 
This bill extends federal recognition to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and makes its members eligible for the services and benefits provided to members of federally recognized tribes. 
 
Members of the tribe residing in Robeson, Cumberland, Hoke, and Scotland counties in North Carolina are deemed to be within the delivery area for such services.
 
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services must develop, in consultation with the tribe, a determination of needs to provide the services for which members of the tribe are eligible.
 
Interior may take land into trust for the benefit of the tribe.
 
Finally, North Carolina must exercise jurisdiction over all criminal offenses committed, and all civil actions that arise, on North Carolina lands owned by, or held in trust for, the Lumbee Tribe or any dependent Indian community of the tribe unless jurisdiction is transferred to the United States pursuant to an agreement between the tribe and the state.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-11-17
text: Committee on Indian Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 117-115.
action_date: 2021-11-02
text: Referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs by unanimous consent.
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 50.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Extending Tribal Broadband Priority Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-1365
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Native Americans
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Indian lands and resources rights
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Radio spectrum allocation
Rural conditions and development
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Extending Tribal Broadband Priority Act of 

2021

 
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to, within 30 days, establish a new tribal priority window for the 2.5 gigahertz band, through which tribes in rural areas may apply for unassigned spectrum. The new window is subject to the same terms and conditions as the tribal priority window that was adopted by the FCC on July 10, 2019, and that closed on September 2, 2020.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act

Bill: 117-s-1366
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Drug safety, medical device, and laboratory regulation
Foreign and international corporations
Genetics
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health care coverage and access
Health technology, devices, supplies
Industrial policy and productivity
Manufacturing
Prescription drugs
Public contracts and procurement
Retail and wholesale trades
Strategic materials and reserves
U.S. and foreign investments
World health

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Defense and Enhancement Act 

 
This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into contracts with U.S. entities to manufacture certain critical drugs within the United States.
 
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must periodically report to Congress a list of drugs that are critical to public health or national security. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority within HHS must enter into contracts for qualified U.S. entities to manufacture in the United States the drugs on this list (and ingredients for such drugs). Such contracts must impose certain conditions, such as requiring the manufacturing entity to (1) develop and maintain a redundancy risk management and continuity of business plan, and (2) commit to selling the drugs and ingredients manufactured under the contract at reasonable prices.
 
Beginning in FY2025, certain federal agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Prisons, must give priority, in procuring drugs on the FDA critical drugs list, to those that are manufactured in the United States and of high quality. 
 
The bill also requires the Federal Trade Commission to submit annually to Congress a report on foreign investment in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The report must address, among other topics, the effect of the industry's reliance on foreign manufacturing.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
United States Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act

Bill: 117-s-1367
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Congressional oversight
Genetics
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Health technology, devices, supplies
Industrial policy and productivity
Manufacturing
Prescription drugs
Retail and wholesale trades
U.S. and foreign investments

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

United States Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Review Act

 
This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to submit annually to Congress a report on foreign investment in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry. The report shall address, among other topics, the effect of the industry's reliance on foreign manufacturing. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-1368
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Alaska Natives and Hawaiians
Alternative dispute resolution, mediation, arbitration
Banking and financial institutions regulation
Building construction
Business records
Consumer credit
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Educational facilities and institutions
Elementary and secondary education
Energy efficiency and conservation
Government information and archives
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government trust funds
Higher education
Housing and community development funding
Housing discrimination
Housing finance and home ownership
Housing for the elderly and disabled
Housing supply and affordability
Labor standards
Land use and conservation
Landlord and tenant
Low- and moderate-income housing
Poverty and welfare assistance
Public housing
Real estate business
Regional and metropolitan planning
Transfer and inheritance taxes
Veterans' loans, housing, homeless programs
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

American Housing and Economic Mobility Act of 2021

 
This bill addresses housing affordability and availability, makes certain changes to the estate and gift taxes, and contains other related provisions.
 
The Department of Housing and Urban Development shall provide grants to (1) state and local governments that remove unnecessary barriers to building affordable units, (2) states to assist borrowers who have negative equity in their homes, (3) state housing finance agencies to construct or acquire affordable rental housing and prevent tenant displacement and harassment, and (4) eligible individuals (generally, lower income individuals who resided in low-income or historically racially segregated areas) to help them purchase their first homes.
 
The bill provides funding through FY2031 for the first-time homeowner grant program established by the bill, through FY2022 for the affordable rental housing construction program established by the bill, and through FY2022 for specified existing rural housing programs.
 
The bill also expands fair housing protections to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, source of income, veteran status, or an individual's perceived membership in a protected class (e.g., an individual's perceived race or sex).
 
Additionally, the bill modifies the estate tax in various ways, including by reducing the number of brackets to three, increasing the tax rates, and reducing the basic exemption amount. The bill also modifies provisions related to gift taxes and transfer taxes.



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2022-02-09
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection. Hearings held.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to require United States educational institutions to include information regarding financial transactions with the Government of the People's Republic of China or its affiliates in any petition for certification or recertification with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.

Bill: 117-s-1369
Sponsor: Sen. Grassley, Chuck [R-IA]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Asia
China
Government information and archives
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Immigration status and procedures
International exchange and broadcasting

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 
This bill requires educational institutions that participate in the Student and Exchange Visitor Program to report certain information regarding that institution's dealings with China's government.
 
Specifically, when an institution petitions for certification or recertification with the program, its petition must include (1) the final copies of any documentation of financial transactions between the institution (or any affiliated groups or entities) and an entity funded by China's government, and (2) a detailed description of any financial contribution from China's government to any student or faculty groups affiliated with the institution. 
 
An institution that fails to provide such information shall lose its approval (or be denied approval) under the program, and visas for students attending the institution under the program shall be revoked or denied. Furthermore, the program shall conduct an out-of-cycle review of such an institution.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps Act

Bill: 117-s-1370
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection
Subjects: Air quality
Aquatic ecology
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Department of Agriculture
Department of the Interior
Ecology
Educational guidance
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental education
Executive agency funding and structure
Farmland
Fires
Foreign language and bilingual programs
Forests, forestry, trees
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Higher education
Historical and cultural resources
Horticulture and plants
Indian social and development programs
Lakes and rivers
Land use and conservation
National and community service
Natural disasters
Outdoor recreation
Parks, recreation areas, trails
Student aid and college costs
Temporary and part-time employment
Urban and suburban affairs and development
Water quality
Wetlands
Wildlife conservation and habitat protection
Youth employment and child labor

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps Act or the RENEW Conservation Corps Act

 
This bill establishes the Restore Employment in Natural and Environmental Work Conservation Corps program within the Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture under which participants must implement eligible projects (e.g., planting trees or controlling invasive species).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works. (text: CR S2198-2200)
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
America Grows Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-1371
Sponsor: Sen. Durbin, Richard J. [D-IL]
Introduced: 2021-04-26 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural research
Appropriations
Budget deficits and national debt
Census and government statistics
Department of Agriculture
Executive agency funding and structure
Inflation and prices

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: 

America Grows Act of 2021

 
This bill permanently funds several agencies that perform agriculture research. 
 
The bill provides specified funding for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture:
 
 
the Agricultural Research Service,
 
the Economic Research Service,
 
the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and
 
the National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
 
 
The bill exempts the funding from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. 
 
It also exempts the budgetary effects of the funding from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and the Senate PAYGO rule. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry. (text: CR S2200-2201)
action_date: 2021-04-26
text: Introduced in Senate
Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act of 2021

Bill: 117-s-1372
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2021-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Animals
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Agricultural trade
Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Fishes
Hunting and fishing
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Seafood
Trade restrictions

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: 

Sustainable Shark Fisheries and Trade Act of 20

21

 
This bill addresses the conservation and management of sharks.
 
The bill prohibits the importation into the United States of shark products from a nation that does not have measures to provide for the conservation and management of sharks and measures to prohibit shark finning (the removal of a shark's fins, including the tail, and discarding the remainder of the shark at sea) that are comparable to those of the United States. The bill includes exceptions to this prohibition for law enforcement, subsistence purposes, education, conservation, or scientific research.
 
The Department of Commerce must certify nations with protections for sharks that are comparable to those of the United States.
 
Commerce must revise its regulations to include rays and skates as species that are subject to the Seafood Import Monitoring Program. (The Seafood Import Monitoring Program has data reporting and recordkeeping requirements for imported fish or fish products entering U.S. commerce.)


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
SAME Act

Bill: 117-s-1373
Sponsor: Sen. Lummis, Cynthia M. [R-WY]
Introduced: 2021-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Firearms and explosives
Licensing and registrations
Retail and wholesale trades

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: 

Second Amendment Mandates Equality Act or the SAME Act

 
This bill reduces the minimum age&#8212;from 21 years to 18 years&#8212;at which an individual may obtain a handgun from a federally licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, importer, or collector.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Rural STEM Education Act

Bill: 117-s-1374
Sponsor: Sen. Wicker, Roger F. [R-MS]
Introduced: 2021-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Academic performance and assessments
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Advisory bodies
Computers and information technology
Congressional oversight
Education of the disadvantaged
Educational technology and distance education
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Manufacturing
Performance measurement
Research administration and funding
Rural conditions and development
Science and engineering education
Teaching, teachers, curricula
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: 

Rural STEM Education Act

 
This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research regarding STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) education in rural schools.
 
The NSF must award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for (1) research and development to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools, (2) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education, (3) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM studies, and (4) research on online STEM education courses for rural communities.
 
The NSF may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas to provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in grades Pre-K through 12 in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry.
 
The NSF shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy agrees to evaluate aspects of STEM education and workforce development in rural areas.
 
The National Institute of Standards and Technology must award prizes to stimulate research and development of creative technologies in order to deploy affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to unserved rural communities. 
The Office of Science and Technology Policy must establish a broadband research and development working group to address national research challenges and opportunities for improving broadband access and adoption across the United States.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Families Belong Together Act

Bill: 117-s-1375
Sponsor: Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Introduced: 2021-04-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration
Subjects: Administrative remedies
Border security and unlawful immigration
Department of Homeland Security
Family relationships
Immigration status and procedures
Judicial review and appeals
Lawyers and legal services

Summary:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: 

Families Belong Together Act

 
This bill provides various immigration benefits for eligible alien parents (or legal guardians) and minor children who were separated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021. 
 
Generally, to be an eligible parent or minor child under this bill, the alien must not be inadmissible for certain crime- or security-related grounds, though DHS may waive certain grounds for humanitarian or public interest reasons. Furthermore, an eligible child who was separated as a minor remains eligible for the immigration benefits after reaching majority.
 
DHS must grant humanitarian parole into the United States to an eligible alien who requests such parole, regardless of whether the alien is physically present in the United States. 
 
An eligible alien in the United States may apply for lawful permanent resident status. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall grant a qualifying alien's lawful permanent resident status within 30 days of receiving the alien's application. 
 
An alien who receives lawful permanent resident status under this bill shall be eligible for benefits and services that are available to an alien who is admitted as a refugee.
 
Certain annual numerical limitations shall not apply to aliens who receive lawful permanent resident status under this bill. 
 
If an alien seeks judicial review of a denial of an application for lawful permanent resident status under this bill, the Department of Justice shall appoint counsel to represent that alien upon request.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2021-04-27
text: Introduced in Senate