hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
A bill to amend the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to allow certain States to directly purchase commodities, and for other purposes.

Bill: 118-s-2578
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Alaska
American Samoa
Food assistance and relief
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Guam
Hawaii
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Northern Mariana Islands
Nutrition and diet
Palau
Poverty and welfare assistance
Puerto Rico
State and local government operations
Virgin Islands

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 
This bill allows a state to receive cash funds under The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) to directly purchase agricultural commodities through the private commercial marketplace.

TEFAP is a federal program that helps supplement the diets of people with low income by providing them with emergency food assistance at no cost. Through TEFAP, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) purchases a variety of commodities and makes those food products (e.g., canned, frozen, dried, and fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, meat, dairy, and whole-grain and enriched grain products) available to state distributing agencies.

Specifically, the bill allows an eligible state agency to elect to receive as cash the dollar amount used by USDA to purchase the commodities to distribute to the state. 
 

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Keep Kupuna Fed Act

Bill: 118-s-2579
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Keep Kupuna Fed Act

 
This bill amends the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to exempt certain Social Security benefits (e.g., retirement and disability benefits) from household income for the purposes of determining program eligibility.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
SMASH 2.0 Act

Bill: 118-s-2580
Sponsor: Sen. King, Angus S., Jr. [I-ME]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2581
Sponsor: Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Education programs funding
Forests, forestry, trees
Rural conditions and development

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2023

This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and modifies the Secure Rural Schools (SRS) program as well as a pilot program that allows regional foresters to appoint members to SRS resource advisory committees.

Under the existing SRS program, states and counties containing federal land may receive payments from the Forest Service or the Department of the Interior respectively for schools and certain other municipal services. The bill extends the authority of the Forest Service and Interior to (1) calculate and provide payments to states and counties under the SRS program through FY2026, and (2) initiate projects using funds provided by the program through FY2028. It also extends the deadline to obligate those funds until the end of FY2029.

Additionally, the bill expands the pilot program to allow regional foresters in all states, not just those in Montana and Arizona, to appoint members to the advisory committees in their regions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-11-14
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2024-11-14
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2024-11-13
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2024-11-12
text: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S6531; text: CR S6531)
action_date: 2024-11-12
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2024-04-08
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 354.
action_date: 2024-04-08
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 118-163.
action_date: 2024-04-08
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Manchin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 118-163.
action_date: 2023-12-14
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2023-10-25
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Lands, Forests, and Mining. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 118-311.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
AANAPISI Opportunity Act

Bill: 118-s-2582
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

AANAPISI Opportunity Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a scholarship grant program for covered Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions (AANAPISIs) to provide scholarships in agriculture-related fields.
 
Covered institutions include institutions of higher education that (1) have a student body consisting of at least 10% Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander students; and (2) offer associate, bachelors, or other accredited degree programs in agriculture-related fields.
 
USDA may only award the grants to AANAPISIs that have established a competitive scholarship awards process for individuals who intend to pursue a career in agriculture, including in the agricultural disciplines of business, engineering, technology, food science, forestry, home economics, nutrition, soil conservation, non-medical biological sciences, and computer science.
 
 This bill also allows USDA to provide competitive grants for up to five years for integrated agricultural research, education, and extension projects at covered AANAPISIs to address U.S. agriculture priorities. The project grants include a 50% matching funds requirement that USDA may waive if certain requirements are met.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Farmland for Farmers Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2583
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Supporting Our Seniors Act

Bill: 118-s-2584
Sponsor: Sen. Rosen, Jacky [D-NV]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Supporting Our Seniors Act

 
This bill establishes a commission to investigate and make recommendations on an annual basis about policies to address aspects of long-term care, such as financing options, affordability of services, and caregiver supports. The commission terminates 10 years after the bill's enactment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
National Office of New Americans Act

Bill: 118-s-2585
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

National Office of New Americans Act

This bill establishes the National Office of New Americans (NONA) within the Executive Office of the President to promote and support the integration of immigrants and refugees into the social, cultural, economic, and civic life of the United States.

The NONA shall also establish the Federal Initiative on New Americans. The initiative shall establish a coordinated federal program to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee integration issues such as language learning, adult education and workforce training, health care, and naturalization.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Drug Shortages Prevention and Quality Improvement Act

Bill: 118-s-2586
Sponsor: Sen. Cardin, Benjamin L. [D-MD]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Drug Shortages Prevention and Quality Improvement Act

This bill establishes several programs and requirements to address potential shortages of critical drugs.

For example, the bill requires manufacturers of life-saving drugs to submit data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to help determine the longest possible expiration dates for these drugs. Manufacturers must also notify the FDA of any increased demand for life-saving drugs that could lead to shortages. Manufacturers are subject to civil penalties for violations.

The bill also (1) establishes a grant program to support advanced manufacturing of essential sterile injectable drugs that are vulnerable to shortages, and (2) requires the Government Accountability Office to study the extent of recent shortages of drugs for which payment is made to hospitals under Medicare and whether payment changes could minimize shortages.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Healthy Soils Healthy Climate Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2588
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural conservation and pollution
Agricultural education
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Agricultural research
Air quality
Climate change and greenhouse gases
Congressional oversight
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Government studies and investigations
Higher education
Minority and disadvantaged businesses
Rural conditions and development
Small business
Soil pollution

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Healthy Soils Healthy Climate Act of 2023

This bill modifies the Environmental Quality Incentives Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide permanent incentive payments to producers to adopt practices designed to increase organic carbon levels in soil.

USDA must

conduct a study regarding changes in soil health and soil organic carbon levels as a result of the adopted practices;

develop ranking and scoring criteria under the program that prioritize soil health practices that score highest in soil carbon sequestration on eligible land;

create a soil organic carbon conservation activity plan under the program to measure and monitor sequestration and mitigation improvement levels from the practices;

provide for streamlined and coordinated procedures for the program and the Conservation Stewardship Program, including for contracting, conservation planning, conservation practices, and related administrative procedures; and

establish a program to provide grants to land-grant colleges and universities to conduct research relating to soil health and carbon science and to conduct research relating to soil health and carbon science at its agricultural research stations. 

 

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
AG RESEARCH Act

Bill: 118-s-2589
Sponsor: Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Augmenting Research and Educational Sites to Ensure Agriculture Remains Cutting-Edge and Helpful Act or the
 
AG RESEARCH Act 

 
This bill provides funding for maintenance at agricultural research facilities.
 
The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must (1) revise its review process for evaluating proposals for agricultural research facilities to include consulting with representatives of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) peer review panels; and (2) establish a grant program within NIFA to provide agricultural research facilities with a federal share of the cost for the construction, alteration, acquisition, modernization, renovation, or remodeling of the research facilities or the equipment necessary for agricultural research.
 
Additionally, the bill provides funding for the grant program and for USDA to provide direct payments to research facilities of the Agricultural Research Service for addressing deferred maintenance. USDA must give priority to the most critical structures in accordance with the Agricultural Research Service Capital Investment Strategy (April 2012).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
PHS COR Act

Bill: 118-s-2590
Sponsor: Sen. Wyden, Ron [D-OR]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Employee hiring
Employment and training programs
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
National and community service

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Public Health Service Commissioned Corps Operations and Readiness Act or the PHS COR Act

 
This bill requires various activities to support the operations of the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. Required activities include (1) recruiting and retaining professionals suited to work in underserved and vulnerable communities, (2) improving processes for deploying mission teams to routine and emergent public health events, and (3) establishing an office to carry out legislative affairs functions.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Supporting Urban and Innovative Farming Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2591
Sponsor: Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education
Agricultural practices and innovations
Agricultural prices, subsidies, credit
Congressional oversight
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government information and archives
Public-private cooperation
State and local government operations
Urban and suburban affairs and development

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Name Accuracy in Credit Reporting Act

Bill: 118-s-2592
Sponsor: Sen. Fetterman, John [D-PA]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Name Accuracy in Credit Reporting Act

This bill prohibits, upon a consumer's request, a credit reporting agency from including on a consumer credit report a consumer's prior name after a legal name change. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Treatment Court, Rehabilitation, and Recovery Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2593
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
REAP Modernization Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2594
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural research
Alternative and renewable resources
Congressional oversight
Energy efficiency and conservation
Farmland
Government studies and investigations
Intergovernmental relations
Livestock
Rural conditions and development
Small business

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Ensuring Accountability for Equity at USDA Act

Bill: 118-s-2595
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Ensuring Accountability for Equity at USDA Act

This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to improve the equitable availability and distribution of USDA services and program benefits through specific actions. 

Under the bill, USDA must 

include within the performance evaluations for USDA senior leadership a review of an individual's direct efforts to improve equity in USDA programs and services;

issue uniform, department-wide guidance on collecting and responding to feedback and using that feedback to improve efforts to provide more equitable and consistent services; and

build frontline USDA customer service staff capacity to make eligible services or benefits available to customers.

USDA must also notify Congress when it has identified an opportunity to improve equity in a particular program or service, but lacks the authority to make the necessary changes.

Further, the bill requires additional information to be included in USDA's annual data report (which is meant to assess and hold USDA accountable for the nondiscriminatory participation of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers in USDA programs). The report must also describe trends in the data and include a discussion of efforts to implement necessary improvements to equity.

In addition, USDA must use collected data to examine and assess USDA programs and policies to identify and understand communities, organizations, groups, and individuals in need of USDA services or benefits. 
 

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Kenneth P. Thompson Begin Again Act

Bill: 118-s-2596
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Digital Consumer Protection Commission Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2597
Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth [D-MA]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Whole Farm Revenue Protection Program Improvement Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2598
Sponsor: Sen. Brown, Sherrod [D-OH]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
AIR FAIR Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2599
Sponsor: Sen. Whitehouse, Sheldon [D-RI]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Public Housing Fire Safety Act

Bill: 118-s-2600
Sponsor: Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Housing and Community Development
Subjects: Building construction
Congressional oversight
Fires
Government studies and investigations
Housing and community development funding
Public housing

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Public Housing Fire Safety Act

 
This bill creates a grant program, to be administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, for public housing agencies to install automatic sprinkler systems in certain public housing projects.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Agricultural Worker Justice Act

Bill: 118-s-2601
Sponsor: Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Administrative remedies
Animal protection and human-animal relationships
Assault and harassment offenses
Border security and unlawful immigration
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Department of Agriculture
Department of Labor
Employee leave
Employment and training programs
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Food industry and services
Food supply, safety, and labeling
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Government studies and investigations
Hazardous wastes and toxic substances
Infectious and parasitic diseases
Intergovernmental relations
Judicial review and appeals
Labor standards
Livestock
Meat
Minority employment
Musculoskeletal and skin diseases
Public contracts and procurement
Refugees, asylum, displaced persons
Sex offenses
State and local government operations
Temporary and part-time employment
Wages and earnings
Worker safety and health

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Limiting CDC to Disease Control Act

Bill: 118-s-2602
Sponsor: Sen. Paul, Rand [R-KY]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Health

Summary:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: 

Limiting CDC to Disease Control Act

 
This bill modifies and limits the authority of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue regulations to control communicable diseases.
 
Current law authorizes HHS to make and enforce regulations to prevent the introduction or spread of communicable diseases. In particular, current law provides that HHS may make and enforce regulations addressing (1) isolation and quarantine of infected individuals (subject to certain restrictions); and (2) inspection, fumigation, disinfection, sanitation, pest extermination, destruction of infected animals or articles, and other measures that the department determines may be necessary. HHS has delegated this authority to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
 
This bill eliminates the authority of the CDC to make and enforce regulations that provide for other measures it determines may be necessary to prevent the spread of communicable diseases, thereby limiting the scope of its regulations to the other specific purposes set out in current law.

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate
Streamlining Conservation Practice Standards Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-2603
Sponsor: Sen. Ernst, Joni [R-IA]
Introduced: 2023-07-27 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:

Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-07-27
text: Introduced in Senate