hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
WALL Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-332
Sponsor: Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

WALL Act of 2023 

 
This bill appropriates $25 billion for the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other issues related to immigration.
 
As offsets to this spending, the bill restricts the child tax credit, earned income credits, and lifetime learning credits to those with Social Security numbers and not prohibited from employment in the United States. Also, individuals who file taxes using an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number must pay a fee ($300 for each individual on the tax return using an ITIN). 
 
The bill restricts eligibility for certain federally-funded benefits, including unemployment compensation, supplemental nutrition assistance, and housing benefits, to those eligible to work in the United States. Agencies administering such benefits must use the E-Verify program to confirm the eligibility of applicants for such benefits. 
 
This bill also sets fines for non-U.S. nationals (
aliens
 under federal law) who improperly enter the United States or overstay their visas. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-333
Sponsor: Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Keep Our Communities Safe Act of 2023 

 
This bill revises provisions related to the authority of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to detain non-U.S. nationals (
aliens
 under federal law).
 
DHS may detain an individual pending a removal decision for any length of time until the individual is subject to a final removal order. DHS must detain certain individuals, such as those convicted of an aggravated felony, beyond certain time limits for immigration-related detention. 
 
The authority of the Department of Justice to review DHS custody decisions concerning an individual awaiting a removal decision shall be limited to whether the individual may be detained, released on bond, or released with no bond. DHS may release such an individual on bond only if the individual is not a flight risk or risk to the community.
 
For an individual subject to a removal order, DHS may extend the 90-day removal period (generally the window in which DHS has to remove an individual after a final order of removal) in certain instances, such as when removal is stayed during an appeal. 
 
DHS may continue to detain an individual beyond the removal period and any removal period extensions. DHS must periodically certify a justification for detaining an individual beyond the removal period. 
 
DHS must establish a detention review process for individuals who (1) have made all reasonable efforts to comply with a removal order, and (2) are not subject to mandatory detention. DHS shall use this process to determine whether such an individual should be detained or released with conditions.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Retain Skilled Veterans Act

Bill: 118-s-334
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Retain Skilled Veterans Act

 
This bill modifies the restriction related to the appointment of retired members of the Armed Forces to certain civil service positions in the Department of Defense. Under the bill, the 180-day waiting period before a retired member may be appointed to a position only applies to those positions in the excepted or competitive service classified at or above GS-14 of the General Schedule (or equivalent).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Service Contract Modernization Act

Bill: 118-s-335
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Government Operations and Politics
Subjects: Employee benefits and pensions
Inflation and prices
Public contracts and procurement
Wages and earnings

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Service Contract Modernization Act

 
This bill increases a threshold used to determine whether an employee of a federal services contractor or subcontractor is entitled to wages and fringe benefits prevailing in the locality where services are performed (or in a predecessor contractor's collective bargaining agreement).
 
Under current law, a federal contractor or subcontractor that enters into a service contract in excess of $2,500 must comply with prevailing wage and related requirements. This bill increases that amount by adjusting it for inflation since 1965 and provides for future increases based on inflation.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Senator James L. Buckley Seashore Designation Act

Bill: 118-s-336
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Senator James L. Buckley Seashore Designation Act

 
This bill designates the Staten Island Unit of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New York as the Senator James L. Buckley Seashore.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Replenishing Our American Reserves Act

Bill: 118-s-337
Sponsor: Sen. Sullivan, Dan [R-AK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Replenishing Our American Reserves Act or the ROAR Act

 
This bill places limits on the petroleum products (e.g., crude oil) that may be added to or exported from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).
 
The Department of Energy (DOE) must ensure that only petroleum products that have been produced or refined in the United States are acquired and added into the SPR. The bill prohibits the SPR from being filled with petroleum products imported from Algeria, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela. Further, the bill prohibits the SPR from being filled with petroleum products imported from other foreign countries unless DOE certifies that all means of increasing production of petroleum products in the United States has been exhausted, including increasing the availability of federal land for leasing and increasing the number of applications for permits to drill.
 
With respect to the drawdown and sale at auction of petroleum products from the SPR, DOE must require as a condition of the sale that the petroleum products may not be exported to countries that are designated as countries of particular concern for religious freedom. In order to be able to purchase petroleum products at auctions, state-owned entities must certify that they have not purchased the products from countries subject to certain bans or sanctions 15 days after the date on which the ban or sanctions went into effect.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
IRS Funding Accountability Act

Bill: 118-s-338
Sponsor: Sen. Thune, John [R-SD]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 
 
IRS Funding Accountability Act 

 
This bill delays for a 60-day period funding for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) enforcement activities enacted by the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (except for eliminating return processing backlogs and reducing call wait times) until an annual spending plan for such activities is submitted to the congressional tax and appropriation committees. Congress may enact a joint resolution of disapproval of the spending plan before the end of the 60-day period requiring the IRS to submit a new spending plan. 
 
The IRS and the Department of the Treasury must make quarterly reports to the committees on expenditures for enforcement activities. The bill requires reductions in IRS appropriations for any failure to submit required reports.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance. (CR S315-317)
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Department of Defense Improved Hiring Act

Bill: 118-s-339
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Department of Defense
Employee hiring
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Military facilities and property

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Department of Defense Improved Hiring Act

 
This bill makes permanent the Department of Defense (DOD) direct hire authority for domestic defense industrial base facilities (i.e., any DOD depot, arsenal, or shipyard in the United States), the Major Range and Test Facilities Base, and the Office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Protecting Community Television Act

Bill: 118-s-340
Sponsor: Sen. Markey, Edward J. [D-MA]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Protecting Community Television Act

 
This bill limits the scope of the franchise fee paid by cable operators to encompass only a tax, fee, or other monetary assessment. (This fee is charged by a state or local authority for a franchise that a cable operator must obtain in order to provide its services in a particular area.)
 
Historically, the franchise fee, which is capped at 5% of the franchise holder's gross revenues from providing cable services, did not include certain in-kind contributions and other costs, including some costs that support public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access channels. However, under a rule adopted on August 1, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission included most cable-related in-kind contributions and costs for PEG channels (except for certain capital costs) paid by new entrants and incumbent cable operators as part of the franchise fee, and therefore subject to the cap. This bill excludes those contributions and costs from the cap.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act

Bill: 118-s-341
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 
 
Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act

 
This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, certain broadband grants made for broadband deployment.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Access to Counsel Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-342
Sponsor: Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Access to Counsel Act of 2023

 
This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, non-U.S. nationals (
aliens 
under federal law) in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees.
 
The Department of Homeland Security must ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party must be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer.
 
A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice. 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary. (Sponsor introductory remarks on measure: CR S317)
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Apprenticeships to College Act

Bill: 118-s-343
Sponsor: Sen. Klobuchar, Amy [D-MN]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Labor and Employment
Subjects: Adult education and literacy
Congressional oversight
Elementary and secondary education
Employment and training programs
Government information and archives
Higher education
Student aid and college costs
Student records
Temporary and part-time employment
Vocational and technical education

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 
A
pprenticeships to College Act

 
This bill requires the Department of Labor to enter into an interagency agreement with the Department of Education to promote and support integration and alignment of programs under the national apprenticeship system with secondary, two- and four-year postsecondary, and adult education.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Major Richard Star Act

Bill: 118-s-344
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Major Richard Star Act

 
This bill allows a veteran with a combat-related disability and fewer than 20 years of creditable service to receive retirement pay, without reduction, concurrent with disability compensation. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Highway Formula Fairness Act

Bill: 118-s-345
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Transportation and Public Works
Subjects: Air quality
Government trust funds
Regional and metropolitan planning
Roads and highways
Transportation programs funding
Transportation safety and security

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Highway Formula Fairness Act

 
This bill modifies the formula that the Department of Transportation uses to apportion federal highway funds among the states for the national highway performance program, the surface transportation block grant program, the highway safety improvement program, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program, the national highway freight program, and metropolitan transportation planning.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-346
Sponsor: Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural marketing and promotion
Civil actions and liability
Competition and antitrust
Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of Agriculture
Executive agency funding and structure
Food industry and services
Livestock
Meat

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Meat and Poultry Special Investigator Act of 202

3

 
This bill establishes within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) the Office of the Special Investigator for Competition Matters.
 
Specifically, the office must use all available tools (e.g., subpoenas) to investigate and prosecute violations of the Packers and Stockyards Act of 1921 by packers and live poultry dealers. Further, the bill grants the office the authority to bring any civil or administrative action authorized by that act against a packer or live poultry dealer.
 
Additionally, the office must
 
 
serve as a liaison to the Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission with respect to competition and trade practices in the food and agricultural sector,
 
consult with the Department of Homeland Security on national security and critical infrastructure security in the food and agricultural sector, 
 
maintain a staff of attorneys and other professionals with appropriate expertise, and
 
coordinate with the USDA Office of the General Counsel and the Packers and Stockyards Division of the Agricultural Marketing Service.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2024-05-02
text: Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Hearings held.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act

Bill: 118-s-347
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party Act or the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act

 
This bill requires the President to impose property-blocking sanctions on TikTok, its parent company ByteDance Ltd., and larger social media companies with ties to certain foreign countries.
 
Specifically, the sanctions shall apply if the relevant property interests are (1) in the United States; or (2) in the possession or control of a U.S. person, if blocking the transaction is necessary to prevent the company's commercial operation in the United States. 
 
These sanctions shall also apply to larger social media companies involved with countries or persons (entities or individuals) of concern, generally defined as any foreign government or person engaged in activities adverse to U.S. security and safety and includes specific countries such as China, Russia, and North Korea. For the purposes of this bill, a 
person of concern 
also includes private companies and individuals domiciled in a country of concern and subject to the substantial influence of the government. 
 
Specifically, in addition to TikTok and ByteDance, the sanctions shall apply to any social media company 
 
 
that is based in or organized under the laws of a country of concern; 
 
where a country or person of concern owns 20% of its outstanding voting stock or shares; 
 
that uses software or algorithms controlled by a country or person of concern, including through export controls; or
 
where a country or person of concern has substantial influence over the company's data sharing or content moderation practices.
 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Asylum Abuse Reduction Act

Bill: 118-s-348
Sponsor: Sen. Britt, Katie Boyd [R-AL]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Asylum Abuse Reduction Act

 
This bill places restrictions on non-U.S. nationals (
aliens
 under federal law) seeking asylum and contains provisions related to immigration enforcement.
 
Under this bill, an asylum seeker who arrives at a U.S. land port of entry without entry documents may not be admitted unless an asylum officer at a U.S. embassy or consulate has interviewed the individual and has concluded that the individual (1) has been persecuted in the alien's country of nationality due to their race, religion, or other characteristics; (2) has a credible fear of persecution if they returned to that country; or (3) would be tortured by the government upon return to that country. (Currently, an individual arriving at a port of entry may apply for asylum and an immigration officer there typically will conduct a credible fear interview.)
 
Furthermore, an individual who traveled through a third country to enter the United States through the southern border shall be ineligible for asylum unless (1) the individual has applied for and been denied asylum or protection in that third country, (2) the individual was a victim of severe human trafficking, or (3) the third country is not party to certain international agreements relating to refugees.
 
Each federal judicial district shall appoint at least one judge to issue arrest warrants for individuals violating orders to depart, upon a showing of probable cause.
 
Under this bill, the 
Flores
 agreement (a lawsuit settlement which imposes various requirements relating to the treatment of minors detained for immigration-related purposes) shall not apply.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2023

Bill: 118-s-350
Sponsor: Sen. Lankford, James [R-OK]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Disability and paralysis
Higher education
Military personnel and dependents
Student aid and college costs
Veterans' education, employment, rehabilitation

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Fry Scholarship Enhancement Act of 2023

 
This bill expands eligibility for the Marine Gunnery Sergeant John David Fry Scholarship, commonly referred to as the Fry Scholarship. The scholarship provides educational assistance under the Post-9/11 GI Bill to specified dependents of service members who, on or after September 11, 2001, died in the line of duty as a member of the Armed Forces or from a service-connected disability while a member of the Selected Reserve. 
 
Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for the Fry Scholarship to include a child or spouse of a person who died on or after September 11, 2001, from a service-connected disability within 120 days of being honorably discharged or released from service in the Armed Forces.
 
This expansion of eligibility applies to quarters, semesters, or terms beginning on or after August 1, 2024. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-04-26
text: Committee on Veterans' Affairs. Hearings held. Hearings printed: S.Hrg. 118-160.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Down East Remembrance Act

Bill: 118-s-351
Sponsor: Sen. Tillis, Thomas [R-NC]
Introduced: 2023-02-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources
Subjects: Accidents
Aviation and airports
Lakes and rivers
North Carolina

Summary:
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: 

Down East Remembrance Act

 
This bill designates six creeks in North Carolina in honor of individuals killed in a plane crash in Carteret County, North Carolina, on February 13, 2022.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2023-06-21
text: Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Senate Subcommittee on National Parks. Hearings held. With printed Hearing: S.Hrg. 118-284.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
action_date: 2023-02-09
text: Introduced in Senate