hyperdemocracy/usc-billstatus huggingface dataset:
LACA

Bill: 119-s-32
Sponsor: Sen. Cruz, Ted [R-TX]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Law
Subjects: California
State and local courts
Texas

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Local Access to Courts Act or LACA

This bill adds College Station to the list of places where court must be held in the Galveston Division of the Southern District of Texas. 

Additionally, the bill adds El Centro to the list of places where court must be held in the Southern District of California. 

 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-02-13
text: Held at the desk.
action_date: 2025-02-13
text: Received in the House.
action_date: 2025-02-13
text: Message on Senate action sent to the House.
action_date: 2025-02-12
text: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent. (consideration: CR S932; text: CR S932)
action_date: 2025-02-12
text: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2025-02-12
text: Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2025-02-12
text: Senate Committee on the Judiciary discharged by Unanimous Consent.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
SOPRA

Bill: 119-s-33
Sponsor: Sen. Schmitt, Eric [R-MO]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Law

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Separation of Powers Restoration Act
 
of 2025 or SOPRA

This bill modifies the scope of judicial review of agency actions to authorize courts reviewing agency actions to decide de novo (i.e., without giving deference to the agency's interpretation) all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of (1) constitutional and statutory provisions, (2) rules made by agencies, (3) interpretative rules, (4) general statements of policy, and (5) all other agency guidance documents.

No law may exempt a civil action from the standard of review required by this bill except by specific reference to such provision.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Justice for 9/11 Act

Bill: 119-s-34
Sponsor: Sen. Cotton, Tom [R-AR]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security
Subjects: Correctional facilities and imprisonment
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Terrorism

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Justice for 9/11 Act

This bill provides that any plea agreement entered into by Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, or Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi for actions involving the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and its related judgment must not preclude the trial of such individuals under other provisions of law for that attack. In any trial of such individuals, the death penalty must be available.

In the case of any sentence imposed on Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, or Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, the individual must (1) be held at U.S. Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in solitary confinement; (2) not be provided contact with foreign nationals; (3) not be provided with psychological treatment except that specifically authorized by medical authorities at Guantanamo Bay; and (4) not be transferred to the continental United States or any other country.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed Services.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Homeowners Premium Tax Reduction Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-35
Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Income tax deductions
Life, casualty, property insurance

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Homeowners Premium Tax Reduction Act of 2025 

This bill establishes a new deduction of up to $10,000 claimed against gross income (above-the-line tax deduction) for annual policy premiums paid or incurred for homeowners insurance on an individual's principal residence. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Protect Our Seniors Act

Bill: 119-s-36
Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: Social Welfare
Subjects: Legislative rules and procedure
Medicare
Senate
Social security and elderly assistance

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Protect Our Seniors Act

This bill establishes Senate budget enforcement procedures (known as points of order) against measures that (1) reduce Medicare or Social Security benefits, or (2) use revenue or savings from the Medicare program to offset the cost of provisions unrelated to carrying out Medicare.

Points of order are prohibitions against certain categories of legislation or congressional action. A point of order raised on the grounds established under the bill may be waived or suspended only by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Senators.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
VALOR Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-37
Sponsor: Sen. Risch, James E. [R-ID]
Introduced: 2025-01-08 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Business investment and capital
Civil actions and liability
Congressional oversight
Currency
Department of the Treasury
Digital media
Food assistance and relief
Foreign aid and international relief
Foreign and international banking
Foreign loans and debt
Foreign property
Human rights
International organizations and cooperation
Latin America
Licensing and registrations
Multilateral development programs
Sanctions
Securities
Sovereignty, recognition, national governance and status
Trade secrets and economic espionage
Venezuela

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: 

Venezuela Advancing Liberty, Opportunity, and Rights Act of 2025 or the VALOR Act of 2025

This bill requires or authorizes various actions, including sanctions, targeting the current government of Venezuela and any nondemocratic successor government. The bill also authorizes certain types of assistance for the people of Venezuela and to support democracy-building efforts.

Under the bill, the President

must impose property-blocking sanctions on the Venezuelan government and persons supporting the Venezuelan government;

may deny U.S. nonhumanitarian foreign assistance, arms-related assistance, and debt forgiveness to any country that provides assistance to the Venezuelan government;

may provide support to individuals and independent nongovernmental organizations to support democracy-building efforts in Venezuela;

must develop a plan to provide assistance to Venezuela under a democratically elected government, which may include food, medicine, and emergency energy assistance to meet the basic needs of Venezuelans;

must take steps to terminate sanctions under this bill once the President determines that a democratically elected government is in power (criteria for such a determination include a Venezuelan government that is the result of free and fair elections, is making progress in establishing an independent judiciary and respecting human rights, and has released all political prisoners).

The Department of the Treasury must oppose the seating of Venezuelan representatives at certain international financial institutions such as the International Monetary Fund.

Additionally, the bill prohibits U.S. persons (individuals or entities) from engaging in transactions involving Venezuela's debt or any digital currency issued by Venezuela. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2025-01-08
text: Introduced in Senate
Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-38
Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Crime and Law Enforcement
Subjects: Civil actions and liability
Criminal procedure and sentencing
Emergency communications systems
First responders and emergency personnel
Fraud offenses and financial crimes
Postal service

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Preserving Safe Communities by Ending Swatting Act of 2025

This bill makes it a crime to intentionally convey false or misleading information in circumstances where the information may reasonably be expected to cause an emergency response and the information indicates the occurrence of criminal conduct or a threat to health or safety (commonly referred to as 
swatting
).


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
STOP MADURO Act

Bill: 119-s-39
Sponsor: Sen. Scott, Rick [R-FL]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs
Subjects: Criminal investigation, prosecution, interrogation
Department of State
Drug trafficking and controlled substances
Federal officials
Foreign property
Latin America
Venezuela

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Securing Timely Opportunities for Payment and Maximizing Awards for Detaining Unlawful Regime Officials Act of 2025 or the STOP MADURO Act

This bill authorizes the Department of State to pay a reward of up to $100 million for certain information directly leading to the arrest and conviction of Nicolas Maduro Moros.

For example, under the bill, the State Department may pay such a reward to one or more individuals who furnish information directly leading to Maduro's arrest and conviction in any country for specified narcotics-related offenses.

The bill also requires that any such payment come solely from the liquidation of assets that the U.S. President or the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control has withheld pursuant to specified laws and executive orders from Maduro, officials of the Maduro regime, and their co-conspirators.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act

Bill: 119-s-40
Sponsor: Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues
Subjects: Advisory bodies
Civics education
Constitution and constitutional amendments
Government liability
Government studies and investigations
Human rights
Racial and ethnic relations
State and local government operations
U.S. history
War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans Act

This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African Americans.

The commission must (1) compile documentary evidence of slavery in the United States; (2) study the role of the federal and state governments in supporting the institution of slavery; (3) analyze discriminatory laws and policies against formerly enslaved Africans and their descendants; and (4) recommend ways the United States may recognize and remedy the effects of slavery and discrimination on African Americans, including through a formal apology and compensation (i.e., reparations).

The commission consists of individuals from civil society and reparations organizations and individuals appointed by the President and congressional leadership. The commission may hold hearings, subpoena witnesses and records, and contract with other entities to conduct its work.

The commission must submit its final report within one year of its first meeting.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Advanced Border Coordination Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-41
Sponsor: Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Advanced Border Coordination Act of 2025

This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish at least two Joint Operations Centers along the U.S.-Mexico border. The centers shall provide centralized operations hubs for (1) coordinating operations between federal, state, local, and tribal agencies as needed; and (2) coordinating and supporting border operations, including detecting criminal activity, such as activity related to transnational criminal organizations and illegal border crossings.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Build the Wall Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-42
Sponsor: Sen. Barrasso, John [R-WY]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Immigration

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Build the Wall Act of 2025

This bill establishes the Southern Border Wall Construction Fund to be used by the Department of Homeland Security to construct and maintain physical barriers along the U.S.-Mexico border. All unobligated amounts in the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds must be immediately deposited in the Southern Border Wall Construction Fund.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act

Bill: 119-s-43
Sponsor: Sen. Hickenlooper, John W. [D-CO]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Commerce

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Skinny Labels, Big Savings Act

This bill provides a statutory safe harbor from patent infringement claims for generic or biosimilar manufacturers that seek or obtain approval for skinny labels of their drugs.

Under current law, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may approve generic and biosimilar drugs through a process known as skinny labeling, which allows a generic manufacturer to seek approval only for approved uses of the drug that are no longer protected by patents. However, in 
GlaxoSmithKline LLC v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.
, a court held that a generic manufacturer may sometimes be liable for patent infringement when it markets skinny label generics.

The bill specifically lists the following as actions that are not considered infringement of a method of use claim in a patent under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act:

submitting or seeking approval of a skinny label for a generic or biosimilar drug;

promoting or commercially marketing a drug with skinny labeling approved by the FDA; or

describing a drug product approved by the FDA as a generic of, or therapeutically equivalent to, the branded drug.

The bill also applies the safe harbor to similar actions under the Public Health Service Act.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
A bill to direct the Joint Committee of Congress on the Library to procure a statue of Benjamin Franklin for placement in the United States Capitol.

Bill: 119-s-44
Sponsor: Sen. Coons, Christopher A. [D-DE]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Joint Committee on the Library
Monuments and memorials
U.S. Capitol
U.S. history

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to contract for and place a statue of Benjamin Franklin in the Capitol.

The committee shall place the statue in a permanent public location where it is accessible during a guided tour provided by the Capitol Visitor Center.

The contract must be executed by December 31, 2025, and the statue must be placed by December 31, 2026. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Rules and Administration.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Balanced Budget Accountability Act

Bill: 119-s-45
Sponsor: Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Congress
Subjects: Budget deficits and national debt
Budget process
Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management
Income tax rates
Legislative rules and procedure
Members of Congress

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Balanced Budget Accountability Act

This bill withholds Members of Congress's salaries in each chamber if the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) does not certify that the chamber has adopted a balanced budget. The bill also requires that revenue increases be agreed upon by an affirmative three-fifths vote in each chamber.

Balanced budget 
means a concurrent budget resolution providing that for FY2035 and each succeeding fiscal year to which the resolution applies total outlays do not exceed total receipts and are not more than 18% of the projected gross domestic product for such fiscal year. 

For the 119th Congress, if OMB does not certify that a chamber has adopted a balanced budget for the next fiscal year before April 16, salaries of Members of that chamber must be held in escrow until passage of a balanced budget or, if none is passed, the conclusion of the 119th Congress.

For subsequent Congresses, if OMB does not certify that a chamber has adopted a balanced budget for the next fiscal year before April 16, each Member of that chamber shall be paid at the rate of $1 annually for the remainder of the calendar year.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Health Care Affordability Act of 2025

Bill: 119-s-46
Sponsor: Sen. Shaheen, Jeanne [D-NH]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Taxation
Subjects: Health care costs and insurance
Income tax credits
Tax administration and collection, taxpayers

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Health Care Affordability Act of 2025

This bill makes permanent temporary changes enacted by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) that generally expand eligibility for and increase the amount of the premium tax credit.

Currently, eligible taxpayers may be able to claim the premium tax credit, which applies toward the cost of obtaining health insurance through health insurance exchanges. To be eligible for the premium tax credit, a taxpayer’s household income must meet or exceed 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) and, after 2025, may not exceed 400% of the FPL (maximum income limit). For 2021-2025, the ARPA and IRA eliminated the maximum income limit, which generally expands eligibility for the premium tax credit.

Further, under current law, the amount of the premium tax credit is (1) generally the plan premium (conditions apply), minus (2) the taxpayer’s household income multiplied by the applicable percentage. The applicable percentage is a specific percentage that varies depending on which of six income ranges (adjusted for inflation after 2025) the taxpayer’s household income falls within. For 2021-2025, the ARPA and IRA lowered the applicable percentages and eliminated the adjustment of the applicable percentages for inflation, which generally increases the amount of the premium tax credit.

The bill makes permanent the elimination of the 400% maximum income limit, the lower applicable percentages, and the elimination of the inflation adjustment for the applicable percentages.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act

Bill: 119-s-47
Sponsor: Sen. Hawley, Josh [R-MO]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: Health
Subjects: Abortion
Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Department of Health and Human Services
Employment discrimination and employee rights
Health personnel
Health programs administration and funding
Higher education
Medicaid
Medical education
Medical ethics
Medical research
Medicare
Religion
Sex and reproductive health
State and local government operations

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Defense of Conscience in Health Care Act

This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to issue a final rule on protecting statutory conscience rights in health care that is identical or equivalent to the rule titled
 

Protecting Statutory Conscience Rights in Health Care; Delegations of Authority
, 

which was scheduled to take effect on July 22, 2019, but was vacated by courts. 

Federal law generally prohibits discrimination based on conscience or religious beliefs with respect to federally funded health care programs, including prohibiting recipients of certain federal funding from requiring health care providers to take actions that they find religiously or morally objectionable (e.g., providing referrals for abortions). 

In 2019, HHS issued a final rule revising the applicable regulations, including imposing certification and cooperation requirements, as well as establishing additional enforcement provisions and penalties. However, this rule was later vacated by federal courts and never took effect. In 2024, HHS issued another final rule that generally applied a pre-2019 enforcement framework while also maintaining certain aspects of the 2019 rule (e.g., specifically designating HHS' Office for Civil Rights as the entity with the authority to handle relevant complaints).

The bill requires HHS to reinstate the 2019 rule in its entirety. 



Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate
SAVE Girls Act

Bill: 119-s-48
Sponsor: Sen. Blackburn, Marsha [R-TN]
Introduced: 2025-01-09 in the Senate
Policy area: International Affairs

Summary:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: 

Stopping the Abuse, Victimization, and Exploitation of Girls Act or the SAVE Girls Act

 
This bill authorizes the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to certain governmental and nongovernmental organizations to combat the smuggling and trafficking of children and young women. 
 
The focus of this grant program is (1) preventing the smuggling of children and women between the ages of 12 and 24 across the U.S. border; and (2) providing support to such individuals if they have already been smuggled into the United States or if they have been or are at risk of becoming victims of a severe form of trafficking in persons, including child sex trafficking. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
action_date: 2025-01-09
text: Introduced in Senate