jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-09-19 00:00:00

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) that are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2012-FY2017. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies; and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-09-21 00:00:00

Amends the Highlands Conservation Act to extend, through FY2024, funding for: (1) land conservation partnership projects in the highlands regions of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania; and (2) Forest Service and Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to assist such states, units of local government, and private forest and farm landowners in the conservation of land and natural resources in that region.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-12-13 00:00:00

Farmers Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-01-25 00:00:00

Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to designate a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska as a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System under the Wilderness Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-01-25 00:00:00

Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act of 2011 - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow an agricultural producer, or a hunter with the producer's permission, to take migratory game birds by the aid of baiting, if: (1) the manipulation occurs on the producer's land on which a crop was not harvestable during the current or immediately preceding crop year due to a natural disaster, and (2) a local representative of the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) confirms that the crop has been destroyed and that it would not be economically practicable to harvest the crop.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-02-01 00:00:00

Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to provide that such Act shall not apply to any gray wolf (canis lupus).
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-02-10 00:00:00

Delisting Gray Wolves to Restore State Management Act of 2011 - Grants the full force and effect of law to the final rule entitled "Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Rule To Identify the Northern Rocky Mountain Population of Gray Wolf as a Distinct Population Segment and To Revise the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife."
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-03-03 00:00:00

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve Boundary Modification Act - (Sec. 4) Expands the boundaries of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve (the Sanctuary) in Lake Huron to encompass the offshore waters of Presque Isle and Alcona Counties, Michigan, and outward to the international border between the United States and Canada, for the purpose of providing the underwater cultural resources of those areas equal protection to that currently afforded to the Sanctuary. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to make minor adjustments to the boundary to facilitate enforcement and clarify the boundary to the public if the resulting boundary is consistent with the purposes of this Act. Requires the resulting area to be managed as part of the National Marine Sanctuary System. (Sec. 5) Sets forth applicable regulations. Directs the Secretary, to the extent practicable, to apply the management plan in effect on the date of enactment of this Act to the added geographic area. (Sec. 6) Prohibits anything in this Act from being construed as increasing, or requiring an increase of, the amount of funds appropriated or authorized for the Sanctuary.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-04-13 00:00:00

Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act of 2011 - Prohibits: (1) conducting invasive research on great apes; (2) possessing, maintaining, or housing a great ape for the purpose of conducting invasive research; (3) using federal funds to conduct such research on a great ape or to support an entity conducting or facilitating invasive research on a great ape either within or outside of the United States; (4) knowingly breeding a great ape for the purpose of conducting or facilitating such research; (5) transporting, moving, delivering receiving, leasing, renting, donating, purchasing, selling, or borrowing a great ape in interstate or foreign commerce for conducting or facilitating such research; and (6) transferring federal ownership of a great ape to a non-federal entity unless the entity is a suitable sanctuary. Defines "great ape" as any chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, orangutan, or gibbon. Defines "invasive research" as research that may cause death, injury, pain, distress, fear, or trauma to great apes, including drug testing or exposure to a substance or isolation, social deprivation, or other experimental manipulations that may be detrimental to the ape's health or psychological well-being. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to effectuate the permanent retirement of all great apes that are owned by the federal government and that are being maintained in any facility for the purpose of breeding for, holding for, or conducting invasive research. Sets forth civil penalties for violations of this Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Great Ape Sanctuary System Fund to be administered by the Secretary for construction, renovation, and operation of  the sanctuary system for surplus chimpanzees.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2011-04-14 00:00:00

Infrastructure Facilitation and Habitat Conservation Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury (Secretary) to establish a program to provide loans and loan guarantees to enable state political subdivisions  to acquire interests in real property pursuant to habitat conservation plans approved by the Secretary of the Interior under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Requires the Secretary to: (1) submit loan applications for the Secretary for Interior's review, which shall include a determination that the subdivision has adopted a complementary plan for sustainable infrastructure development that provides for the mitigation of environmental impacts; and (2) give preference to such subdivisions located in biologically rich regions in which rapid growth and development threaten successful implementation of approved habitat conservation plans.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-05-25 00:00:00

Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of polar bear parts taken in a sport hunt in Canada, if legally harvested before: (1) February 18, 1997; or (2) May 15, 2008, from a bear population from which a sport-hunted trophy could be imported before such date. (Polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior on May 14, 2008.)
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2011-05-26 00:00:00

Community Forestry Conservation Act of 2011 - Provides for the treatment of qualified forest conservation bonds as tax-exempt facility bonds under the Internal Revenue Code. Defines "qualified forest conservation bonds" as bonds issued for certain forestry organizations within 48 months after the enactment of this Act. Requires 95 percent or more of the net proceeds of such bonds to be used for specified forestry project costs, including the acquisition of forest lands subject to a conservation restriction. Exempts from income tax income, gains, and other tax incidents generated by certain harvesting activity on forest lands purchased with qualified forest conservation bonds.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-07-21 00:00:00

Pacific Salmon Stronghold Conservation Act of 2011 - (Sec. 3) Defines "salmon stronghold" as a defined geographical unit meeting biological criteria for abundance, productivity, diversity (genetic and life history), habitat quality, or other biological attributes important to sustaining viable salmon populations throughout their range, as defined by the Salmon Stronghold Partnership Board (the Board) established by this Act. (Sec. 4) Requires the Secretary of Commerce (the Secretary) to establish the Salmon Stronghold Partnership as a cooperative, incentive-based, public-private partnership working across political boundaries and land ownerships to identify and conserve salmon strongholds. Requires the Board, to the extent possible, to include: (1) representatives of Alaska, California, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington state; (2) specified federal entities; (3) nongovernmental organizations; (4) representatives from Indian tribes; and (5) a national or regional representative from associated counties. (Sec. 5) Requires the Assistant Administrator for the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to carry out information and assessment functions associated with salmon strongholds and conservation planning. (Sec. 6) Establishes a salmon stronghold watershed grants and technical assistance program to fund program administration, assist locally with a network of local authorities and private entities, provide financial assistance, accelerate recovery plans for threatened or endangered salmon populations, and other stronghold protection and restoration activities. Sets forth guidelines for program selection, prioritization, and funding to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) or qualified states with a competitive grant process. Limits the federal share of the cost of a project on nonfederal land to 50%. (Sec. 7) Directs federal agencies responsible for managing federal land within a stronghold to cooperate with the Assistant Administrator and the Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). (Sec. 8) Authorizes the sharing of status and trends data, innovative conservation strategies, conservation planning methodologies, and other information with North Pacific countries, including Canada, Japan, Russia, and South Korea, and appropriate international entities to promote salmon conservation and habitat. (Sec. 9) Prohibits acquiring private property without the owner's consent. Requires the deed of any real property that the Secretary of the Interior transfers for a conservation project to contain a reversion of title to the United States if the owner fails to manage the property in accordance with this Act. (Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enter cooperative agreements, contracts, and grants; (2) accept donations; (3) participate in interagency financing; and (4) provide funds and donated property to federal agencies. (Sec. 12) Requires the Assistant Administrator to submit a report to Congress at least once every three years.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-07-21 00:00:00

Marine Mammal Protection Amendment Act of 2011 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to increase the maximum penalty for knowingly violating the Act's prohibitions against the taking or importation of marine mammals.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-07-29 00:00:00

Billfish Conservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any person from offering billfish or billfish products for sale, selling them, or having custody, control, or possession of them for purposes of offering them for sale or selling them. Treats a violation of this Act as an act prohibited by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Subjects a person to a maximum civil penalty of $100,000 for each violation, with each day of a continuing violation constituting a separate offense. Exempts the state of Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area, except that billfish may be sold under such exemption only in Hawaii and the Pacific Insular Area. Defines "billfish" as any of the following: (1) blue marlin, (2) striped marlin, (3) black marlin, (4) sailfish, (5) shortbill spearfish, (6) white marlin, (7) roundscale spearfish, (8) Mediterranean spearfish, or (9) longbill spearfish. Excludes swordfish from such definition.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-07-29 00:00:00

Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, or sale of: (1) any pelt of a Southcentral or Southeast Alaskan otter that is taken for subsistence purposes by any Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo who resides in Alaska and who dwells on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic Ocean; or (2) any handicraft, garment, or art produced from such a pelt, regardless of whether it is traditional or contemporary or altered or not altered significantly.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-08-02 00:00:00

Mesquite Land Conveyances Act of 2011- Amends Public Law 99-548, commonly known as the Mesquite Lands Act of 1986, to require proceeds from sales in the fourth area to be used for the implementation of a multispecies habitat conservation plan for the Virgin River in Clark County, Nevada, including any associated groundwater monitoring plan. Extends, until November 29, 2021, withdrawal and purchase authority with respect to the fifth and sixth areas.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2011-08-02 00:00:00

National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2012 - Reauthorizes and revises the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to appoint 28 directors (currently, 23) who are knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to conservation of fish, wildlife, or other natural resources and represent a balance of expertise in ocean, coastal, freshwater, and terrestrial resource conservation. Removes limitations on the appointment of such Foundation's officers and employees. Requires the Foundation's Executive Director to be appointed by and serve at the direction of the Board as the chief executive officer and to be knowledgeable and experienced in matters relating to fish and wildlife conservation. Gives the Foundation the power to receive and administer restitution and community service payments, amounts for mitigation of impacts to natural resources, and other amounts arising from legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings, subject to the condition that the amounts are received or administered for purposes that further the conservation and management of fish, wildlife, plants, and other natural resources. Repeals provisions authorizing the Foundation to establish a national whale conservation endowment fund. Authorizes appropriations for the Foundation for FY2012-FY2017. Authorizes the Foundation to: (1) assess and collect fees for the management of amounts received from federal agencies, and (2) use such federal funds for matching contributions made by private persons, state and local agencies, and other entities (current law requires such use).
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2011-10-05 00:00:00

Sport Fish Restoration and Recreational Boating Safety Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Aid in Fish Restoration Act to maintain through FY2017 the existing percentages of annual Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund appropriations distributed to: (1) the Secretary of the Interior for coastal wetlands distributions, the Clean Vessel Act, boating infrastructure, and national outreach and communications; and (2) the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating for state recreational boating safety programs. Sets forth, through FY2017, separate set-aside amounts for: (1) the Secretary of the Interior for administration expenses of the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act; and (2) the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating for national recreational boating safety personnel and activities, the National Boating Safety Advisory Council, and national nonprofit boating safety public service organizations. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend Fund transfer restriction exceptions until March 5, 2017. Revises the formulas for apportioning unobligated amounts among states and paying the costs of administering recreational boating safety programs.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2011-10-17 00:00:00

Prevention of Escapement of Genetically Altered Salmon in the United States Act - Prohibits a person from: (1) shipping, transporting, offering for sale, selling, or purchasing genetically altered salmon or other marine fish, or products containing such fish, in interstate or foreign commerce; or (2) having custody, control, or possession of, with the intent to ship, transport, offer for sale, sell, or purchase such fish or fish products, in interstate or foreign commerce. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to enforce penalties for violations of this Act under specified provisions of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-02-02 00:00:00

Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012 - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to repeal the prohibition on importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce: (1) fish or wildlife taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law; or (2) plants taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law, without the payment of appropriate royalties, taxes, or stumpage fees required by foreign law, or in violation of any limitation under foreign law that governs the export or transshipment of plants. Repeals the prohibition on possessing such fish, wildlife, or plants within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Establishes a $200,000 maximum limit on a civil penalty for a knowing violation of such Act that involves fish, wildlife, or plants with a market value of $350 or more. Repeals: (1) criminal penalties under such Act, and (2) the authorization to suspend, modify, or cancel specified licenses or permits issued to any person who is convicted of a criminal violation of such Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-02-06 00:00:00

Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2012 - Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-03-06 00:00:00

Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (the Act) to allow the Secretary of the Interior, for each 5-year period beginning in 2013, to set the amount to be collected for each Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp sold under the Act. Prohibits such amount from exceeding $25 for the first 5-year period and $30 for any subsequent period. Requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) or the Department of the Interior to collect the amount established for each Stamp sold for a hunting year if the Secretary determines, at any time before February 1 of a calendar year, that all amounts in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund have been obligated for expenditure. Specifies that the amounts described in this Act are the amounts in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund which are available for obligation and attributable to amounts appropriated pursuant to the Act and the sale of stamps under this Act. Permits the Secretary, in consultation with the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission, to waive requirements under the Act relating to the prohibition on the taking of migratory waterfowl with respect to certain individuals as determined to be appropriate. Instructs the Secretary, in making a determination to waive such requirements, to grant only those waivers that will have a minimal adverse effect on the funds to be deposited into the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-04-26 00:00:00

Preserving Public Access to Cape Hatteras Beaches Act - Requires the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina to be managed in accordance with the Interim Protected Species Management Strategy/Environmental Assessment issued by the National Park Service (NPS) on June 13, 2007, for the Cape Hatteras National Seashore Recreational Area until the Secretary of the Interior issues a new final rule that meets the additional restrictions specified below. Bars the imposition of any additional restrictions on pedestrian or motorized vehicular access to any part of the Recreation Area for species protection beyond those in the Interim Management Strategy, other than as specifically authorized pursuant to this Act. Allows the Secretary if, based on peer-reviewed science and after public comment, it is determined that additional restrictions on access to a part of the Recreation Area are necessary to protect endangered species, to only restrict pedestrian and vehicular access for recreational activities for the shortest possible time and on the smallest possible portions of such area. Prohibits the final rule titled "Special Regulations, Areas of the National Park System, Cape Hatteras National Seashore--Off-Road Vehicle Management" from having any force or effect. Invalidates the April 30, 2008, consent decree filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina regarding off-road vehicle use at the Seashore.