jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2009-06-10 00:00:00

Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative Improvement Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of State to adjudicate U.S. passport applications in an individualized, evidence-based manner. Requires the passport application adjudicatory process to be based on an assessment of individual circumstances and evidence. Prohibits an applicant's race, ethnicity, or ancestry from being taken into account in the passport application adjudicatory process. Requires: (1) an applicant to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the applicant is a U.S. citizen or national; (2) the preponderance of the evidence standard to be applied in a uniform and consistent manner to all passport applications; and (3) any determination that an applicant has not met the burden of proving U.S. citizenship or nationality by a preponderance of the evidence to be made in writing, state the reasons for the determination, and be provided to the applicant in a timely manner. States that a birth certificate signed by a person authorized under state law to sign such a document, or a previously-issued U.S. passport, shall constitute prima facie evidence of U.S. citizenship or nationality and, absent individualized evidence that a birth did not take place in the United States, shall satisfy the preponderance of the evidence standard.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2009-06-24 00:00:00

Requires the Secretary of Commerce, beginning with the 2010 decennial census of population, to take measures in tabulating total population by state for purposes of apportionment of Representatives in Congress to ensure that all Americans residing abroad on the census date are accurately counted and properly attributed to their respective states. Requires such measures to include methods: (1) by which administrative records of a nongovernmental organization may be used to enumerate organization members residing overseas as of the census date if such records satisfy the Secretary's criteria; and (2) under which an international "Be Counted" form may be completed at a U.S. embassy by Americans residing overseas.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2009-09-17 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.) Amends the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994 to extend the authority of the Broadcasting Board of Governors to make grants to operate Radio Free Asia through September 30, 2010.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2010-07-29 00:00:00

Passport Acquisition Savings and Security Act of 2010 or the PASS Act of 2010 - Provides for the payment of passport fees directly to the Department of State rather than to the U.S. Treasury. Expresses the sense of Congress that new revenues directed to the Department should be used to reduce passport costs for consumers.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2009-01-26 00:00:00

Passport Card Travel Enhancement Act of 2009 - Defines "passport card" as the document: (1) known as a passport card that is issued to a U.S. national on the same basis as a regular passport; and (2) that the Secretary of State began issuing in 2008. Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Secretary of State to permit a passport card issued to a U.S. citizen to serve as proof of identify and citizenship if such citizen is departing from or entering the United States through an airport of entry for travel that terminates or originates in: (1) Bermuda; (2) Canada; (3) a Caribbean country; or (4) Mexico. Prohibits the Secretaries from increasing the passport card fee as a result of such requirement.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2009-04-21 00:00:00

Authorizes the Secretary of State, under the authority, direction, and control of the President and in accordance with the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, to increase the number of educational and cultural exchange activities involving persons from scientific, medicine, research, and academic sectors by: (1) establishing new Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs; and (2) expanding the coverage of existing Programs. Directs the Secretary to appoint United States Science Envoys to represent the U.S. commitment to collaborate with other countries to promote the advancement of science and technology throughout the world based on issues of common interest and expertise.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2009-06-25 00:00:00

Foreign Adopted Children Equality Act or the FACE Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to set forth automatic citizenship criteria for a child adopted outside the United States by a U.S. citizen parent. Deems such an adopted child to be a U.S. citizen at birth. Deems to be a U.S. citizen at birth, after the approval of an application filed within the United States or with a U.S. Embassy, a person who: (1) is older than 18 years of age; (2) was born outside the United States and was adopted by a U.S. citizen parent before such person reached 18 years of age; and (3) was adopted under 16 years of age and has lived with the adoptive parents for at least two years, was abused, or is an orphan who was under 16 years of age at the time an immediate relative status petition was filed on his or her behalf. Includes within the definition of nonimmigrant an individual brought to the United States as a child to be adopted by a U.S. citizen. Expresses the sense of Congress that the government of each foreign country from which children are adopted by U.S. citizens should provide the adoptive family with birth history documentation.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2011-01-20 00:00:00

Peace Stamp for the Peace Corps Act - Directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a semipostal (a postage stamp sold at a premium in order to help provide funding for certain causes) to benefit the Peace Corps.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2011-05-26 00:00:00

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), by November 11, 2011, to establish the APEC Business Travel Program to issue Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Travel Cards (ABTCs) to eligible U.S. citizen business leaders and senior U.S. government officials actively engaged in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) business.Requires the Secretary to: (1) integrate application procedures for and issuance of ABTCs with other international registered traveler programs of DHS, such as Global Entry, NEXUS, and SENTRI; and (2) work in conjunction with private sector entities to ensure that applicants satisfy ABTC requirements. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) utilize such entities to enroll and issue ABTCs, and (2) impose and modify an ABTC issuance fee.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-06-14 00:00:00

Passport Acquisition Savings and Security Act of 2011 or the PASS Act of 2011 - Provides for the payment of passport fees directly to the Department of State rather than to the U.S. Treasury. Expresses the sense of Congress that new revenues directed to the Department should be used to reduce passport costs for consumers.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2011-06-14 00:00:00

Passport Fee Relief Act of 2011 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for the cost of obtaining travel documents necessary to comply with the terrorist travel and effective screening plan developed under the Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative).
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2011-07-07 00:00:00

American Traveller Dignity Act of 2011 - Prohibits any law of the United States from being construed to confer immunity for a federal employee or agency, or any individual or entity that receives federal funds, who subjects an individual to any physical contact, x-rays, or millimeter waves, or aids in the creation of or views a representation of any part of an individual's body covered by clothing, as a condition for such individual to be in an airport or to fly in an aircraft. Makes this provision applicable even if the individual or the individual's parent, guardian, or any other individual gives consent.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-07-29 00:00:00

Peace Corps Volunteer Service Improvement Act of 2011 - Requires the Director of the Peace Corps to establish a process for volunteers to make confidential reports of rape or sexual assault. Subjects any Peace Corps volunteer or member who breaches a duty of confidentiality regarding such a report to disciplinary action, including termination. Requires the Director to enter into with the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, and requires the Inspector of the Peace Corps to review, a memorandum of understanding that specifies the duties and obligations of the Peace Corps and the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security regarding the protection of Peace Corps volunteers and staff members serving in foreign countries. Prohibits the obligation or expenditure of Peace Corps funds for volunteers' invitations for service or to deploy trainees overseas if such agreement has not entered into force within nine months after enactment of this Act, unless the Director certifies that: (1) significant progress is being made toward finalizing such memorandum, and (2) the Peace Corps is using best efforts to provide volunteers with the training, support, and information they need to stay safe. Exempts such Inspector General and officers and employees of the Inspector General's Office from certain length of appointment, reappointment, and reassignment limitations applicable to the Foreign Service. Requires the Director to: (1) annually submit a report on the safety of Peace Corps volunteers; and (2) perform, at least once every three years, a review to evaluate the allocation and delivery of resources across the countries the Peace Corps serves. Requires the Inspector General to perform an audit every five years of Peace Corps implementation of safety and security protocols.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-09-09 00:00:00

Foreign Service Line of Duty Death Gratuity Act of 2011 - Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to provide increased group life insurance benefits for a Foreign Service or government executive branch employee killed in a location designated as a danger pay post. Directs the Secretary of State to provide a specified death gratuity payment to the surviving dependents of a Foreign Service or a government executive branch employee serving at a U.S. diplomatic or consular mission abroad without a regular salary who was killed in the August 7, 1998, bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. Authorizes appropriations for such payments.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-10-03 00:00:00

Limiting the Intrusive Miles of International Terrorist Sponsors Act of 2011 or LIMITS Act of 2011 - Directs the President to restrict to a specified designated area the travel of officials and representatives of countries that are designated as state sponsors of terrorism who are visiting the United Nations (U.N.) headquarters complex in connection with official business. Authorizes presidential waiver of such restriction upon submission of a report to Congress explaining why it is in the national interest to do so. Excludes from such restriction: (1) direct travel to and from John F. Kennedy International Airport or LaGuardia Airport to the designated area in connection with official business at the U.N. headquarters complex, (2) land travel to and from any lodgings or other hotel accommodations in which an official or representative is staying if such lodging or other hotel accommodation is within the designated area, and (3) travel to and from New York University medical center or Bellevue Hospital Center for emergency medical care.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-12-16 00:00:00

Equitable Treatment for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act - Directs the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission to: (1) determine the validity and amount of plaintiff claims for loss of wages and other property in the case Bruce D. Abbott et al. v. Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, (2) publish notice in the Federal Register of the time within which such claims may be filed, and (3) consider such claims as soon as practicable after filing. Requires such claims to be paid from the appropriate Treasury fund before any corporate claims are paid from such fund.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-05-10 00:00:00

Smith-Mundt Modernization Act of 2012 - Amends the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948 to authorize the Secretary of State and the Broadcasting Board of Governors to provide for the preparation and dissemination of information intended for foreign audiences abroad about the United States, including about its people, its history, and the federal government's policies, through press, publications, radio, motion pictures, the Internet, and other information media, including social media, and through information centers and instructors. (Under current law such authority is restricted to information disseminated abroad, with a limited domestic exception.) Authorizes the Secretary and the Board to make available in the United States motion pictures, films, video, audio, and other materials prepared for dissemination abroad or disseminated abroad pursuant to such Act, the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act, or the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act. Amends the Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1986 and 1987 to prohibit funds for the Department of State or the Board from being used to influence public opinion or propagandizing in the United States. (Under current law such provision applies to the United States Information Agency [USIA].) Applies such prohibition only to programs carried out pursuant to the United States Information and Educational Exchange Act of 1948, the United States International Broadcasting Act of 1994, the Radio Broadcasting to Cuba Act, and the Television Broadcasting to Cuba Act. States that such provision shall: (1) not prohibit the Department or the Board from providing information about its operations, policies, programs, or program material, or making such information available to members of the media, public, or Congress; (2) not be construed to prohibit the Department from engaging in any medium of information on a presumption that a U.S. domestic audience may be exposed to program material; and (3) apply only to the Department and the Board and to no other federal department or agency.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-08-02 00:00:00

Justice for Imprisoned Americans Overseas Act of 2012 or Jacob's Law of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of State to submit a semiannnual report to Congress for five years that identifies: (1) U.S. citizens imprisoned in foreign countries whose fundamental due process and human rights are being violated, (2) the due process and human rights violations that are being committed against such U.S. citizens, and (3) the government officials who are responsible for such violations or who are not fulfilling their official responsibility to protect such rights. Prohibits the Secretary of State from issuing any visa to, and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) from permitting entry to the United States of, any such identified official, as well as any immediate family members of such official. Makes such ban permanent if an identified U.S. citizen dies while in foreign custody.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2011-07-06 00:00:00

False Travel Documents Prohibition Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the production, transfer, possession, and use of false travel documents. Directs the Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Transportation Security [sic] to provide recurring training to transportation security officers on methods to identify false travel documents and false identification documents.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Congress
Date: 2011-03-01 00:00:00

Cleaning Up Congress by Providing Accountability for Congressional Foreign Travel Act - Amends the Mutual Security Act of 1954 to revise requirements with respect to the availability, use, and reporting of foreign currency by Members and employees of Congress. Requires a review by current authorizing officials of specified travel-related information before approval or denial of any foreign travel authorization or appropriated dollar expenditures in connection with it. Requires each Member or employee provided a per diem to: (1) take necessary actions to reduce costs incurred for such travel, and (2) return to the appropriate chamber any unexpended per diem at the conclusion of the travel, which shall be used for deficit reduction. Prohibits, unless authorized by the appropriate chamber, the receipt of federal funds (including foreign currencies made available under this Act) by any Member of either chamber who is retiring or has been defeated for re-election in a primary. Applies such foreign travel restrictions also to Member's employees, elected officers of both chambers, and committee employees whose employment will terminate at the end of a Congress. Exempts from such restrictions travel to a military installation or a theater of operations of the Armed Forces. Allows a Member or employee to obtain a waiver of such travel restrictions by the authorizing officials. Requires the chair of each congressional committee and joint committee to prepare and forward to the Clerk of the House or the Secretary of the Senate a consolidated report specifying foreign travel taken by committee Members or employees,which shall be made available on the official public websites of the Clerk and of the Secretary. Authorizes the chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence or the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, in his or her discretion, to omit from the consolidated report any information that would identify the foreign countries in which Members and employees of that Committee traveled. Prescribes and/or revises requirements for Member and employee travel reports. Requires the Comptroller General to study the amount of appropriated funds for official foreign travel by Members, officers, and employees of both chambers, and make recommendations for determining the funding level for such travel which will promote transparency and cost savings.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2011-04-06 00:00:00

Passport Identity Verification Act - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to consider, for data sharing purposes only, that when Department of State personnel authorized by the Secretary of State to grant, refuse, revoke, deny, or adjudicate U.S. passports are lawfully engaged in authorized data sharing activities regarding such passport activities, those activities shall be considered law enforcement activities involving the administration of criminal justice. Considers such Department personnel to be engaged in authorized data sharing activities when lawfully seeking to: (1) verify the identity of a passport applicant, (2) detect passport fraud, or (3) deny or revoke a passport. Directs the Secretary to promulgate implementing regulations regarding data sharing regulations, procedures, and policies. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study, and report to Congress, to determine: (1) if U.S. passport applicants or renewals should provide biometric identification information, and (2) if technology should be employed to verify identity documents.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2011-06-16 00:00:00

United States Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs Act of 2011 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State an Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs.
Topic: International Affairs — Diplomats
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2011-10-20 00:00:00

International Travelers Bill of Rights Act of 2011 - Requires an individual or entity that operates a website that provides access to international travel services to provide to consumers information regarding the health and safety risks associated with overseas vacation destinations marketed on such website, including: (1) information compiled by the Department of State that includes country-specific travel warnings and alerts; and (2) information on the availability of on site health and safety services at a destination, including the hours and days such services are available, or a disclaimer that such destination does not provide certain health and safety services or that information regarding such services is not available. Requires a website operator that does not possess information on a destination's health and safety services to request it from that destination. Grants the website operator immunity from liability relating to inaccurate or incomplete information if such information was provided by the destination and the operator published it without knowledge that it was inaccurate or incomplete. Treats a violation as an unfair or deceptive act or practice under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to require the Secretary of State to: (1) collect and include in the database on overseas deaths of U.S. citizens from non-natural causes information on the name and address of the property where a death occurred, and (2) update the database not less frequently than once each month (currently, every six months) and to report such updated information to Congress.