jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2011-11-10 00:00:00

National Guard and Reserve Soft Landing Reintegration Act - Requires that a member of a reserve component of the Armed Forces who was deployed for more than 269 days for a contingency operation or a homeland defense mission be: (1) retained on active duty in the Armed Forces for 45 days after the end of the member's demobilization from a deployment, (2) allowed to use accrued leave, and (3) paid specified pay and allowances. Requires a member requesting an early release from such active duty to be released within 14 days after such request. Allows such request to be denied only for medical or personal safety reasons. Allows the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide each member so retained (and, as practicable, appropriate family members) reintegration counseling and services.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2011-11-10 00:00:00

Nationwide Network of Support for Veterans and Their Families Act of 2011 - Establishes the National Veterans Support Foundation to, among other things: (1) analyze and organize resources that list and describe organizations, programs, events, and other activities that provide assistance specifically to veterans; (2) provide support and help align and scale resources that support veterans and their families; and (3) encourage and promote participation by private organizations in activities that serve and support veterans. Requires the Foundation to establish a direct community reintegration support program to award grants to create or expand community-based veterans reintegration and support programs. Prohibits the Foundation from accepting any federal funds. Requires annual Foundation audits and reports to Congress.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2011-11-10 00:00:00

Protect Our Disabled Heroes Act of 2011 - Provides criminal penalties against any person who solicits, contracts for, charges, or receives any fee or compensation from a veteran, other than that currently permitted under law, for: (1) advice on how to file a benefits claim; or (2) the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a claim before the date on which a notice of disagreement is filed in a proceeding on the claim.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2011-11-17 00:00:00

Honoring Ezeagwula and Long Act or the HEAL Act - Requires that Armed Forces members who were killed or wounded in the attack that occurred at a recruiting station in Little Rock, Arkansas, on June 1, 2009, be treated as having been killed or wounded in a combat zone as the result of an act of an enemy of the United States for the purposes of all applicable federal laws, regulations, and policies.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2011-12-15 00:00:00

Due Process Guarantee Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to specify that an authorization to use military force, a declaration of war, or any similar authority shall not authorize the detention without charge or trial of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident apprehended in the United States, unless an Act of Congress expressly authorizes such detention. Applies this Act to any such authorizations or declarations enacted before, on, or after the enactment of this Act.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-01-31 00:00:00

Requires that the principal office of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) be in the metropolitan area of Washington, DC, but allows the CAVC to sit any place within the United States. Requires judges in active service on the CAVC to: (1) have their official duty station at the principal office; and (2) reside within 50 miles of such metropolitan area. Allows the President to remove judges violating that residency requirement who were confirmed on or after January 1, 2012. Sets forth exceptions for recall-eligible retired judges.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2012-02-09 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish accelerated licensing procedures to assist Armed Forces veterans to acquire commercial driver's licenses. Requires such procedures to apply to any veteran attempting to acquire a commercial driver's license who, during military service, obtained driving experience that makes the use of accelerated licensing procedures appropriate.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-02-09 00:00:00

Honoring Our Nations Outstanding Rifle Squads Act or HONOR Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, if determined appropriate to meet the needs of an eligible organization with respect to performing funeral and other ceremonies, to: (1) loan or donate excess small arms; (2) authorize the organization to retain small arms other than M-1 rifles; or (3) if excess small arms stock is insufficient to meet organizational requirements, provide excess small arms on a rotational basis with other eligible organizations pursuant to a program and procedures prescribed by the Secretary.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-02-16 00:00:00

Provides that, as of October 1, 2011, changes made to the program guidance relating to the award of Post-Deployment/Mobilization Respite Absence administrative absence days to members of the reserves under a specified Department of Defense (DOD) instruction shall not apply to reservists whose qualified mobilization commenced before October 1, 2011, and continued until the termination of the mobilization.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-02-17 00:00:00

Veterans Conservation Corps Authorization Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish a veteran conservation corps (corps) to: (1) provide training and employment to unemployed veterans not enrolled in any other federal training program, (2) assist veterans in their transition from military service to civilian life, and (3) assist the government in maintaining federal land and water. Directs the Secretary to employ such veterans for a one-year period, with an option for employment for an additional one-year period. Allows the Secretary to establish a corps program for the short-term employment of veterans attending institutions of higher education. Directs the Secretary to establish a program to provide to such veterans any education or training necessary to carry out assigned work projects.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-02-27 00:00:00

Canine Members of the Armed Forces Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to classify military working dogs as canine members of the Armed Forces. Requires that such dogs no longer be classified as equipment. Provides that if a dog should be retired, and no suitable adoption is available at the military facility where the dog is located, the dog may transferred to the 341st Training Squadron or to another location for adoption. Authorizes the acceptance of the donation of frequent traveler miles to facilitate the adoption of a dog. Directs the Secretary to establish and maintain a system to provide for the lifetime veterinary care of retired, adopted dogs. Requires the Secretary to administer the system under a contract awarded by the Secretary to a private non-profit entity. Requires such care to meet standards that the Secretary shall establish and periodically update. Requires any costs of the operation and administration of the system and of any veterinary care provided under the system to be covered by such combination of the following as the Secretary and the non-profit entity jointly consider appropriate: (1) contributions from the non-profit entity, (2) payments for such care by owners or guardians of such dogs, and (3) other appropriate non-federal sources of funds. Prohibits the use of federal funds to provide care or operate the system, except for funds used to establish or administer the system, establish standards of care, or prescribe related regulations. Directs the Secretary to create a decoration or other appropriate recognition to recognize dogs that are killed in action or perform an exceptionally meritorious or courageous act in service to the United States.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-02-28 00:00:00

Prohibits providing a waiver for commissioning or enlistment in the Armed Forces for any individual convicted under federal or state law of the felony offense of rape, sexual abuse, sexual assault, incest, or any other sexual offense.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-03-08 00:00:00

Due Process and Military Detention Amendments Act of 2012 - Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 to provide that, in the case of a person detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force, disposition under the law of war shall only mean transfer for trial and proceedings by a court established under article III of the Constitution. Requires such trial and proceedings to have all due process provided under the Constitution. Repeals the requirement of detention in military custody pending disposition under the law of war for individuals determined to be a member or part of al Qaeda or an associated force who has participated in planning or carrying out an attack or attempted attack against the United States or its coalition partners.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-03-08 00:00:00

Military and Veterans Educational Reform Act of 2012 - Allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (Secretary) or a state approving agency (SAA) to approve, for purposes of veterans' educational assistance provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a course that leads to an associate or higher degree only when such course is an eligible program offered by an institution of higher education that has entered into and is complying with a program approved by the Secretary of Education under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Provides conditions under which the Secretary or a SAA may approve a course that does not lead to an associate or higher degree. Prohibits the approval of a non-degree course of education unless, among other things, the course is determined to further the purposes of the VA program. Provides additional requirements for the VA approval of nonaccredited courses. Requires additional requirements imposed by SAAs to be approved by the Secretary prior to use under the VA program. Provides additional requirements for the approval of programs of educational assistance for persons enlisting for active duty. Requires educational institutions to inform participants on matters relating to accreditation and educational outcomes as a condition of approval under educational assistance programs offered by the VA and Department of Defense (DOD). Directs an educational institution with 20 or more VA program participants enrolled, prior to approval, to provide adequate academic and student support services, including remediation, tutoring, and job placement counseling. Requires each SAA, as a condition of receiving VA reimbursement for program approval activities, to conduct education and outreach activities to assist participants in making well-informed choices about their education and successful transition into an educational environment. Requires SAAs to conduct annual audits of institutions that have VA program participants. Directs the Secretary to conduct mandatory annual compliance reviews of such institutions. Directs the Secretary to provide individualized, one-on-one counseling to veterans and members of the Armed Forces who are considering a program of education with assistance through the VA or DOD. Requires the Secretaries of VA and DOD to each establish a process whereby individuals are able to submit complaints regarding educational institutions relevant to the provision of educational assistance, including complaints regarding misrepresentation, fraud, waste, and abuse.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-03-27 00:00:00

Veteran Skills to Jobs Act - Directs the head of each federal licensing authority to consider, and authorizes such official to accept, any relevant training received by an individual while serving as a member of the Armed Forces for the purpose of satisfying the license requirements.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-03-28 00:00:00

Veterans Missing in America Act of 2012 - Recognizes the tireless work and dedication of the Missing in America Project, in conjunction with numerous veterans service organizations, in identifying unclaimed remains of veterans. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to cooperate with such organizations to assist entities in possession of unclaimed or abandoned human remains in determining if any such remains are the remains of veterans or other individuals eligible for burial in a national cemetery. Requires the Secretary, upon a positive determination with respect to any such remains, to provide for and cover the cost of the burial and funeral expenses if the Secretary determines that: (1) there is no next of kin or other person claiming the remains, and (2) there are no other sufficient resources to cover such expenses. Directs the Secretary to establish a publicly accessible database of the names of any veteran or other individual so identified.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-03-29 00:00:00

Veterans' Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to increase, as of December 1, 2012, the rates of veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled veterans, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children. Requires each such increase to be the same percentage as the increase in benefits provided under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, on the same effective date.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-04-19 00:00:00

Remembering America's Forgotten Veterans Cemetery Act of 2012 - Treats Clark Veterans Cemetery in the Republic of the Philippines as a permanent military cemetery in a foreign country for purposes of the purview of the American Battle Monuments Commission. Directs the Commission to restore, operate, and maintain such Cemetery in cooperation with the government of the Republic of the Philippines. Subjects such requirement to the availability of appropriations for such purpose.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-04-19 00:00:00

Iron Dome Support Act - Authorizes the President to provide assistance to the government of Israel for the procurement, maintenance, and sustainment of the Iron Dome anti-missile defense system for purposes of intercepting short-range missiles launched against Israel.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-04-26 00:00:00

Military Reservists Access to Mental Health Services Act of 2011 - Authorizes the Secretary of the military department concerned to provide care for behavioral health conditions to any member of the Selected Reserve for whom such Secretary determines, based on the member's most recent medical exam or mental health assessment, that the receipt of such care will ensure that the member meets applicable standards of medical readiness. Provides funding for such care through the Defense Health Program.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2012-04-26 00:00:00

Service Members and Communities Count Act of 2012 - Requires the Secretary of Commerce, beginning with the 2020 census, to ensure that all members of the Armed Forces deployed abroad are fully and accurately counted in the tabulation of total population by states and are properly attributed to the state in which their permanent duty station or homeport is located.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-08 00:00:00

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of Defense (DOD), and the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) with respect to the Coast Guard, should duly honor those members of the Armed Forces who are killed or wounded in the United States in terrorist attacks that are inspired by the ideology that gives rise to terrorism, as defined by the Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. Provides that, for purposes of awarding the Purple Heart, the Secretary of the military department concerned shall treat a member of the Armed Forces who is killed or wounded in a terrorist attack within the United States in the same manner as a member killed or wounded in action due to an act of an enemy of the United States. Makes this Act effective as of January 1, 2009. Directs the Secretaries concerned to: (1) review each death or wounding of a member within the United States between January 1, 2009, and the date of enactment of this Act to determine whether such death or wounding qualifies as a death or wounding resulting from a terrorist attack for purposes of this Act; and (2) upon a positive determination, take appropriate action.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-09 00:00:00

Includes as a homeless veteran, for purposes of eligibility for benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a veteran or veteran's family fleeing domestic or dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or other dangerous or life-threatening conditions in the current housing situation, including where the health and safety of children are jeopardized, there is no other residence, and there is a lack of resources or support networks to obtain other permanent housing.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-09 00:00:00

Requires the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, during and as part of any electronic process for the filing of applications by claimants for benefits provided through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), to: (1) notify each claimant or claimant representative that application services may be available from veterans service organizations (VSOs), and (2) provide such claimant or representative with a list of such VSOs.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-10 00:00:00

Nationwide Network of Support for Veterans and Military Families Act of 2012 - Establishes the National Veterans Support Network to, among other things: (1) carry out national activities to raise awareness of the challenges facing military families and veterans, with related media campaigns; (2) provide support to communities that include veterans or members of the Armed Forces; and (3) encourage and promote participation by private organizations in activities that serve and support veterans. Requires the Network to establish a community support grant program to award grants to create or expand community-based veterans readjustment and support programs. Prohibits the Network from accepting any federal funds. Requires annual Network audits and reports to Congress.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-10 00:00:00

VISN Reorganization Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to organize the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) into 12 geographically defined Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs). Directs the Secretary to ensure that each VISN: (1) is aligned with the mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the specific health care requirements of veterans in that network; (2) implements VA national goals within their network and associated medical centers; (3) maintains a regional integrated health care system; (4) identifies and reduces the duplication of functions in VHA clinical, administrative, and operational processes and practices; (5) works to achieve maximum effectiveness in patient care and safety, graduate medical education, and research; (6) assesses the consolidation or realignment of institutional functions, in collaboration and cooperation with other VISNs and specified offices or entities within their network; and (7) develops and shares innovations and best practices with each other at the local, regional, and national levels. Prohibits more than one headquarters for each VISN, with no more than 65 full-time employees. Requires the Secretary to report at least annually to the congressional veterans committees on employment at VISN headquarters. Directs the Secretary, at least every three years, to: (1) review and assess VISN structure and operations, and (2) submit review results to such committees. Requires the Secretary, in order to comply with the requirements of this Act, to realign and combine the current 21 VISNs into 12 geographically defined VISNs, and to appropriately consolidate VISN headquarters. Directs the Secretary to submit to such committees a realignment implementation plan. Provides for the relocation of leased VISN headquarters, requiring the Secretary to notify such committees if renewing or engaging in a new lease for any headquarters. Directs the Secretary to establish up to four regional support centers within the VHA to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of the VISNs.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-15 00:00:00

Servicemember Housing Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to protect against a mortgage foreclosure or residential lease termination the surviving spouse who is the successor in interest to a servicemember who dies while in military service from a service-connected cause. Extends such protection for the nine-month period following the death of the servicemember. Allows the termination of an existing lease by the lessee, without penalties, when the lessee is assigned to or otherwise relocates to federal quarters or military housing. Requires, in such case, the lessee to notify the lessor, which shall include a letter from the servicemember's commanding officer indicating such relocation.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2012-05-15 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Defense to provide to the congressional defense committees a briefing and plan that outlines Department of Defense (DOD) efforts to: (1) prevent the hazing of members of the Armed Forces (members) by other members; (2) provide hazing prevention training to members; (3) improve methods of reporting hazing incidents, including anonymous procedures; and (4) respond to and resolve alleged hazing incidents, including prosecution through the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Requires the plan to include the establishment of a database for improving DOD ability to: (1) determine the extent to which hazing incidents are occurring and their nature; and (2) track, respond to, and resolve such incidents.