jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2013-02-14 00:00:00

Upper Mississippi Conservation and River Protection Act of 2013 or the Upper Mississippi CARP Act - Directs the Chief of Engineers to study the feasibility of: (1) temporarily closing the lock at the Upper St. Anthony Falls Lock and Dam (located on Mississippi River mile 853.9 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) to manage the threat of Asian carp traveling up the Mississippi River in Minnesota, and (2) implementing control measures at such lock and Lock and Dam 1 (located on Mississippi River mile 847.8 in Minneapolis, Minnesota), including permanently closing the locks, modifying lock operations, or using an alternative technology barrier, to manage such threat. Requires the Chief to assess the potential impacts, including environmental and economic impacts: (1) of temporary closure of such lock and of continuing to operate it, and (2) of implementing each of such control measures and of not implementing such measures.

Authorizes the Chief to close such lock upon determining that closure is justified based on the assessment of potential impacts. Requires the Chief to close such lock upon determining that a live adult Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 2 (located on Mississippi River mile 815.2 upstream of Hastings, Minnesota) or that a juvenile Asian carp has been captured above Lock and Dam 4 (located on Mississippi River mile 752.8 in Alma, Wisconsin). Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, upon determining that an Asian carp has been captured at such a location, to submit to the Chief a petition for closure of such lock. Allows the Chief to reopen the lock upon determining that adequate measures are in place to manage the threat.

Directs the Council on Environmental Quality to incorporate the Upper Mississippi River and tributaries, the Minnesota River, and the St. Croix River into the Asian Carp Control Strategy Framework of the Council.

 Expresses the sense of Congress that federal agencies researching Asian carp control technologies should partner with state and local shareholders, giving priority to collaborative partnerships in which such shareholders contribute to the cost of the research.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2013-04-11 00:00:00

Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to add Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and increase Council membership from 21 to 23 members, including: (1) the principal Rhode Island official with marine fishery management responsibility, and (2) a member appointed by the Secretary of Commerce from a list of individuals submitted by the governor of Rhode Island.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-04-16 00:00:00

Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2013 - 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.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2013-04-17 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

 Multispecies Habitat Conservation Plan Implementation Act - Amends P.L. 99-548, commonly known as the Mesquite Lands Act of 1986, to require proceeds from sales of parcels of public lands in Mesquite, Nevada, 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.

Amends the Lincoln County Land Act of 2000 to require implementation of a multispecies habitat conservation plan in Lincoln County, Nevada.

Extends, until November 29, 2021, withdrawal and purchase authority with respect to the fifth and sixth areas.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-04-25 00:00:00

Polar Bear Conservation and Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to direct the Secretary of the Interior to issue a permit for the importation of any polar bear part (other than an internal organ) from a polar bear taken in a sport hunt in Canada to any person who submits proof that the polar bear was legally harvested before May 15, 2008 (currently by February 18, 1997), when polar bears were listed as a threatened species by the Department of the Interior.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2013-05-21 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on December 2, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Chesapeake Bay Accountability and Recovery Act of 2014 - (Sec. 3) Requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to submit to Congress a financial report on restoration activities in the Chesapeake Bay watershed by September 30 of each year. Requires the report to contain:

 an interagency crosscut budget for federal and state restoration activities that protect, conserve, or restore living resources, habitat, water resources, or water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed; an accounting of funds received and obligated by each federal agency for restoration activities during the current and preceding fiscal years; an accounting from Maryland, West Virginia, Delaware, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia of all funds received and obligated from a federal agency for restoration activities during the current and preceding fiscal years; and a description of each of the proposed federal and state restoration activities to be carried out in the succeeding fiscal year. Requires the report to describe only restoration activities that have funding amounts of at least $300,000 for the first three years and restoration activities that have funding amounts of at least $100,000 thereafter.

(Sec. 4) Establishes an Independent Evaluator for the Chesapeake Bay watershed to review and report to Congress every two years on restoration activities and related topics that are suggested by the Chesapeake Executive Council. Sets forth the process for appointment of the Independent Evaluator and the qualifications for the position.

(Sec. 5) Provides that no additional funds are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2013-05-22 00:00:00

Preserve the Waters of the United States Act - Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing the proposed guidance described in the notice of availability and request for comments entitled "EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Regarding Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using such guidance, or any substantially similar guidance, as the basis for any decision regarding the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or any rulemaking. Provides that the use of such guidance as the basis for any rule shall be grounds for vacation of such rule.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2013-06-18 00:00:00

Infrastructure Facilitation and Habitat Conservation Act of 2013 - 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 of the 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: 2013-07-29 00:00:00

Big Cats and Public Safety Protection Act - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce, breeding, or possessing any prohibited wildlife species (current law prohibits importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing such a species in interstate or foreign commerce). Includes among exemptions to such prohibition the breeding transportation, or possession of such species by authorized persons.

Defines "breeding" as facilitating the propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent the propagation or reproduction, of a prohibited wildlife species or other animal.

Removes from the list of persons authorized to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, purchase, breed, or possess such species a person that is licensed or registered, and inspected, by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) or any other federal agency with respect to such species. Includes in such list:

 an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) or certified related facilities that coordinate with an AZA Species Survival Plan for breeding of species listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973; a wildlife sanctuary that cares for such species, is a tax exempt corporation, does not commercially trade in or propagate such species, does not allow direct contact between the public and animals, and does not allow the transportation and display of such species off-site; a person that is in possession of animals of such species that were born before the date of this Act's enactment and that are registered with APHIS within 180 days after such regulations are promulgated; and a traveling circus that regularly travels in interstate commerce to conduct performances featuring live prohibited wildlife species and multiple trained human entertainers, that does not allow members of the public to be in direct contact with or unsafe proximity to a prohibited wildlife species of any age, and that, during the three years preceding this Act's enactment, has not been determined by the Secretary of Agriculture to have violated the Animal Welfare Act by reason of jeopardizing the health and well-being of a prohibited wildlife species. Establishes civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture requirements for violations of this Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-08-01 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Captive Primate Safety Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to: (1) make nonhuman primates a prohibited wildlife species; and (2) make it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase them in interstate or foreign commerce.

(Sec. 3) Modifies exceptions to restrictions on such transactions in prohibited wildlife species, making them inapplicable to a person who: (1) is a licensed and inspected person only if the person does not allow direct contact between the public and prohibited wildlife species, or (2) is transporting under certain conditions a single primate of the genus Cebus that was obtained from and trained by a charitable organization to assist a permanently disabled individual with a severe mobility impairment. Removes state-licensed wildlife rehabilitators from the list of entities exempted from the restrictions.

Sets forth civil and criminal penalties for violations of the requirements of this Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Water resources development
Date: 2013-09-17 00:00:00

Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Act of 2013 - Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to: (1) establish the Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program to provide grants to owners or operators of water systems for programs or projects to increase the resiliency or adaptability of the systems to any ongoing or forecasted changes to the hydrologic conditions of a U.S. region, and (2) give priority to owners or operators of water systems that are at the greatest and most immediate risk of facing significant negative impacts due to changing hydrologic conditions.

Requires the Administrator to ensure that the list of grant applications funded includes a substantial number that propose to utilize innovative approaches that meet at least one of these goals: (1) promote more efficient water use, water conservation, water reuse, or recycling; (2) use decentralized, low-impact development technologies and nonstructural approaches, including practices that use, enhance, or mimic the natural hydrological cycle or protect natural flows; (3) reduce stormwater runoff or flooding by protecting or enhancing natural ecosystem functions; (4) modify, upgrade, enhance, or replace existing water system infrastructure in response to changing hydrologic conditions; (5) improve water quality or quantity for agricultural and municipal uses, including through salinity reduction; and (6) provide multiple benefits, including to water supply enhancement or demand reduction, water quality protection or improvement, increased flood protection, and ecosystem protection or improvement.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2013-09-24 00:00:00

Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the reduced tax rate on the net timber gains of corporations, to: (1) adjust the formula for calculating such rate, and (2) make such reduced rate permanent.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Health
Date: 2013-09-30 00:00:00

CHIMP Act Amendments of 2013 - Amends the Public Health Service Act, with respect to the lifetime care of chimpanzees used in federally conducted or supported medical research, to: (1) require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to reserve appropriations through FY2023 for the sanctuary system and other compliant facilities, and (2) allow reservation of funds beyond a total of $30 million if the Secretary determines that doing so would enable the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to operate more efficiently and economically by decreasing the overall federal cost of supporting and maintaining chimpanzees from FY2014-FY2023. Requires such a determination to be reported to Congress and include biennial updates regarding the care and maintenance of the chimpanzees and related costs.

Removes construction and renovation of sanctuary system facilities as a purpose of expenditure of the reserved funds. Requires the use of funds for other compliant facilities to be determined by the Secretary (rather than, as under current law, by the board of directors of the nonprofit entity operating the facility).

Requires the Comptroller General (GAO) to evaluate: (1) the research status of NIH-owned or supported chimpanzees, (2) the cost for the care and maintenance of such chimpanzees, (3) the extent to which requirements that a nonprofit private entity match funding have been met, and (4) any options for cost savings for support and maintenance that may be identified.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-10-31 00:00:00

Hunter and Farmer Protection Act of 2013 - 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: 2013-11-13 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: 2013-12-19 00:00:00

Migratory Bird Habitat Investment and Enhancement Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to allow the Department of the Interior every five years to set the cost for Federal Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamps, commonly known as Duck Stamps and required to hunt migratory waterfowl. Limits the cost of the stamp to $25 for the first five years and $30 after that.

Permits Interior to waive stamp requirements for certain individuals if it will have a minimal adverse effect on the funds collected.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-03-05 00:00:00

Community Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973, with respect to critical habitat designations, to exclude an area from critical habitat upon a determination that the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the area, unless the failure to designate such area as critical habitat will result in the extinction of the species concerned. (Under current law, such exclusion is permitted, not required.)

Requires the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, at the time a proposed rule to designate critical habitat is published, to publish and make available for public comment a draft quantitative analysis that examines the economic effects of the proposed designation, including any effects on possible uses of land and property values, employment, and state and local revenues.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2014-05-20 00:00:00

Bipartisan Sportsmen's Act of 2014 - Revises a variety of existing programs to expand access to, and opportunities for, hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting.

Reauthorizes the Federal Land Transaction Facilitation Act, the North American Wetlands Conservation Act, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Establishment Act.

Gives the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to permit states to issue temporary electronic duck stamps (federal licenses required for hunting migratory waterfowl).

Exempts components of firearms and ammunition and sport fishing equipment and its components (such as lead sinkers) from regulations of chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

Increases the proportion of funding from the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act that states may use for public target ranges.

Requires the Secretary to issue permits for the importation of polar bear parts taken in sports hunts in Canada before May 15, 2008 (when the species was listed as threatened).

Revises standards for determining what a baited area is for purposes of the prohibition on taking migratory game birds.

Directs federal public land management officials to facilitate hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting on federal public land. Makes land under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) or the Forest Service open for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting unless the managing agency acts to close the lands.

Allocates funds from the Land and Water Conservation Fund for priority projects that secure public access to federal public lands that have significantly restricted access for hunting, fishing, and other recreational purposes.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2014-06-11 00:00:00

National Bison Legacy Act - Adopts the North American bison as the national mammal of the United States.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2014-06-19 00:00:00

Protecting Water and Property Rights Act of 2014 - Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing the proposed rule entitled "Definition of `Waters of the United States' Under the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using the proposed rule, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance, as the basis for any rulemaking or any decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act).

Provides that the use of the proposed rule, or any substantially similar proposed rule or guidance, as the basis for any rulemaking or any decision regarding the scope or enforcement of the Clean Water Act shall be grounds for vacating the final rule, decision, or enforcement action.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2014-06-25 00:00:00

Protecting Lakes Against Quaggas Act of 2014 or the PLAQ Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the importation into or shipment within the United States of the species of mussels of the genus Dreissena (thus covering quagga mussels). (Currently, the prohibition applies to only the zebra mussel of the species Dreissena polymorpha.)

Makes this Act inapplicable to: (1) the importation or transportation of prohibited species through the operation of a public water system or a related facility, or (2) the possession or conveyance of water supplies containing such species by a public water system operator.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2014-06-26 00:00:00

United States Fish and Wildlife Service Resource Protection Act - Authorizes the Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to seek compensation from individuals or entities for costs or damages for destroying, causing the loss of, or injuring any living, nonliving, historical, cultural, or archaeological resource on land managed by the USFWS, or for causing the USFWS to carry out actions to prevent, minimize, or abate such destruction, loss, or injury.

Requires amounts recovered as a result of such destruction, loss, or injury to be made available to USFWS to: (1) reimburse response costs and damage assessments; (2) restore, replace, or acquire the equivalent of a resource that was destroyed, lost, or injured; or (3) monitor and study those resources.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2014-07-17 00:00:00

Federal Duck Stamp Act of 2014 - Amends the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act to increase the price of duck stamps, which are required to hunt migratory waterfowl, from $15 to $25.

Authorizes the Department of the Interior to reduce the price of stamps for a hunting year if the increase in the stamp price resulted in a reduction in revenues deposited in the Migratory Bird Conservation Fund.

Establishes a subaccount in the Fund to be used by Interior to acquire easements for the conservation of migratory birds. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to transfer all amounts in excess of $15 from the sale of each stamp to the subaccount.

Requires Interior to include in an annual report of the Migratory Bird Conservation Commission an assessment of the status of wetlands conservation projects for migratory bird conservation purposes, including an accounting of all expenditures made for acquisition of federal lands.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2014-07-17 00:00:00

Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) or the Secretary of the Interior from implementing or limiting any modification to a public or private land-related policy or subsurface mineral right-related policy or practice that is in effect on enactment of this Act relating to the listing of the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973.