jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Foster Care Tax Credit Act

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a partially refundable tax credit for each qualifying foster child who resides in the home of an eligible taxpayer for at least one calendar month during the taxable year. Defines "qualifying foster child" as a child in foster care who has not attained age 17, who is a citizen, national, or resident of the United States, and with respect to whom the child tax credit is not allowable. Requires the name and taxpayer identification number of a foster child to be included on the taxpayer's tax return.

Directs the Department of Health and Human Services to identify provisions in the Internal Revenue Code that can benefit foster families and increase outreach efforts to inform state and Indian tribal foster care agencies and foster families about such provisions.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-04-15 00:00:00

Adoption Tax Credit Refundability Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make the tax credit for adoption expenses refundable.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Social welfare
Date: 2015-05-21 00:00:00

Foster Youth Independence Act of 2015 

This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to allow the chief executive officer of a state to certify that the state will provide assistance and services under the John H. Chafee Foster Care Independence Program to youths who have aged out of foster care and have not attained age 23 if:

 the state has elected to extend the eligibility for foster care up to age 21, or the responsible state agency uses state or other funds not provided under the Program to provide assistance and services comparable to those such youths would receive if the state had made such an election.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2015-06-04 00:00:00

Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2015

This bill amends the federal criminal code to:

 state that the term "intimate partner" includes a dating partner and any other person subject to a protection order under state domestic or family violence law; and expand the term "misdemeanor crime of domestic violence" to include the use or attempted use of physical force, or the threatened use of a deadly weapon, by a current or former intimate partner. The bill makes it a crime to knowingly sell or dispose of a firearm to a person who has been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. It also makes it a crime for such convicted stalker to receive or possess a firearm.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Families
Date: 2015-06-08 00:00:00

This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services from taking any action to finalize, implement, enforce, or otherwise give effect to the proposed rule entitled "Flexibility, Efficiency, and Modernization in Child Support Enforcement Programs" or any proposal set forth in the proposed rule.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2015-06-11 00:00:00

Pet and Women Safety Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit threats or acts of violence against a person's pet under the offenses of stalking and interstate violation of a protection order. Defines "pet" to mean a domesticated animal that is kept for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes.

Requires the "full amount of the victim's losses" for purposes of restitution in domestic violence and stalking offenses to include any costs incurred for veterinary services relating to physical care for the victim's pet.

Directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants to eligible entities to carry out programs to provide specified housing assistance, support services, and training of relevant stakeholders to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and their pets.

Expresses the sense of Congress that states should encourage the inclusion of protections against violent or threatening acts against the pet of the person in domestic violence protection orders.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Law
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

Court-Appointed Guardian Accountability and Senior Protection Act 

 Amends title XX (Block Grants to States for Social Services and Elder Justice) of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to the highest courts of states to conduct demonstration programs that: (1) assess adult guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, including the appointment and the monitoring of the performance of court-appointed guardians and conservators; and (2) implement changes deemed necessary as a result of the assessments, such as requiring background checks for all potential guardians and conservators, and establishing systems that enable electronic filing and review of the annual accountings and other required conservatorship and guardianship filings.

Requires the highest court of a state awarded such a grant to collaborate with the state's own Unit on Aging and its Adult Protective Services agency in conducting the demonstration program.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Families
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

Protecting Adoption and Promoting Responsible Fatherhood Act of 2015 

 Amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish and maintain an automated National Responsible Father Registry.

Requires the Registry to: (1) contain specified kinds of information sufficient to identify a possible father, and (2) provide a mechanism for men to register such identifying information directly with the Registry.

Limits access to Registry information to eligible parties, including: (1) public and licensed private adoption or child placement agencies, (2) licensed attorneys representing a party in a planned or pending adoption or in the termination of rights of one or more possible fathers, (3) state agencies or entities responsible for the placement of children, and (4) state courts.

Directs the Secretary to establish a nationwide campaign designed to inform possible fathers, unwed mothers, possible adoptive parents, and eligible parties of the National Registry, the advantages of possible fathers registering either in the National Registry or State Responsible Father Registries, or both, the rights and responsibilities of such parties with regard to a proceeding, and the role of such Registries in a proceeding.

Directs the Secretary to use all reasonable efforts to encourage states to enter into agreements to establish automated State Responsible Father Registries and centers that make registration forms easily accessible to possible fathers.

Authorizes the Secretary to make a grant to a state to establish a State Registry or modify an existing one to meet the requirements of this Act.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Education
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

Education Stability for Foster Youth Act

This bill amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require a state plan for academic content and achievement standards to describe how the state will ensure the educational stability of children in foster care. Specifically, a state plan must include assurances that: (1) a foster child will remain or be enrolled in the child’s school of origin absent a determination that such enrollment is not in the child’s best interest; (2) if such a determination is made, the child will be immediately enrolled in a new school, which must immediately contact the child’s previous school to obtain relevant records; and (3) the state will designate a point of contact for child welfare agencies, who shall also oversee implementation of the state’s responsibilities under the bill.

Relatedly, a local educational agency (LEA) plan must provide assurances that the LEA will develop and implement procedures governing the provision and funding of transportation services necessary to maintain a foster child’s enrollment in the child’s school of origin.

This bill amends the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act to alter the definition of “homeless children and youths” to no longer include children who are awaiting foster care placement.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Health
Date: 2015-07-08 00:00:00

Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage Family Caregivers Act of 2015 or the RAISE Family Caregivers Act

(Sec. 3) This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop, maintain, and periodically update a National Family Caregiving Strategy.

(Sec. 4) HHS shall convene a Family Caregiving Advisory Council to advise it on recognizing and supporting family caregivers.

(Sec. 5) This Act shall terminate on December 31, 2025.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Social welfare
Date: 2015-08-05 00:00:00

Family Stability and Kinship Care Act of 2015

This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) (renamed by this Act Federal Payments for Foster Care and Permanency) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) to give states the option of providing certain time-limited family services, including parenting and family skills training and counseling, to a child meeting certain criteria or the child's parents or kin caregivers.

SSAct title IV part B is also amended to:

 eliminate the time-limit for family reunification services, increase the mandatory funding authorization for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families Program, and extend funding for Family Connection Grants for one year.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Date: 2015-09-24 00:00:00

Child Support Assistance Act of 2015

Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act, with respect to the permissible purposes of consumer reports, to authorize a consumer reporting agency to furnish a consumer report in response to a request by the head of a state or local child support enforcement agency (or an authorized state or local government official), if the requester certifies that the report is needed for enforcing a child support order, award, agreement, or judgment.

Repeals the requirement for 10 days' prior notice to a consumer whose report is requested.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Social welfare
Date: 2015-10-08 00:00:00

Timely Mental Health for Foster Youth Act

This bill amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act with respect to state plans for the ongoing oversight and coordination of health care services for children in a foster care placement.

An initial mental health screening of any child in foster care must be completed within 30 days after the child enters into foster care. In the case of any child for whom a mental health issue is identified in such initial screening, a comprehensive assessment of the child's mental health must be completed within 60 days after the child's entry into foster care.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Date: 2015-10-28 00:00:00

Senior$afe Act of 2015

This bill provides that: (1) a supervisor, compliance officer, or legal advisor for a covered financial institution who has received training regarding the identification and reporting of the suspected exploitation of a senior citizen (at least 65 years old) shall not be liable for disclosing such exploitation to a covered agency if such individual made the disclosure in good faith and with reasonable care; and (2) a covered financial institution shall not be liable for such a disclosure by such an individual if such individual was employed by the institution at the time of the disclosure and the institution had provided such training.

A "covered financial institution" means a bank, a credit union, an investment adviser, or a broker-dealer. A "covered agency" means each of the federal financial institutions regulatory agencies or a state financial regulatory agency, law enforcement agency, or adult protective services agency.

A covered financial institution may provide such training to each of its supervisors, compliance officers, or legal advisors who: (1) may come into contact with a senior citizen as a regular part of such employee's duties; or (2) may review or approve the financial documents, records, or transactions of a senior citizen in connection with providing him or her financial services.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-11-10 00:00:00

Child Tax Credit Improvement Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the child tax credit, to: (1) increase the amount of such credit for children who have not attained age 6 by the close of the taxable year, (2) modify the limitation on such credit based upon taxpayer adjusted gross income and the age of the qualifying child, (3) increase the refundable portion of such credit for children under age 6, and (4) allow an inflation adjustment to the $1,000 credit amount beginning after 2015.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2015-11-10 00:00:00

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

Pro bono Work to Empower and Represent Act of 2015 or the POWER Act 

(Sec. 3) This bill requires the U.S. Attorney for a judicial district to lead at least one public event that promotes pro bono legal services as a critical way to: (1) empower survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (2) engage citizens in assisting those survivors.

A special but similar rule applies to districts containing Indian tribes and tribal organizations.

Each U.S. Attorney shall: (1) have discretion on the design, organization, and implementation of such public events; and (2) seek to maximize an event's local impact and the access of such survivors to high-quality pro bono legal services.

(Sec. 5) The Department of Justice shall use existing funds to carry out this Act.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Housing and community development
Date: 2015-11-17 00:00:00

Family Unification, Preservation, and Modernization Act of 2015

This bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 with respect to the Family Unification Program (FUP) under which eligible youth aged 18-24 who left foster care at age 16 or older and who lack adequate housing may receive Housing Choice Vouchers (for section 8 tenant-based or project-based assistance) for a period of time. These Vouchers shall be available also for any such youth who will leave foster care within 90 days and who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The period of assistance for such youth shall be extended from 18 to 36 months, and may be extended beyond 36 months to accord with the length of the youth's contract of participation in the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program. The FSS program helps Voucher program participants and public housing tenants obtain employment that will enable participating families to achieve economic independence.

The bill prescribes requirements for applications for FUP allocations.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) shall provide guidance to public child welfare agencies and public housing agencies (PHAs) to improve system coordination and implementation of assistance.

HUD may develop a program for incentive payments to PHAs that improve connections between FUP assistance recipients with FSS programs.

Part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act is amended to authorize the Department of Health and Human Services to make grants for FY2017-FY2025 to eligible applicants to cover up to 75% of the costs of supportive services, including case management services, for at least 12 months to recipients of FUP housing assistance.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-11-19 00:00:00

Foster EITC Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the earned income tax credit by: (1) making permanent the increase in the rate of such credit for taxpayers with three or more children, (2) increasing the credit for taxpayers with no qualifying children, (3) reducing the qualifying age for such credit for certain childless individuals (from age 25 to age 21) and for youth formerly in foster care (from age 25 to age 18), (4) imposing new reporting requirements for youth in foster care who have attained age 16, and (5) revising eligibility rules relating to married individuals living apart and qualifying children claimed by another family member.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Social welfare
Date: 2016-02-23 00:00:00

Protecting Families Affected by Substance Abuse Act

This bill amends part B (Child and Family Services) of title IV of the Social Security Act to reauthorize for FY2017-FY2021 grants to assist children affected by methamphetamine, opioid, or other substance abuse under the promoting safe and stable families program.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Families
Date: 2016-02-24 00:00:00

Modernizing the Interstate Placement of Children in Foster Care Act

This bill amends part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act to require the procedures a state must have in effect for the orderly and timely interstate placement of children to include a centralized electronic case processing system.

Grants are authorized for development of a centralized electronic system to expedite the interstate placement of children in foster care, guardianship, or adoptive homes.

Discretionary funding shall be continued through FY2017 to promote safe and stable families.

The Department of Health and Human Services shall reserve $5 million of the amount made available for such grants for FY2017, which reserved amount shall remain available through FY2021.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Social welfare
Date: 2016-03-17 00:00:00

Social Security Caregiver Credit Act of 2016

This bill expresses the sense of the Senate that Congress must address the unfair exclusion of professional and hardworking home care providers who are not eligible to receive Social Security or Medicare because they provided paid care to a family member with a disability under programs operated at the state and local level for general health and welfare protection.

This bill amends title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) (OASDI) of the Social Security Act with respect to determining entitlement to and the amount of any monthly benefit, including any lump-sum death payment, payable under OASDI on the basis of the wages and self-employment income of any individual.

Such an individual shall be deemed to have been paid a wage (according to a specified formula) during each month during which the individual was engaged for at least 80 hours in providing care to a dependent relative without monetary compensation for up to five years of such service.

This bill shall not apply in the case of any monthly benefit or lump-sum death payment if a larger benefit or payment would be payable without its application.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Families
Date: 2016-06-16 00:00:00

Family First Prevention Services Act of 2016

This bill amends Part E (Foster Care and Adoption Assistance) of title IV of the Social Security Act (SSAct) regarding: (1) mental health and substance abuse prevention and treatment services and in-home parenting skill-based programs, (2) foster care maintenance payments for children with parents in a licensed residential family-based treatment facility for substance abuse, and (3) payments for evidence-based kinship navigator programs.

Part B (Child and Welfare Services) of SSAct title IV is amended regarding: (1) time limits for family reunification services for children in foster care or returning home, (2) grants for the development of an electronic interstate case-processing system to expedite the interstate placement of children in foster care or guardianship or for adoption, and (3) targeted grants to increase the well-being of children affected by substance abuse.

The Department of Health and Human Services shall identify reputable model standards for the licensing of foster family homes.

SSAct title IV part B is amended regarding tracking and preventing child maltreatment.

SSAct title IV part E is amended regarding: (1) kinship guardianship assistance and prevention services, (2) foster care maintenance payments program and limited federal financial participation, and (3) assessment and judicial documentation of the need for placement of a child in a qualified residential treatment program.

SSAct title IV part B is amended regarding procedures and protocols a state has established to ensure that children in foster care placements are not inappropriately diagnosed with mental illness, other emotional or behavioral disorders, medically fragile conditions, or developmental disabilities, and as a result placed in settings that are not foster family homes.

SSAct title IV part E is amended regarding children in foster care who have been placed in a child care institution or other setting that is not a foster family home.

SSAct title IV part B to reauthorize through FY2021: (1) the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Child Welfare Services Program, (2) promotion of safe and stable families programs, (3) funding reservations for monthly caseworker visits and regional partnership grants, and (4) funding for state courts.

SSAct title IV part E is amended to: (1) revise the John H. Chaffee Foster Care Independence Program and related programs, and (2) reauthorize the adoption and legal guardianship incentive programs through FY2021.

SSAct title IV part B is amended to delay the adoption assistance phase-in.

The Government Accountability Office shall study the extent to which states comply with certain SSAct requirements relating to the effects of phasing out the Aid to Families with Dependent Children program income eligibility requirements for adoption assistance payments.
Topic: Law and Crime — Family Issues
Subject: Housing and community development
Date: 2016-07-12 00:00:00

Fair Housing for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Survivors Act of 2016

 This bill amends the Fair Housing Act to prohibit discrimination against or regarding survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault in:

 the sale or rental of housing and related activities, residential real estate-related transactions, and the provision of real estate brokerage services. This bill declares that nothing in the Act shall prohibit federal, state, or local government or other assistance or a preference program designed to assist or benefit domestic violence or sexual assault survivors in seeking, securing, or maintaining dwellings, shelters or any other form of housing.

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 is amended to prohibit intimidation in fair housing tranactions regarding survivors of domestic violence or sexual assault.