jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-07-30 00:00:00

Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to allow the transport, purchase, or sale of: (1) any pelt of a Southcentral or Southeast Alaskan otter that is taken for subsistence purposes by any Indian, Aleut, or Eskimo who resides in Alaska and who dwells on the coast of the North Pacific Ocean or the Arctic Ocean; or (2) any handicraft, garment, or art produced from such a pelt, regardless of whether it is traditional or contemporary or altered or not altered significantly.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-08-01 00:00:00

Amends Public Law 99-548, commonly known as the Mesquite Lands Act of 1986 (the Act), to require proceeds from sales in the fourth area to be used for the implementation of a multispecies habitat conservation plan for the Virgin River in Clark County, Nevada, including any associated groundwater monitoring plan. Extends, until November 29, 2020, withdrawal and purchase authority with respect to the fifth and sixth areas. Amends the Act to provide for the conveyance to the city of Mesquite, Nevada, of the approximately 218 acres of land identified as Hiatus on the map entitled "Mesquite Airport Conveyance " and dated January 13, 2012, from among the up to 2,560 acres of public land to be selected by the city from the sixth area. Amends the Act to require, if the public land conveyed to the city of Mesquite from the sixth area is not being used by the city as an airport or for another public purpose, such land to revert to the United States, at the option of the Secretary of the Interior, except that the city shall have an exclusive right to purchase the land. Grants the city of Mesquite, until November 29, 2020, the exclusive right to purchase the parcels of public land from the sixth area that the Secretary did not convey to the city pursuant to the Act. Requires the proceeds from the sale of each parcel to be deposited into the General Treasury.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-09-14 00:00:00

Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to exempt from such Act the taking of any grizzly bear by an individual in self-defense, in defense of another individual, or because of a reasonable belief of imminent danger posed by the grizzly bear to any individual.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-09-20 00:00:00

Protecting Public Safety and Sacred Sites from the Utah Prairie Dog Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to amend the special rule concerning takings of the Utah prarie dog to permit the taking of such prairie dog under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in any airport or cemetery in such prairie dog's range in which a state demonstrates that: (1) the prairie dog's entry or existence causes a threat to public health and safety or to the sanctity of a burial site, and (2) all practicable measures to eliminate that threat have been carried out without success. Defines "practicable measures" as: (1) the construction of fences around such areas, and (2) translocation of the prairie dogs by methods used by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service or the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-09-22 00:00:00

National Wildlife Refuge Review Act of 2011- Amends the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966 to prohibit the Secretary of the Interior from establishing any new national wildlife refuges, except as expressly authorized by a law enacted after September 30, 2011.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-09-29 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.) Endangered Salmon and Fisheries Predation Prevention Act - Amends the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 to authorize the Secretary of the department in which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is operating to issue one-year permits to Washington, Oregon, Idaho, the Nez Perce Tribe, the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, the Confederated Tribes of the Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation, and the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission for the lethal taking on the waters of the Columbia River or its tributaries of sea lions that are part of a healthy population that is not listed as an endangered species or threatened species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 in order to protect endangered and threatened species of salmon and other nonlisted fish species. Authorizes the Secretary to renew such permits. Prohibits such a permit from authorizing the lethal taking of more than 10 sea lions. Limits the cumulative annual taking of sea lions each year under all such permits to 1% of the annual potential biological removal level. Provides that environmental impact statement requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) do not apply with respect to this Act and the issuance of any such permits during the five-year period that begins on this Act's enactment. Authorizes the Secretary to suspend the issuance of such permits if, after five years, lethal removal authority is no longer necessary to protect salmonid and other fish species from sea lion predation. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) preventing predation by sea lions, recovery of listed salmonid stocks, and preventing future listings of fish stocks in the Columbia River is a vital priority; (2) permit holders exercising lethal removal authority should be trained in wildlife management; and (3) the government should continue to fund lethal and nonlethal removal measures for preventing such predation.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-10-03 00:00:00

Cormorant Management and Natural Resources Protection Act - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to delegate the authority of the Secretary of the Interior under such Act with respect to double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) to a state on the date the Secretary approves a cormorant management plan submitted by such state. Requires the Secretary to: (1) approve or disapprove a management plan within 60 days of the plan's submission, (2) approve such plan if it is in accordance with U.S. obligations under treaties and federal law, (3) provide to the relevant governor the reasons for disapproving a plan and an opportunity to revise and resubmit the plan, (4) review each approved state management plan every five years, and (5) revoke such approval and delegation if the plan or the governor's exercise of delegated authority is not in accordance with such Act or any treaty implemented by such Act. Deems a management plan approved if the Secretary doesn't approve or disapprove it within 60 days after submission. Applies an approved management plan in lieu of regulations issued under such Act. Requires the Secretary to conduct educational and informational activities for the owners and operators of aquaculture facilities to improve their efforts to prevent cormorants from consuming aquatic species being reared in such facilities.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-10-06 00:00:00

Permanent Electronic Duck Stamp Act of 2012 - Grants the Secretary of the Interior permanent authority to authorize any state to issue electronic duck stamps. Sets forth state electronic duck stamp application requirements. Allows the Secretary to determine the number of new states permitted per year to participate in the electronic duck stamp program. Instructs the Secretary to require electronic stamp revenue and customer information collected by each state to be transmitted in accordance with a written agreement between the Secretary and the state.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2011-10-14 00:00:00

Retailers and Entertainers Lacey Implementation and Enforcement Fairness Act or the RELIEF Act - (Sec. 3) Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to: (1) make such Act inapplicable to any plant that was imported into the United States before May 22, 2008, or any finished plant or plant product the assembly and processing of which was completed before such date; (2) limit the application of plant importation declaration requirements to plants that are entered for consumption; and (3) exclude from declaration requirements a plant product that is derived from a tree unless the product is solid wood (requires the Administrator of the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service to issue regulations that define the term "solid wood" for such purpose). Provides that: (1) civil forfeiture provisions that prohibit any person from asserting an ownership interest in contraband or other property that it is illegal to possess, or that prohibit the federal government from being required to return contraband or other property that the person from whom the property was seized may not legally possess, shall not apply to plants or plant products; and (2) civil forfeiture provisions of such Act are the sole authority for civil seizure or forfeiture actions alleging, or predicated upon, a violation of such Act. (Sec. 4) Prohibits any person from importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce, or any person within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States from possessing, a plant taken, possessed, transported, or sold: (1) without the payment of appropriate royalties, taxes, or stumpage fees required for the plant by any law or regulation of any state or any foreign law that is directed at the protection, conservation, and management of plants; and (2) in violation of any limitation under any law or regulation of any state, or under foreign law, governing the export or transshipment of plants and that is directed at the protection, conservation, and management of plants Limits the application of a civil penalty under such Act for violations of foreign laws to violations of foreign laws that are directed at the protection, conservation, and management of plants. Requires the Secretary of the Interior or the Secretary of Commerce, as program responsibilities are vested pursuant to the provisions of Reorganization Plan Numbered 4 of 1970, to review the implementation of plant declarations with 180 days. Requires the Director of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (currently, the Secretary of Commerce) to report on plant declaration requirements, including an evaluation of the feasibility of creating a publicly available database of laws of foreign countries from which plants are exported.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2011-11-17 00:00:00

State Management of Recovered Wolves Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to require the Secretary of the Interior to permit any state in which wolves are listed as an endangered or threatened species to conduct lethal and non-lethal control of wolves to protect from wolf depredations if the population of wolves in such state exceeds the goal established by a species recovery plan.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2011-11-18 00:00:00

America's Wildlife Heritage Act - Sets forth requirements concerning the maintenance of viable populations of existing native and desired non-native species within each planning area in the National Forest System's or the Bureau of Land Management's (BLM) public lands. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior to adopt and implement a strategically targeted monitoring program for determining the status and trends of native and desired non-native species populations on System and BLM lands. Defines: (1) native species to mean species of plants and animals indigenous to a planning area; and (2) desired non-native species to mean those wild species of plants and animals that are not indigenous to a planning area but are valued for their contribution to species diversity or their social, cultural, or economic value. Requires the Secretaries to coordinate the management of planning areas of the System and the BLM with the management of the National Wildlife Refuge System and National Park System, other federal agencies, state fish and wildlife agencies, other state agencies responsible for management of natural resources, tribes, local governments, and non-governmental organizations engaged in species conservation.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2011-11-29 00:00:00

Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act - Amends the Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Act of 2010 to require such stamp to be: (1) made available to the public for an additional four years; and (2) offered in a a choice of five versions depicting an African or Asian elephant, a rhinoceros, a tiger, a marine turtle, or a great ape.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-02-02 00:00:00

Wildlife Veterinarians Employment and Training Act or the Wildlife VET Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to award grants to wildlife or veterinary institutions to create additional clinical and research positions for wildlife and zoological veterinarians, with preference to institutions that will create positions in areas of need, including wildlife disease research and training, disease surveillance, ecology and wildlife population management, and conservation and management of the health of endangered, threatened, and sensitive species. Directs the Secretary to establish: (1) the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Loan Repayment Program to repay educational loans of applicants who have received, in the previous ten years, a doctoral degree in veterinary medicine or a graduate degree in veterinary medicine after receiving such doctoral degree, or who are enrolled in an accredited school or college of veterinary medicine program that leads to such a degree, and who agree to serve for at least four consecutive years at a wildlife or veterinary institution as a wildlife or zoological veterinarian; and (2) the Wildlife and Zoological Veterinary Workforce Scholarship Program to award students enrolled in an accredited school or college of veterinary medicine scholarships for up to four years in exchange for entering a contract to serve for at least four consecutive years as wildlife or zoological veterinarians at wildlife or veterinary institutions beginning no later than four years after graduation. Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a pilot program to award competitive grants to accredited schools and colleges of veterinary medicine to develop or improve new or existing curricula that specialize in wildlife or zoological veterinary medicine; and (2) award competitive grants to eligible wildlife or veterinary institutions to establish or expand, for traineeship candidates, training programs (including externship, internship, fellowship, or residency programs) that will enhance the ability of a trainee to practice as a wildlife or zoological veterinarian.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-03-01 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, breeding, possessing, or owning 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: (1) breeding of such species by authorized persons; and (2) transportation, possession, or ownership of such species by authorized persons. Defines "breeding" as facilitating the reproduction of prohibited wildlife species (any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species) for commercial use. Removes from the list of persons authorized to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, breed, possess, own, or purchase 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: (1) a zoo accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; (2) 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 transport and display of such species off-site; and (3) 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 six months after such regulations are promulgated. Establishes civil and criminal penalties and forfeiture requirements for violations of this Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-03-08 00:00:00

Freedom from Over-Criminalization and Unjust Seizures Act of 2012 - Amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to repeal the prohibition on importing, exporting, transporting, selling, receiving, acquiring, or purchasing in interstate or foreign commerce: (1) fish or wildlife taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law; or (2) plants taken, possessed, transported, or sold in violation of foreign law, without the payment of appropriate royalties, taxes, or stumpage fees required by foreign law, or in violation of any limitation under foreign law that governs the export or transshipment of plants. Repeals the prohibition on possessing such fish, wildlife, or plants within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States. Establishes a $200,000 maximum limit on a civil penalty for a knowing violation of such Act that involves fish, wildlife, or plants with a market value of $350 or more. Repeals: (1) criminal penalties under such Act, and (2) the authorization to suspend, modify, or cancel specified licenses or permits issued to any person who is convicted of a criminal violation of such Act.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-03-22 00:00:00

Jonas Salk Elementary Cap Undo Regulatory Environmental Delay or CURED Act - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to issue a final decision on whether or not to issue a permit under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 authorizing the San Diego Unified School District to construct an elementary school in San Diego, California. Deems the permit to have been issued if the Secretary does not make a final decision within 90 days of this Act's enactment.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2012-05-08 00:00:00

Clean and Beautiful Communities Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance Program of the National Park Service (NPS), to make grants to facilitate the acquisition by a qualified organization of a qualified real property interest exclusively for conservation purposes to assist in the funding of the transactional and operational costs associated with the purchase and management of preserved land or a qualified real property interest (including easements) that include: (1) stewardship costs, including costs of standards and practices implementation; (2) land purchase transaction costs; (3) costs of preparing for accreditation associated with land management; and (4) costs of due diligence, including appraisal, title, survey, environmental hazard assessment, and recording costs. Makes a person eligible for a grant under this Act only if such person is a tax-exempt charitable organization and is not a state or local government entity. Prohibits a grant from being used to pay consideration for the purchase of any interest in real property. Limits the amount of a grant to not more than $500,000 per year for five years. Prohibits the Secretary from making a grant under this Act in an amount exceeding more than 50% of the costs such grant is made to assist.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-07-26 00:00:00

Salamander Community Conservation Act - Amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to make the Act's provisions regarding the determination of endangered or threatened species inapplicable to: (1) the Austin blind salamander, (2) the Georgetown salamander, (3) the Jollyville Plateau salamander, or (4) the Salado salamander.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-08-02 00:00:00

National Bison Legacy Act - Designates the North American bison as the national mammal of the United States.
Topic: Environment — Species & Forest
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-09-13 00:00:00

Amends the Horse Protection Act (HPA) to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to prescribe regulatory requirements for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to license, train, assign, and oversee persons who are to be hired by the management of horse shows, exhibitions, sales, or auctions and are qualified to detect and diagnose sore horses or otherwise inspect horses at such events. (The soring of horses refers to the application of blistering agents, burns, lacerations, sharp objects, or other substances or devices to a horse's limb to produce a higher gait by making it painful for the horse to step down.) Replaces the current horse inspector appointment process under which the management of a horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction appoints inspectors with a new process requiring the Secretary to assign USDA-licensed inspectors after receiving notice that management intends to hire such inspectors. Specifies that the term "management" includes sponsoring organizations and event managers. Directs the Secretary to disqualify a horse the Secretary determines is sore for specified minimum time periods that increase after the first, second, and third instance. Prohibits a person from causing or directing a horse to become sore for the purpose of any horse show, exhibition, sale, or auction or allowing any such activity respecting a horse which is sore by the owner of such horse. Expands a list of activities designated as unlawful conduct under such Act to include a prohibition on showing, exhibiting, selling, or auctioning a Tennessee Walking, a Racking, or a Spotted Saddle horse with: (1) an action device; or (2) a weighted shoe, pad, wedge, hoof band, or other device or material if it is constructed to artificially alter the gait of such horses and is not strictly protective or therapeutic. Defines "action device" as any boot, collar, chain, roller, or other device that encircles or is placed upon the lower extremity of the leg of a horse in such a manner that it can: (1) rotate around the leg or slide up and down the leg, so as to cause friction; or (2) strike the hoof, coronet band, fetlock joint, or pastern of the horse. Increases the maximum criminal penalties and maximum civil liability penalties to the United States for certain HPA violations. Expands the categories of activities the Secretary may disqualify a violator of such Act from participating in to include: (1) transporting or arranging for the transportation of a horse to or from a show, exhibition, sale, or auction; (2) personally giving instructions to an exhibitor; (3) being knowingly present in a warm-up area, inspection area, or other area that spectators are not permitted; or (4) financing the participation of other individuals. Permits the Secretary to permanently disqualify a person with at least three violations after notice and an opportunity for a hearing.