jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Transportation — Infrastructure
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-07-29 00:00:00

National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2015

Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation.

Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds.

Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance.

Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds.

Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee.

Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance.

Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs.

 Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank from state or local government taxation.

Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes.

Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.
Topic: Transportation — Infrastructure
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-05-12 00:00:00

Build USA Act 

This bill establishes the American Infrastructure Bank as a wholly owned government corporation.

The Bank's Board of Directors has authority, among other operations, to issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to core infrastructure projects from bond proceeds.

State governments may enter into minimum three-year remittance agreements with the Bank under which:

 a state agrees to remit to the Bank at least 60% of the total amount of federal-aid highway activities funds it receives from the federal government in each of the three years, the Board will issue to the state funds from the Bank equal to 90% of the amount the state remitted to the Bank, and the state will use those funds to carry out core infrastructure projects. The Bank may grant a loan to a state or a unit of local government to implement core transportation infrastructure projects.

The deduction from gross income under the Internal Revenue Code for temporary dividends received from a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) decreases from 85% to 81.4% of the cash dividends received by a U.S. corporate shareholder from a CFC during the taxable year. Allowance of the deduction applies, if the taxpayer elects it, to the three-taxable year period beginning with:

 the taxpayer's last taxable year which begins before the enactment of this Act, or the taxpayer's first taxable year which begins during the one-year period beginning on that date of enactment.
Topic: Transportation — Infrastructure
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-06-16 00:00:00

Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act or the BRIDGE Act

 Establishes the Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and managed by a Board of Directors, which shall provide direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $50 million ($10 million for rural infrastructure projects).

Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas.

Establishes an Office of Technical and Rural Assistance to:

 provide technical assistance to state and local governments and parties in public-private partnerships in the development and financing of eligible, including rural, infrastructure projects; and establish a regional infrastructure accelerator demonstration program. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the business activities of IFA.

Prohibits IFA financing of a project if:

 it is private or does not create a public benefit, or the loan applicant is unable to demonstrate a sufficient revenue stream. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for eligible infrastructure projects and for the repayment of such loans. Requires an annual independent audit of IFA finances.

Requires the President, immediately after IFA approves financing for a proposed project, to convene a meeting of representatives of all permitting agencies to:

 establish a permitting timetable for the environmental review of a project, and coordinate with relevant state agencies and regional infrastructure development agencies in the review of such projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of IFA to:

 establish fees with respect to loans and loan guarantees that are sufficient to cover IFA's administrative costs; and take actions to make IFA a self-sustaining entity, with administrative and federal credit subsidy costs fully funded by fees and risk premiums on loans and loan guarantees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $15 billion to $16 billion the aggregate amount of proceeds from tax-exempt facility bonds the Department of Transportation shall allocate among qualified highway or surface freight transfer facilities.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2007-09-20 00:00:00

Homecoming Enhancement Research and Oversight Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for a study of the physical and mental health and other readjustment needs of members and former members of the Armed Forces who deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, and their families. Requires: (1) reports, from the Academy to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs and from the Secretary to Congress, on such study; (2) the public availability of the reports; (3) such Secretaries to develop a joint plan to address report findings; and (4) the public availability of the Secretaries' response.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2007-10-22 00:00:00

Border Security Technology Innovation Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Requires the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that any federal government interagency or intra-agency agreement entered into by the Under Secretary to develop and transition new technology explicitly characterizes the requirements, expected use, and concept of operations for that technology.(Sec. 3) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to terminate the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee on December 31, 2012 (currently, 2008).(Sec. 4) Requires the Under Secretary to enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council for a one-year assessment of the basic science research needs in the border and maritime security domain.(Sec. 5) Directs: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office to research and develop technologies to permit routine operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, including autonomously piloted drones, within the national airspace for border and maritime security missions without degradation of existing safety levels for national airspace system users; and (2) the Secretary to coordinate with the Director and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enter into pilot projects in sparsely populated, low-density Class G air traffic airspace to conduct experiments and collect data to accelerate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as part of research activities of the Office.(Sec. 6) Requires: (1) the Under Secretary to research and develop technologies to permit detection of near surface voids, such as tunnels, with an emphasis on technologies with real time capability; and (2) the Secretary to coordinate with other federal agencies to ensure the integration of such research and development activities with their efforts.(Sec. 7) Requires the Under Secretary and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a joint research and development program on anticounterfeit technologies and standards.(Sec. 8) Directs the Under Secretary to study and report to Congress on the need for next generation global positioning system technology as it relates to border security.(Sec. 9) Directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to establish a research program on the use of mobile biometric technology at the nation's borders between the ports of entry. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the program is coordinated with other DHS biometric identification programs.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2007-05-17 00:00:00

Amends the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 relating to the defense nanotechnology research and development program (program) to: (1) revise program purposes; (2) replace the Director of Defense Research and Engineering with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics as program administrator; (3) outline program activities, including the development of a strategic plan for defense nanotechnology research and development that is integrated with the strategic plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative; and (4) extend through 2011 program report requirements. Requires a report from the Comptroller General to the congressional defense and appropriations committees on progress made by the Department of Defense (DOD) in achieving program purposes.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2009-03-16 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Defense to contract with a federally funded research and development center to carry out a comprehensive study of policies, procedures, organization, and regulatory constraints affecting the acquisition of technologies supporting network-centric operations. Requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to carry out an independent study of the same subject.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2010-04-15 00:00:00

Light Weight Armor Research Requirements for Individual Operational Readiness Act or LT WARRIOR Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish the Joint Task Force Light Weight Armor Research Requirements for Individual Operational Readiness, or JTF-LT WARRIOR, to: (1) synchronize efforts among the military departments to identify and examine the requirements for lighter weight body armor; and (2) serve as the centralized body for determining and coordinating issues regarding such armor and other personal protective equipment, including its development and procurement. Requires the Task Force to report to the Secretary semiannually over a two-year period recommending ways to more effectively address the research, development, and procurement requirements regarding reducing the weight of body armor.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2010-06-30 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to: (1) conduct a study on the ability of the major air test and training range infrastructure to support the full spectrum of Air Force operations; (2) develop a master plan for requirements and proposed investments to meet Air Force training and test needs through 2025; and (3) submit to the congressional defense and appropriations committees an interim and final report on the master plan.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2011-03-29 00:00:00

Reduces by 10% the amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012 for studies, analysis, and evaluations under Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and defense-wide operation and maintenance funds.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2013-04-09 00:00:00

Tinnitus Research and Treatment Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) recognize tinnitus as a condition for research and treatment by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Auditory Centers of Excellence; (2) recognize the need to enhance the research and treatment of tinnitus and to ensure the allocation of appropriate resources for such research and treatment conducted by such Centers, commensurate with peer-review protocols; and (3) ensure VA cooperation with the Hearing Center of Excellence established by the Department of Defense (DOD) to further research on tinnitus.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2014-04-04 00:00:00

DoD Laboratory Authorities for Breakthrough Scientific Research Act or the DoD LABS Research Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense (DOD) from disallowing an employee of a defense laboratory from traveling to a technical symposium or conference if the head of such laboratory determines that there is a sufficient amount available to the laboratory for such travel and approves such travel using standard travel approval procedures.

Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to allow the director of any DOD science and technology laboratory to appoint as an employee, through 2019, any student enrolled in a program of undergraduate or graduate instruction leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in a scientific, technical, engineering, mathematical, or medical course of study. (Under current law, such a director may only appoint through such period a candidate already possessing a bachelor's degree or a qualified veteran.)

Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional defense committees on the implementation and use by DOD of specified hiring authorities provided under federal law, prior defense authorization Acts, and the Intergovernmental Personnel Act.

Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to reinstate and make permanent a DOD personnel program for the hiring of scientific and technical personnel.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2013-03-11 00:00:00

Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award grants to carry out research for the advancement of orthotic and prosthetic clinical care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other serious physical injury as a result of combat or military experience. Includes under such research the prevention of amputations, orthotic and prosthetic intervention, and orthotics and prosthetic materials and technology research.
Topic: Defense — R&D
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2013-05-07 00:00:00

Veterans Affairs Research Transparency Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available on a publicly-available Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website: (1) data files that contain information on VA research, (2) a data dictionary on each data file, and (3) instructions on how to obtain access to each data file for use in research.

Directs the Secretary, within 540 days after enactment of this Act, to require, as a condition on the use of any data gathered or formulated from research funded by the VA, that any final, peer-reviewed manuscript prepared for publication that uses such data be submitted to the Secretary for deposit in a digital archive (established by the Secretary under this Act). Requires such archive to be publicly available.

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive to submit to the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) options and recommendations for establishing a program of long-term cooperation and data-sharing between and within the VA and DOD to facilitate research on outcomes of military service, readjustment after combat deployment, and other topics of importance to veterans, members of the Armed Forces (members), their families, and members of communities that have a significant population of veterans or members.
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2007-09-24 00:00:00

Directs the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to jointly conduct a study (with annual updates) on employment fields with the greatest need for employees in various geographic areas. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make the study's findings available on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2008-06-19 00:00:00

Summer Travel Delay Prevention Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop: (1) a plan for opening up to commercial flights special use airspace for additional lanes of air traffic at specific choke points; and (2) a permanent plan for sharing military airspace off the eastern U.S. coast by such flights. Authorizes the Director of the New York Integration Office of the FAA to transfer appropriated amounts for Office operations to flight delay reduction projects in airspace over the New York-New Jersey region. Requires the FAA Administrator to establish an Aviation Traveler Task Force to: (1) clarify interpretations of FAA safety directives with which air carriers will soon need to comply; (2) develop contingency plans in the event that additional aircraft do not comply with such safety directives and need to be grounded; and (3) design a notification system to alert passengers of potential service disruptions.
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Labor and employment
Date: 2009-04-23 00:00:00

National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act - Establishes the National Commission on Employment and Economic Security to: (1) examine the effects of economic and psychological insecurity caused by employment displacement and the decreasing number of well-paid jobs on U.S. workers and their families; and (2) recommend to the President and Congress potential solutions, including legislative and administrative action, to alleviate such problems.
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2009-11-16 00:00:00

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the temporary (through June 2011) increase in the rate of the unemployment tax (thus reducing such rate from 6.2% to 6.0% of total wages).
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Labor and employment
Date: 2009-12-10 00:00:00

Amends title XII (Advances to State Unemployment Fund) of the Social Security Act, as added by the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, to extend through December 31, 2012, the waiver of certain interest payments on advances made to states from the federal unemployment account in the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Thus continues temporary assistance for states with such advances.)
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2009-08-06 00:00:00

Increases the federal share of federal-aid highway construction projects for FY2011 and FY2012 for any state with an unemployment rate equal to or exceeding 11% at any time during FY2009 and FY2010. Increases the federal share of costs for FY2011-FY2012: (1) from 90% to 95% for Interstate System projects; and (2) from 80% to 85% for other transportation projects. Suspends certain eligibility requirements with respect to the use of tolls as a credit toward the non-federal share of project costs in such states for those fiscal years. Makes eligible for use as such a credit for such fiscal years any tolls that were not previously eligible. Suspends, as well, certain state transportation capital expenditure maintenance of effort requirements during FY2011-FY2012.
Topic: Macroeconomics — Unemployment Rate
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2009-09-10 00:00:00

Business Incubator Promotion Act - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act to include among the Act's goals encouraging distressed communities to support the formation of business incubators to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in economically distressed areas. Defines "business incubator" as an entity established to foster the startup of businesses or accelerate the growth of fledgling companies by providing entrepreneurs with resources and services to produce viable businesses that can help create jobs and restore vitality to distressed areas, excluding an entity organized primarily as for-profit venture. Modifies criteria for the eligibility of an area for grants under such Act for public works and economic development or economic adjustment projects to require an area to have had an unemployment rate of at least 1% greater than the national average for the most recent 12-month (currently, 24-month) period for which data are available. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) increase the federal share for public works and economic development project grants based upon an area's unemployment rate or per capita income compared to the national average; and (2) reduce or waive the non-federal or local share required for participation in such grant assistance for a special need area in cases of severe economic distress. Authorizes the Secretary to provide competitive grants for: (1) the development and implementation of feasibility studies and plans for the creation or expansion of business incubators; and (2) the temporary support of operations of business incubators that is essential to self-sustainability.