jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-01-21 00:00:00

Regulations From the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2015

 States that the purpose of this Act is to increase accountability for and transparency in the federal regulatory process by requiring Congress to approve all new major regulations.

Revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking to require a federal agency promulgating a rule to include in its report to Congress and to the Comptroller General a classification of the rule as a major or nonmajor rule.

Requires a joint resolution of approval of major rules to be enacted before such rules may take effect. Provides that if a joint resolution of approval is not enacted by the end of 70 session days or legislative days, as applicable, after the agency proposing the rule submits its report on such rule to Congress, the major rule shall be deemed not to be approved and shall not take effect. Permits a major rule to take effect for one 90-calendar day period without such approval if the President determines it is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or other emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement.

Sets forth the congressional approval procedure for major rules and the congressional disapproval procedure for nonmajor rules.

Requires the introduction of a joint resolution addressing a report classifying a rule as a major rule within three legislative days in the House of Representative and three session days in the Senate. Prohibits any amendments to such a joint resolution at any stage of the legislative process. Provides for expedited consideration of a joint resolution of approval and requires a vote on such resolution in the Senate within 15 session days after it is reported by the committee to which it was referred, or after such committee has been discharged from further consideration of the resolution.

Allows a court to review whether an agency has completed the necessary requirements under this Act for a rule to take effect. Limits the effect of a joint resolution of approval of a major rule.

Prohibits an agency from allowing a major rule to take effect without the congressional review procedures set forth in this Act.

Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to provide that any congressional approval procedure set forth in this Act affecting budget authority, outlays, or receipts shall be assumed to be effective unless it is not approved in accordance with this Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-01-22 00:00:00

Duplication Elimination Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the President to send Congress a proposed joint resolution and a special message within 180 days of publication of the annual Government Accountability Office (GAO) report on duplicative government programs.

The joint resolution must: (1) address the recommendations contained in the GAO report and included by the President, (2) eliminate or consolidate programs identified in the GAO report as duplicative or fragmented, and (3) require savings from legislative changes to be transferred to the Treasury for deficit reduction.

Before the proposed joint resolution is transmitted to Congress, the President must consult with: (1) Congress to provide an opportunity for feedback, alternative recommendations, and input regarding which GAO report recommendations should not be addressed by the proposed joint resolution; and (2) the GAO.

The bill requires the special message to specify:

 the GAO recommendations that are excluded from the proposed joint resolution, why the recommendations were excluded, the GAO recommendations included in the joint resolution, and programs included in the GAO report that should be eliminated or consolidated. The bill sets forth procedures and time periods for congressional introduction, expedited consideration, amendments, and points of order for the joint resolution.

The sponsor of the joint resolution must exclude, and it shall be out of order for the Senate or the House of Representatives to consider, provisions that: (1) are unnecessary to eliminate or consolidate programs in GAO-identified actions or areas of duplication, (2) are not germane to the GAO report, or (3) affect direct spending.

In the Senate, the joint resolution shall be agreed to only upon an affirmative three-fifths vote.

The bill provides procedures for the coordination of consideration between chambers and the consideration of presidential vetoes of such joint resolutions.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-01-28 00:00:00

Taxpayer Transparency Act of 2015 

Requires each communication funded by a federal agency for advertising or educational purposes to clearly state: (1) in the case of a printed communication, including mass mailings, signs, and billboards, that the communication is printed and published at taxpayer expense; and (2) in the case of a communication transmitted through radio, television, or the Internet, that the communication is produced and disseminated at taxpayer expense.

Requires any such printed communication, including e-mails, to be of sufficient size to be clearly readable, to be set apart from the other contents of the communication, and to be printed with a reasonable degree of color contrast between the background and the printed statement. Exempts from such requirements: (1) information in or relating to a solicitation for offers for a federal contract or applications or submissions of a bid or proposal for a federal grant or other means of funding under a federal program; and (2) advertisements for employment opportunities, not including advertising materials developed for use in recruiting and retaining personnel for the Armed Forces.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-01-29 00:00:00

Responsible Use of Taxpayer Dollars for Portraits Act of 2015

 Prohibits federal funds from being used to pay for production of a portrait of: (1) a Member of Congress, (2) the head of an executive agency, or (3) the head of an agency or office of the legislative branch.

Authorizes up to $20,000 in federal funds to pay for production of a portrait of an individual in line of succession to the presidency.

Provides that nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the use of:

 federal funds to publicly display a portrait of: (1) a Member of Congress, (2) the head of an executive agency, or (3) the head of an agency or office of the legislative branch; or nonfederal funds to produce a portrait of such individual, including, in the case of a portrait of an individual in line of succession to the presidency, the use of nonfederal funds to pay the entire cost of producing it or the portion of the cost that exceeds $20,000, if any.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-02-04 00:00:00

Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2015 

Defines a "covered civil action" as a civil action seeking to compel agency action and alleging that an agency is unlawfully withholding or unreasonably delaying an agency action relating to a regulatory action that would affect: (1) the rights of private persons other than the person bringing the action; or (2) a state, local, or tribal government. Defines a "covered consent decree" or a "covered settlement agreement" as: (1) a consent decree or settlement agreement entered into a covered civil action, and (2) any other consent decree or settlement agreement that requires agency action relating to such a regulatory action that affects the rights of such persons or governments.

Requires an agency against which a covered civil action is brought to publish the notice of intent to sue and the complaint in a readily accessible manner, including by making such notice and complaint available online not later than 15 days after receiving service of such notice or complaint

Requires an agency seeking to enter a covered consent decree or settlement agreement to publish such decree or agreement in the Federal Register and online not later than 60 days before it is filed with the court. Provides for public comment and public hearings on such decree or agreement.

Requires the Attorney General or an agency head, if an agency is litigating a matter independently, to certify to the court that the Attorney General or the agency head approves of: (1) any proposed covered consent decree that includes terms that convert into a nondiscretionary duty a discretionary authority of an agency to propose, promulgate, revise, or amend regulations, commit an agency to expend funds that have not been appropriated and budgeted or to seek a particular appropriation or budget authorization, divest an agency of discretion committed to it by statute or the Constitution, or otherwise afford any relief that the court could not enter under its own authority; or (2) any proposed covered settlement agreement that includes terms that provide a remedy for a failure by the agency to comply with the terms of the agreement other than the revival of the civil action resolved by the agreement, interfere with the authority of an agency to revise, amend, or issue rules, or commit the agency to expend funds that have not been appropriated and budgeted or to exercise in a particular way discretion which was committed to the agency by statute or the Constitution.

Requires a court to grant de novo review of a covered consent decree or settlement agreement if an agency files a motion to modify such decree or agreement on the basis that its terms are no longer fully in the public interest due to the agency's obligations to fulfill other duties or due to changed facts and circumstances.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2015-02-10 00:00:00

Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015

This bill modifies the rule making requirements and procedures of federal agencies (excluding Congress, U.S. courts, U.S. territories and possession, and the District of Columbia) under the Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) and the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (SBREFA). The definition of "rule" under RFA is expanded to include all agency rules, except for rules that pertain to the protection of the rights of, or benefits for, veterans or rules of particular (and not general) applicability relating to rates, wages, and other financial indicators. Under a new definition of "economic impact," agencies are required to consider any direct economic effect of a proposed rule on small entities and any indirect economic effect on small entities that is reasonably foreseeable and that results from such rule.

Under the bill, agencies are required to modify their rulemaking procedures to:

 include within initial and final regulatory flexibility analyses a detailed statement of information relating to a proposed rule; include in the agency regulatory flexibility agenda a description of the sector of the North American Industrial Classification System that is affected by a proposed agency rule that is likely to have a significant economic impact of a substantial number of small entities; require each initial regulatory flexibility analysis to contain detailed information about a proposed rule, including an estimate of the additional cumulative economic impact of the proposed rule on small entities, any disproportionate economic impact on small entities, and any impairment of the ability of small entities to have access to credit; eliminate waivers or delays of an initial regulatory flexibility analysis; modify the procedures for participation of small entities in the promulgation of a proposed rule and the review panel advocacy process; and publish a plan for the periodic review of existing rules and new rules that have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities to determine whether such rules should be continued, changed, or rescinded. Judicial review of an agency final rule for compliance with RFA requirements is allowed after the publication of such rule, instead of after completion of the rulemaking process.

The Small Business Act is amended to authorize the Chief Counsel for Advocacy of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to make small business size standard determinations for all purposes other than for the purposes of such Act or the Small Business Investment Act of 1958.

SBREFA is amended to require agencies, in preparing small entity compliance guides, to solicit input from affected small entities or associations of small entities.

The Comptroller General must complete and publish a study that examines whether the SBA Chief Counsel for Advocacy has the capacity and resources to carry out duties under this Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-02-10 00:00:00

Domestic Reduction In Vehicle Expenditure and Lowering Emissions from State Sources Act of 2015 or the DRIVE LESS Act

Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to determine: (1) the total number of civilian vehicles purchased and leased by each executive agency in FY2010, (2) the total dollar amount obligated by each executive agency to purchase and to lease civilian vehicles in FY2010, and (3) the amount that would be 20% less than such total dollar amount. Prohibits each executive agency from obligating more than the reduced dollar amount for FY2010 to purchase and lease civilian vehicles in each of FY2016-FY2020. Exempts the purchase or procurement of any vehicle determined by the President to be essential for reasons of national security.

Directs the Administrator of General Services to ensure that agencies may share excess or unused vehicles for temporary or long-term use through the Federal Fleet Management System.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-02-27 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on July 28, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Federal Improper Payments Coordination Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Amends the Improper Payments Elimination and Recovery Improvement Act of 2012 to extend the availability of the Do Not Pay Initiative to states, any contractor, subcontractor, or agent of a state, and the judicial and legislative branches of the United States. Authorizes the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidance for establishing privacy and other requirements for incorporation into Do Not Pay Initiative access agreements with states and judicial and legislative branches.

(Sec. 3) Modifies such Act to require each federal agency to review the death records maintained by the Social Security Administration (SSA) (currently, the Death Master File of SSA).

Directs the Departments of Defense and State to establish a procedure for submitting information on the deaths of individuals to federal agencies promptly and on a regular basis.

Requires the OMB and the heads of other relevant governmental entities to issue guidance on the implementation of the Do Not Pay Initiative to the Department of the Treasury and each agency and component of an agency: (1) that operates or maintains a database of information; or (2) for which the OMB determines improved data matching would be relevant, necessary, or beneficial.

(Sec. 4) Directs Treasury to submit a report to Congress that describes: (1) data analytics performed as part of the Do Not Pay Business Center operated by Treasury, (2) metrics used in determining whether analytic and investigatory efforts have reduced improper payments or awards, and (3) the target dates for implementing the data analytics operations.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-03-11 00:00:00

Regulatory Improvement Act of 2015

Establishes in the legislative branch the Regulatory Improvement Commission.

Requires the Commission to evaluate and make recommendations and propose legislation for modification, consolidation, or repeal of regulations that have been finalized not later than 10 years before the establishment of the Commission (covered regulations) for the purpose of reducing compliance costs, encouraging growth and innovation, improving competitiveness, and protecting public safety.

 Requires the Commission to give priority to covered regulations that: (1) impose disproportionately high costs on a small entity, (2) create substantial recurring paperwork burdens or transaction costs, or (3) could be made more effective while reducing regulatory costs.

Sets forth reporting requirements for the Commission and procedures for congressional consideration of Commission reports and recommendations and proposed legislation.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2015-03-17 00:00:00

Expedited Consideration of Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 to establish expedited procedures for congressional consideration of legislation to carry out recommendations included in the Office of Management and Budget's annual Cuts, Consolidations, and Savings report. The report lists proposals included in the President's budget to cut, consolidate, or otherwise produce savings from mandatory and discretionary spending programs. The authority provided by this bill terminates on the date of the sine die adjournment of Congress during 2018.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Date: 2015-03-18 00:00:00

NTIS Elimination Act

Repeals the National Technical Information Act of 1988, which provided for establishment of the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), effective one year after the enactment of this Act.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce, the Archivist of the United States, and the Comptroller General to consult with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to determine if any NTIS activity or function is critical to the national economy and is not being carried out by any other federal government agency, instrumentality, or contractor. Authorizes the the Secretary to transfer responsibility for any such activity or function to another office within Commerce. Directs the Secretary, before one year after enactment of this Act, to certify that all other NTIS operations have been terminated.

Defines as "critical to the national economy" an activity or function that promotes U.S. economic growth by providing access to information that stimulates innovation and discovery.

Authorizes Commerce to continue to maintain a permanent repository of nonclassified scientific, technical, and engineering information, which shall be publicly available and searchable in a format useful to American industry, business, libraries, and research institutions. Requires all federal entities to send electronic copies of all nonclassified scientific, technical, and engineering reports and information to Commerce for inclusion in the repository.

Directs the Department of the Treasury to transfer all unexpended balances in the NTIS Revolving Fund to Commerce to be expended solely for the maintenance of the repository and to dissolve the Fund.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-03-19 00:00:00

Regulatory Examination Vital for Improving and Evaluating Working Solutions Act of 2015 or the REVIEWS Act

This bill makes existing rules of a federal agency (i.e. each authority of the federal government, except the Congress, U.S. courts, the governments of U.S. territories or possessions, and the government of the District of Columbia) inoperative 10 years after promulgation, but allows extensions for additional periods of not more than 10 years if the agency promulgates the expiring rule in compliance with the notice and comment requirements of the Administrative Procedure Act.

The bill expands the definition of "final agency action" for purposes of judicial review to include interpretative rules, general statements of policy, and rules of agency organization, procedure or practice issued by an agency.

The bill grants exclusive jurisdiction to the federal courts of appeal (except for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) to review all rules of an agency that cease to be effective under this Act and that the agency continues to enforce.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-14 00:00:00

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to report on and make public the outcomes of specified green building programs administered by DOE and listed in the Government Accountability Office's "2012 Annual Report: Opportunities to Reduce Duplication, Overlap and Fragmentation, Achieve Savings, and Enhance Revenue."

DOE must conduct an analysis of whether any of the programs should be eliminated or consolidated and report on methods to improve the programs.

By January 1, 2016, DOE must identify which programs were specifically authorized by Congress and which are carried out solely under DOE's discretionary authority.