jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Civil Rights — Gender Discrimination
Subject: Law
Date: 2016-12-08 00:00:00

This bill amends the Federal Rules of Evidence to establish a procedure to prohibit pro se criminal defendants (defendants representing themselves without a lawyer) accused of sexual assault of a minor under age 18 from cross-examining the minor.

Upon application by the prosecutor, the minor, or the minor's representative, the defendant is prohibited from conducting such a cross-examination unless the court finds that it is necessitated by exceptional circumstances to protect the defendant's constitutional rights. The cross-examination of the minor shall instead be conducted by an attorney for the defendant under the court's supervision.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2007-01-04 00:00:00

Intercountry Adoption Reform Act of 2007 or the ICARE Act - Establishes an Office of Intercountry Adoptions within the Department of State to be headed by the Ambassador at Large for Intercountry Adoptions. Transfers to the Office all functions with respect to intercountry adoptions currently performed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to revise: (1) conditions for automatic citizenship for children born outside the United States, including for adopted children; and (2) requirements concerning the history of parents' physical presence in the United States or its possessions. Defines the term "full and final adoption." Prescribes procedural requirements for the adoption of foreign-born children by U.S. citizens.Establishes a nonimmigrant W-visa for an adoptable child coming into the United States for adoption by a U.S. citizen and spouse or by an unmarried U.S. Citizen at least 25 years of age who has been approved by the Office of International Adoption of the Department of State. Sets forth the period of authorized admission for such a nonimmigrant.Exempts adopted children of 18 years of age or younger (currently, 10 years of age or younger) from immunization requirements.Redefines the term "adoptable child."Requires U.S. Citizen adoptive parents to obtain approval of an adoption petition prior to issuance of a visa or a full and final adoption decree. Subjects such petitions to the terms applicable to orphan petitions. Directs the Secretary of State to issue regulations: (1) establishing an expedited reapproval process for families whose prior approvals to adopt have expired; and (2) governing the appeal of petition denials.Prescribes procedural requirements for the issuance of a visa and a full and final adoption decree for foreign-born children, including requirements for the Ambassador to: (1) determine whether a child is an adoptable child; and (2) work with the competent authorities of the child's country of residence to establish a process for the exchange and approval of a certification that the child sought to be adopted meets the definition of an adoptable child.Requires the Secretary to issue a final decision regarding the child's eligibility as an adoptable child within 30 days. Allows an appeal.Provides for civil penalties and enforcement.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-01-11 00:00:00

Federal Customer Service Enhancement Act of 2008 - Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to prescribe guidance that establishes best practices to: (1) ensure that federal agencies are providing high quality customer service; and (2) monitor customer service quality at federal agencies. Requires customer service standards to take into account: (1) existing agency standards; (2) information collected from agency customers; and (3) approaches for government-wide citizen contact actions described in the Citizens Service Levels Interagency Committee Report by the General Services Administration (GSA) or any subsequent report. Requires the Director to: (1) prescribe guidance governing the implementation or updating of customer service standards and performance measures of agencies using such best practices and any specific customer service related principles applicable to individual agencies; and (2) issue an annual report on the success of agencies in meeting the standards for each of the five years after the date of enactment. Requires each agency to: (1) implement standards and performance measures required by this Act; (2) submit information OMB may require on its customer service in relation to such standards and measures; and (3) ensure that standards are continuously improved and that appropriate contact information regarding customer service inquiries is available. Requires the standards to be publicly available on the website of each agency. Directs the Comptroller General to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) whether agencies are implementing the customer service standards; (2) whether there is an increase in overall quality in customer service; and (3) recommendations to improve performance measures and standards for customer service. Authorizes the report to be used by Congress and the Director to update performance measures for customer service. Authorizes the head of a federal agency to establish a program to pay cash awards to employees for demonstrated excellence in customer service.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2007-01-16 00:00:00

Commission On Reforming Entitlement Spending Act, or CORE Spending Act - Establishes the Commission On Reforming Entitlement Spending to examine the long-term fiscal challenges facing the United States and develop legislation designed to address them. Authorizes the President and the House or Senate Budget Committee to submit alternatives to the legislative proposal submitted by the Commission. Requires the Director of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to prepare a long-term cost estimate of legislation proposed under this Act or a related amendment, and have it published in the Congressional Record as expeditiously as possible.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Law
Date: 2007-01-19 00:00:00

Amends the federal judicial code to provide for a person appointed as U.S. attorney to serve until the earlier of: (1) the qualification of a U.S. attorney for such district appointed by the President (as under current law); or (2) the expiration of 120 days after appointment by the Attorney General. Authorizes the U.S. district court for the particular district, if such a 120-day temporary appointment expires, to appoint a U.S. attorney to serve until the vacancy is filled. States that this Act is the exclusive means for appointing a person to perform temporarily the functions of a U.S. attorney for a district in which the office of a U.S. attorney is vacant.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2007-01-23 00:00:00

Earmark Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 - Prohibits a federal agency from obligating funds made available in an appropriation Act or other Act to implement an earmark that is included in a congressional report accompanying such legislation, unless the earmark is also included in the Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-02-12 00:00:00

Executive Branch Reform Act of 2007 - Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require recording and filing by each executive branch official with the Office of Government Ethics on any significant contact made between that official and any private party relating to an official government action. Outlines the authorities and responsibilities of the Director of the Office of Government Ethics with regard to such reports. Provides for penalties and fines. Sets prohibitions on covered executive branch officials who are entering or leaving government service. Amends the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act to: (1) prohibit a former federal agency contracting official from accepting compensation from a contractor as a lawyer or lobbyist of the contractor within a specified time frame; (2) prohibit former federal officials from accepting compensation from contractors if it is either a reward or if the acceptance of the compensation is inappropriate and affects the integrity of the procurement process; (3) require federal procurement officers to disclose job offers made on behalf of relatives; and (4) prohibit a federal employee who is a former employee of a contractor with the government from being personally and substantially involved with the award or administration of a contract to the employee's former employer for a specified period. Sets a prohibition on unauthorized expenditure of funds for publicity or propaganda purposes. Requires an advertisement or other communication paid for by an executive agency to disclose that such advertisement or communication is paid for by that agency. Directs each federal agency to submit to the Archivist of the United States and specified congressional committees a report describing the use of "pseudo" classification designations. Requires the Archivist to report on the use of such designations and promulgate regulations banning them. Defines "'pseudo' classification designations" as information control designations that are not defined by federal statute or Executive order relating to the classification of national security information but that are used to manage, direct, or route government information, or control its accessibility, regardless of its form or format.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Law
Date: 2007-03-05 00:00:00

Photo Identification Security Act - Restricts the forms of individual identification that may be accepted by the federal government or by financial institutions to the following: (1) a Social Security card accompanied by a photo identification card issued by the federal or a state government; (2) a driver's license or identification card issued by a state that is in compliance with the REAL ID Act of 2005; (3) a passport issued by the United States or a foreign government; and (4) a photo identification card issued by the Secretary of Homeland Security (acting through the Director of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services).
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-03-07 00:00:00

Government Credit Card Abuse Prevention Act of 2007 - Requires the head of each executive agency, except the Department of Defense (DOD), to: (1) establish safeguards and internal controls for purchase cards, convenience checks, and travel cards; and (2) prescribe regulations implementing such safeguards and controls that provide for adverse personnel actions or other punishment against employees for card violations, negligence, misuse, abuse, or fraud. Requires each agency Inspector General to: (1) periodically conduct risk assessments of agency purchase and travel card programs and associated internal controls, analyze weaknesses and the frequency of improper activity, and develop a plan to determine the scope, frequency, and number of periodic audits of cardholders; (2) perform periodic audits of card holders and report results to the agency head; and (3) report to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OBM) and the Comptroller General on the implementation of recommendations to address audit findings. Requires DOD regulations that govern the use and control of purchase cards and convenience checks that are issued to DOD personnel to include safeguards and internal controls to ensure that: (1) the Inspector Generals of DOD, the Army, the Navy, and the Airforce periodically conduct risk assessments of the DOD purchase card program and associated internal controls, analyze weaknesses and the frequency of improper activity, and develop a plan to determine the scope, frequency, and number of periodic audits of cardholders; (2) DOD utilizes technologies to prevent or identify fraudulent purchases, including controlling merchant codes and utilizing statistical machine learning and pattern recognition technologies that review the risk of every transaction; and (3) DOD invalidates the purchase card of terminated or transferred employees. Amends the Travel and Transportation Reform Act of 1998 to require each agency head to establish safeguards and internal controls over travel charge cards. Requires the Administrator of General Services to prescribe regulations governing the implementation of such safeguards and internal controls. Requires the heads of agencies that have employees who use centrally billed accounts to establish safeguards and internal controls to ensure that agencies: (1) compare items submitted on an employee's travel voucher with items paid using such an account; (2) dispute unauthorized charges and track disputed transactions to ensure appropriate resolution; and (3) submit requests for refunds for fully or partially unused tickets to the holder of the applicable contract for a centrally billed account.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Congress
Date: 2007-03-29 00:00:00

Congressional Commission on Civic Service Act - Establishes the Congressional Commission on Civic Service to make recommendations to Congress for: (1) improving the ability of individuals to serve others; (2) training leaders in public service organizations to better utilize individuals committed to national service and volunteerism as they manage human and fiscal resources; (3) identifying solutions to the barriers that make it difficult for some individuals to volunteer or perform national service; and (4) building on the foundation of current service and volunteer opportunities. Specifies topics to be addressed by the Commission, including deterrents to service, a mandatory service requirement, and the need for a public service academy.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-05-07 00:00:00

Contractor Accountability Act - Requires the head of each federal agency to annually report to Congress on each covered contract or order awarded or issued by the agency during the year. Requires the report to contain: (1) a certification that the agency has exercised oversight over each contract or order sufficient to ensure that each contractor is fulfilling the obligations specified; and (2) a list of the names of each contractor found to not be fulfilling its obligations.Requires each report to be publicly available on the agency's website. Requires the Comptroller General to report to Congress on agency compliance.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-05-09 00:00:00

Government Reform Act of 2007 - Establishes a Government Reform Commission to: (1) examine the current configuration of executive agencies and investigate their duties and responsibilities; (2) review agency operational jurisdictions to determine whether areas of overlap exist and whether the mission of any agency has become obsolete; (3) review and report to the President and Congress on existing Government Accountability Office (GAO), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), and Inspector General reports, together with any other existing governmental and nongovernmental recommendations, including those offered by the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Control, for reducing waste in executive agencies; (4) submit to the President and Congress a proposed reorganization plan which shall provide for the realignment or closure of executive agencies to reduce duplication of services and increase productivity; and (5) transmit a copy of the plan to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), who shall issue a public report detailing the predicted savings in federal expenditures that would result from implementing such plan. Sets forth separate provisions for presidential and congressional consideration of and actions on the proposed reorganization plan.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-05-15 00:00:00

Government Contact Act - Requires each executive agency to include: (1) its address and phone number on any agency stationery; and (2) the address and phone number of the regional or local office on the stationery in the case of correspondence originating from such office. Provides for exceptions where compliance would not be in national security interests.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2007-05-21 00:00:00

Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies Act - Establishes the Commission on the Accountability and Review of Federal Agencies to: (1) evaluate executive agencies and their programs; and (2) submit to Congress a plan recommending agencies and programs that should be realigned or eliminated and proposing implementing legislation. Requires the Commission to recommend: (1) realignment where a function performed by two or more agencies or programs can be consolidated; (2) realignment or elimination of any agency or program that has wasted federal funds; and (3) elimination of any agency or program that has completed its purpose, become irrelevant, or failed to meet objectives.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Agriculture and food
Date: 2007-05-22 00:00:00

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to contract with an independent reviewing authority to review the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at all headquarters offices of the Department of Agriculture's Rural Development office and its Natural Resources Conservation Service, including: (1) the headquarters offices in Washington, DC; and (2) all state offices. Prohibits the Secretary from merging any county Rural Development office with a county office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any county office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service with a county Rural Development office before the later of: (1) the date on which the Secretary determines that each headquarters office has implemented the recommendations contained in the report required under this Act; or (2) October 1, 2008.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2007-05-22 00:00:00

Prohibits the designation of any agency, bureau, or other entity of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) as a separate agency or bureau for purposes of post employment restrictions on communications with DHS personnel.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2007-05-24 00:00:00

Congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery Act - Defines "modern-day slavery." Establishes a congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-day Slavery which shall: (1) study matters relating to modern-day slavery; (2) review programs of relevant governmental agencies; (3) examine efforts by foreign countries and multilateral organizations to combat modern-day slavery; and (4) convene additional experts from nongovernmental organizations as part of the Commission's review. States that the Commission shall: (1) advise Congress on how the United States could support efforts to eradicate modern-day slavery; (2) evaluate comparative strategies to prevent modern-day slavery, rescue and rehabilitate its victims, and prosecute traffickers and increase accountability within countries; (3) examine the economic impact on communities and countries that demonstrate measured success in fighting modern-day slavery; (4) evaluate the effectiveness of U.S. laws prohibiting the importation of goods produced through forced labor or child labor; (5) evaluate U.S. trade policy's effect on modern slavery, including a list of the 10 countries with the highest number of slaves within their borders; and (6) evaluate U.S. government procurement policies regarding slave-made goods or services. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of a report required under this Act.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Congress
Date: 2007-07-31 00:00:00

Government Accountability Office Act of 2007 - Revises certain administrative requirements for the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Requires the Comptroller General (not the President, as currently) to appoint the Deputy Comptroller General, who shall serve at the Comptroller General's pleasure. Establishes an Office of the Inspector General in GAO. Requires the Comptroller General's annual report to Congress to assess the overall degree of federal agency cooperation with GAO audits. Requires any executive agency (or component) that prepares an audited financial statement (or related schedule) to reimburse GAO the cost of any GAO audit. Amends the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to revise the coverage of certain GAO officers and employees under its financial disclosure requirements. Increases from 15 to 20 the number of experts and consultants whose services the Comptroller General may procure for renewable three-year terms at rates up to level IV of the Executive Schedule. Makes funds appropriated to GAO for salaries and expenses also available for recruitment-related meals and entertainment. Authorizes GAO to accept any money or property received as a gift, devise, bequest, grant, or otherwise to aid or facilitate its work. Revises the highest basic pay rate for GAO personnel from GS-15 to Executive Level III. Caps the Comptroller General's annuity at level II of the Executive Schedule instead of his or her basic pay rate. Revises requirements for: (1) the pay rates for senior-level positions at GAO; (2) voluntary separation incentive payments; and (3) basic pay for retirement.
Topic: Government Operations — Bureaucracy
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Date: 2007-08-01 00:00:00

Community Broadband Act of 2007 - Prohibits any state or local government statute, regulation, or other legal requirement from having the effect of prohibiting any public provider from providing advanced communications capability to any person or any public or private entity. Defines "public provider" as a state or a political subdivision or instrumentality thereof or any entity owned, controlled, or otherwise affiliated with a state, subdivision, or instrumentality. Prohibits a public provider from granting any regulatory preference to itself or to any provider it owns or is affiliated with. Requires, subject to exception, a public provider, before it provides advanced communications capability or services, to publish notice and provide local citizens and private-sector entities with an opportunity to be heard.