jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-04-14 00:00:00

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

Military Spouse Job Continuity Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow the spouse of a member of the Armed Forces (military spouse) who moves with such member to another state under a permanent change of station order a tax credit for up to $500 of qualified relicensing costs incurred by such spouse for each change of duty station. Defines "qualified relicensing costs" as costs for a state license or certification to engage in the profession that such military spouse engaged in while residing in the former state and which are paid or incurred during the period beginning when the relocation order is issued and ending one year after the reporting date specified in such order. Requires a reduction in the amount of such credit by any tax deduction or other credit allowed for qualified relicensing costs. Makes this tax credit effective for taxable years beginning after 2014.

(Sec. 3) Increases from 30% to 40% the rate of the continuous levy on payments to Medicare providers and suppliers for unpaid taxes, effective for payments made after 180 days after the enactment of this Act.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-05-18 00:00:00

This bill amends the charter of the Gold Star Wives of America corporation to remove the prohibition on the corporation or a director or officer contributing to, supporting, or participating in any political activity or in any manner attempting to influence legislation.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-05-21 00:00:00

Veterans' Survivors Claims Processing Automation Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to pay burial and funeral expenses, accrued benefits, dependency and indemnity compensation, and non-service connected disability or death pension amounts to a survivor of a veteran who has not filed a formal claim if the VA determines that the record contains sufficient evidence to establish the survivor's entitlement to such benefits.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-06-11 00:00:00

This bill addresses medical evidence reviews in the case of: (1) a former member of the Armed Forces who was deployed in a contingency operation and subsequently diagnosed as suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury as a consequence of such deployment, or (2) a former member whose application for relief from the terms of his or her military discharge is based in whole or in part on matters relating to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury related to combat or military sexual trauma.

Any board of review shall:

 review medical evidence of the Department of Veterans Affairs or a civilian health care provider presented by the former member, and review the case with a rebuttable presumption in favor of the former member that post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury materially contributed to the circumstances resulting in the discharge of a lesser characterization.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-06-17 00:00:00

Arm All Pilots Act of 2015

This bill revises requirements for the federal flight deck officer program.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall designate additional training facilities for:

 firearms training and recurrent training for federal flight deck officers, and initial firearm training and certification of pilots seeking to be deputized as federal flight deck officers. DHS (formerly, the Under Secretary of Transportation for Security of the Department of Transportation) shall:

 require officers, but no less than once every six months, to requalify to carry firearms on domestic flights; and permit officers to requalify at certified private or government-owned gun ranges. DHS may require certain limitations on initial and recurrent training for such officers.

The bill revises the authority of federal flight deck officers to carry firearms on domestic and foreign flights.

DHS may not establish medical or physical standards for a pilot to become a federal flight deck officer inconsistent with or more stringent than Federal Aviation Administration requirements for issuance of a first- or second-class airman medical certificate.

A pilot deputized as a federal flight deck officer may move from inactive to active status after completing one recurrent training program.

DHS shall allow officers to be screened through the Transportation Security Administration's Known Crew Member program when entering an airport sterile area.

Each air carrier certifying to DHS that it has a pilot deputized as a federal flight deck officer on all its flights shall receive a refund of up to 10% of security service fees collected from passengers on flights operated by that air carrier.

DHS shall revise certain federal regulations to classify information about deputized pilots as sensitive security information.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-06-18 00:00:00

This bill prohibits any reduction in the amount of basic housing allowance, as of September 30, 2015, for a member of the uniformed services who is married to another member of the uniformed services, unless the member and the member's spouse: (1) undergo a permanent change of station requiring a change of residence, or (2) move into or commence living in on-base housing.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-10-07 00:00:00

Military Enlistment Opportunity Act of 2015

Amends citizenship and residency qualifications for enlistment in the U.S. Armed Forces to permit enlistment of additional persons who: (1) have resided continuously in a lawful status in the United States for at least two years, or (2) possess an employment authorization document issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under requirements of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy entitled Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

 Requires authorized enlistees who are not citizens or other nationals of the United States or lawfully admitted for permanent residence to be adjusted to the status of an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under an exception to specified provisions of Immigration and Nationality Act. (Such enlistees need not establish that they entered the United States prior to January 1, 1972, or comply with other specified requirements.)

Directs DHS to rescind such adjusted status if the person is separated from the armed forces under other than honorable conditions before the person served for a period or periods aggregating five years.

Deems any person who has received an award from the U.S. Armed Forces for engagement in active combat or active participation in combat to have satisfied specified naturalization requirements.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-11-19 00:00:00

SCRA Rights Protection Act of 2015 

 This bill amends the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) to make any predispute arbitration agreement invalid or unenforceable against a servicemember, or a servicemember and the servicemember's spouse jointly, with respect to any controversy subject to such Act.

A servicemember's waiver of any SCRA rights and protections shall be effective only if made after a specific dispute has arisen and the dispute is identified in the waiver.

A representative of members of an aggrieved class, or a member of such class, may bring a private civil action for a violation of any SCRA rights or protections.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-12-15 00:00:00

Military Family Stability Act of 2015

This bill allows a member of the Armed Forces undergoing a permanent change of station and the member's spouse to elect jointly that the spouse may relocate to the new location at the time during the covered relocation period as the member and spouse jointly select.

The following families shall be eligible:

 the spouse is employed, or enrolled in a degree-, certificate-, or license-granting program, at the beginning of the covered relocation period; the member and spouse have one or more children in school; the spouse or children are covered under the Exceptional Family Member Program; the member and spouse are caring for an immediate family member with a chronic or long-term illness; or the member is undergoing a permanent change of station as an individual augmentee or other deployment arrangement. Families with other needs may receive exceptions granted by military commanders on a case-by-case basis.

A member undergoing a permanent change of station who has one or more specified dependents and is no longer married to the individual who is or was the parent of such dependents at the beginning of the covered period of relocation may elect that such dependents relocate to the new location as follows:

 by the member alone if the former spouse is dead or has no custodial rights, or by the member and the former spouse jointly in all other circumstances. A member may not make:

 more than three elections; or any election unless the member's period of obligated service, or the time remaining under the member's enlistment contract, at the time of election is at least 24 months. The bill prescribes related housing and housing allowance requirements.

Transportation allowances authorized for personal property of a member and spouse may be allocated as the member and spouse select.

The Department of Defense shall establish a single application approval process for coverage under this Act which shall apply uniformly among the Armed Forces.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-02-02 00:00:00

Cyber Command Employment Personnel Training Act of 2016

This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to provide training to DOD employment personnel on matters relating to recruitment and retention of employees at the United States Cyber Command who: (1) carry out human resources management functions or who write hiring and pay guidance, or (2) are employed in supervisory positions or have responsibilities relating to the hiring of individuals for such positions.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-02-25 00:00:00

This bill amends the Military Selective Service Act to declare that any modification or change to the persons subject to the duty to register may be made only through an Act of Congress.

 No court created by Act of Congress shall have any jurisdiction, and the Supreme Court shall have no appellate jurisdiction, to hear or decide any question or claim, whether filed before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act, pertaining to the interpretation of, or the validity under the Constitution of, the class of persons subject to the duty to register.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-05 00:00:00

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) Department of Defense (DOD) civilian public shipyard workers play a critical role in maintaining U.S. ships and submarines; and (2) in order to reduce temporary duty expenses DOD should eliminate unnecessary temporary duty and not cut the reimbursement rate for workers undertaking temporary duty to sustain military readiness, such as temporary duty in support of ship and submarine maintenance.

The bill requires that DOD Joint Travel Regulations be modified to require that: (1) the reduced flat rate per diem for long-term temporary duty not be imposed on civilian employees of naval shipyards traveling on such duty for direct labor in support of off-yard work, and (2) those employees be paid the full per diem rate for such travel.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-07 00:00:00

United States Cadet Nurse Corps Equity Act of 2016 This bill deems as active military service for Department of Veterans Affairs purposes any service as a member of the United States Cadet Nurse Corps between July 1, 1943, and December 15, 1945 (qualified service). The Department of Defense shall issue an honorable discharge within one year to each person whose qualified service warrants one. Retroactive benefits shall not be paid to persons as a result of enactment of this Act.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-13 00:00:00

Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act

This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands during the period January 1, 1977-December 31, 1980, as radiation exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-26 00:00:00

Veterans' Disability Compensation Automatic COLA Act

This bill provides that whenever there is an increase in benefit amounts payable under title II (Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance) of the Social Security Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs shall increase by the same percentage the amounts payable as veterans' disability compensation, additional compensation for dependents, the clothing allowance for certain disabled adult children, and dependency and indemnity compensation for surviving spouses and children.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-28 00:00:00

Military Retaliation Prevention Act

This bill amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice to subject to punishment by a court-martial any person who, with the intent to retaliate against any individual for reporting a criminal offense or making a protected communication, or with the intent to discourage any individual from reporting a criminal offense or making a protected communication, wrongfully:

 takes or threatens to take an adverse personnel action against such individual, or withholds or threatens to withhold a favorable personnel action from such individual. "Protected communication" means a:

 lawful communication to a Member of Congress or an Inspector General; or communication to a specified individual or organization in which a service member complains of, or discloses information that the member reasonably believes constitutes evidence of, a violation of law or regulation, including sexual harassment or unlawful discrimination, gross mismanagement, a gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety. The results of a Department of Defense (DOD) or Armed Forces investigation of a service member's complaint of retaliation shall be provided to such service member.

DOD personnel who investigate claims of retaliation in connection with reports of sexual assault in the Armed Forces shall receive training on the nature and consequences of sexual assault trauma.

The Ike Skelton National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2011 is amended to include information on claims of retaliation in the military departments' sexual assault prevention reports to DOD.

DOD's Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office shall establish metrics to evaluate efforts of the Armed Forces to prevent and respond to retaliation.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-28 00:00:00

Appropriate Care for Disabled Veterans Act of 2016

This bill repeals the termination date of (thus, reinstates) the requirement for an annual report from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on the VA's compliance, by facility and by service-network, with requirements for managing the provision of hospital care and medical services furnished to veterans with service-connected disabilities.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-04-28 00:00:00

Janey Ensminger Act of 2016

This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to direct the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, at least every three years, to:

 review the scientific literature relevant to the relationship between the employment or residence of individuals at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, for at least 30 days during the period of August 1, 1953, to December 21, 1987, and specific illnesses or conditions incurred by those individuals and determine whether and to what extent the evidence shows that toxic substance exposure is a cause of an illness or condition; and publish and update a list of each illness and the categorization of evidence for which a determination of cause has been made. A veteran who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days during such period is eligible for hospital care and medical services for any of the illnesses or conditions for which the evidentiary connection between toxic exposure and the illness or condition is categorized in such list as sufficient or modest. Such a veteran who has been furnished hospital care or medical services shall remain eligible for such care or services for such illness or condition even if the evidentiary connection is not categorized as sufficient or modest. A family member of such veteran who has been furnished hospital care or medical services shall remain eligible for hospital care or medical services for such illness or condition.

The Department of Veterans Affairs shall transfer for each of FY2017 and FY2018 specified finds to enhance the claims processing system, eligibility system, and web portal for the Camp Lejeune Family Member Program.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-05-10 00:00:00

National Guard 12304b Benefits Parity Act

This bill makes National Guard and Selected Reserve members deployed to augment active forces for a preplanned mission in support of a combat command eligible for: (1) Post-9/11 educational assistance, (2) a reduced eligibility age for non-regular service retirement pay, (3) transitional post-demobilization health benefits for a member who is separated from active duty after a period of more than 30 days of duty, and (4) pre-deployment TRICARE benefits.

The amendments made by this bill shall take effect retroactively on December 31, 2011.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-05-11 00:00:00

Enhanced Veteran Healthcare Act of 2016

 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to seek to enter into covered partnerships and contracts for the mutually beneficial coordination, use, or exchange of covered VA health-care resources with eligible academic affiliates in order to improve access to, and quality of, VA hospital care and medical services.

 The VA shall use non-competitive procedures in the case of a partnership or contract for:

 coordination, use, or exchange of a clinical service; use of medical equipment or space; research; construction or lease of clinical space; use of any full-time equivalent VA employee or contractor; or use of any full-time equivalent employee jointly hired by the VA and an eligible academic affiliate.
Topic: Defense — Personnel Issues
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2016-05-19 00:00:00

This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to carry out a program under which it may enter into up to five partnership arrangements with a state or local authority, a tax exempt non-profit corporation, a limited liability corporation, a private entity, a donor, or other non-federal entity to conduct:

 super construction projects (a project for the construction, alteration, or acquisition of a medical facility involving a total expenditure of more than $100 million); major medical facility projects (a project for the construction, alteration, or acquisition of a medical facility involving a total expenditure of more than $10 million, excluding an acquisition by exchange); or major construction projects to construct a new cemeteries or to develop additional gravesites or columbarium niches at existing cemeteries. The VA may select projects for which: (1) Congress has appropriated partial funding or the VA has identified a need through its long-range capital planning process by listing it on the Major Construction Strategic Capital Investment Planning priority list included in the annual budget submitted to Congress by the President, and (2) a non-federal entity has entered into or is willing to enter into a formal agreement with the VA to independently finance or donate an acceptable amount of project funds at no additional cost to the federal government.

One of the non-federal entity partnership agreements shall be a project to design, finance, and construct a new ambulatory care center in Omaha, Nebraska.

Each partnership agreement shall require the partner entity to:

 conduct necessary environmental and historic preservation due diligence, comply with local zoning requirements, and obtain any permits required for construction; use construction standards required of the VA when designing and building the project, except to the extent the VA determines otherwise; and establish a Board of Directors to oversee the project. The VA shall include in the annual budget submitted to Congress by the President information regarding any projects conducted under this bill during the preceding year.