lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-20 00:00:00

Protecting Business Opportunities for Veterans Act of 2015

Extends subcontracting limitations that apply to certain small businesses awarded contracts under various Small Business Administration (SBA) programs to small business concerns owned and controlled by veterans with or without service-connected disabilities who are awarded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contracts.

Requires, for purposes of applying such subcontracting limitations to veterans with small businesses awarded such VA contracts, that: (1) small businesses owned and controlled by veterans be treated in the same manner as small businesses owned and controlled by veterans with service-connected disabilities, and (2) "similarly situated entities" include subcontractors for small businesses owned and controlled by a veteran with or without a service-connected disability (contract amounts expended by small businesses on subcontractors that are similarly situated entities are not considered toward subcontracting limits).

Directs the VA Secretary, before awarding such a contract, to obtain from the offeror a certification: (1) specifying and promising to comply with the subcontracting performance requirements applicable to such offeror, and (2) acknowledging that the certification is subject to criminal laws concerning false or fraudulent statements or representations. Subjects small businesses to fines, imprisonment, or both for not acting in good faith.

Requires the VA's Chief Acquisition Officer and the Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization to: (1) establish a process to monitor the subcontracting requirement compliance of veterans' small businesses that are awarded VA contracts, and (2) refer violations to the VA's Inspector General. Directs the Inspector General to submit annual reports to Congress regarding such violations.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-20 00:00:00

Biological Implant Tracking and Veteran Safety Act of 2015

 Directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to: (1) adopt the unique device identification system developed for medical devices by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), or implement a comparable standard identification system, for identifying biological implants intended for use in medical procedures conducted in VA medical facilities; (2) permit a vendor to use any of the accredited entities identified by the FDA as an issuing agency in adopting or implementing such a system; (3) implement a compatible system for tracking the implants from the human donor or animal source to implantation; and (4) implement inventory controls compatible with such tracking system so that all patients who have received, in a VA medical facility, a biological implant subject to a recall by the FDA can be notified of the recall.

Sets forth requirements for vendors from which the VA may procure biological implants of human origin, and for vendors from which the VA may procure biological implants of non-human origin, including that such a vendor:

 uses the standard identification system adopted or implemented by VA under this Act; is registered as required by FDA procedures; consents to periodic inspections and audits by the VA regarding the accuracy of records and the handling of products; agrees to cooperate with all biological implant recalls conducted on the vendor's own initiative, on the initiative of the original product manufacturer used by the vendor, by the request of the FDA, or by a statutory order of the FDA; agrees to notify the VA of any adverse event report it provides to the FDA, or of any warning letter from the FDA issued to the vendor, by not later than 60 days after the vendor receives such report or warning letter; and agrees to retain all records associated with the procurement of a biological implant by the VA for at least five years after the date of the procurement. Requires the VA to: (1) procure such implants under General Services Administration Federal Supply Schedules if they are available under such Schedules, (2) accommodate reasonable vendor requests to undertake specified outreach efforts to educate VA medical professionals about the use and efficacy of implants that are listed on such Schedules, and (3) procure biological implants that are unavailable under such Schedules using competitive procedures in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

Makes any VA procurement employee found responsible for a biological implant procurement transaction with intent to avoid, or with reckless disregard of, the requirements of this Act ineligible to hold a certificate of appointment as a contracting officer or to serve as the representative of an ordering officer, contracting officer, or purchase card holder.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-20 00:00:00

Veterans Information Security Improvement Act 

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) carry out certain information security activities, (2) ensure that officials and staff of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) possess specified qualifications in such areas, and (3) coordinate the staffing of related information technology and security offices.

Requires the Secretary to ensure that: (1) the Assistant Secretary for Information and Technology, the head of the Office of Information Security (OIS), and relevant field staff possess certain levels of information technology education, certifications, and experience; (2) Office of Information and Technology (OIT) staff are assigned to the OIS; and (3) subordinate OIT offices maintain appropriate information security functions.

Directs the Secretary to ensure that subordinate OIT offices maintain functions to: (1) integrate the VA's security architecture into the VA's overall enterprise architecture strategy, (2) restrict the development of new data warehouses and data marts holding sensitive personal information of veterans, (3) reduce the number of data marts holding such personal information, and (4) deploy an incident response capability.

Defines:

 "data mart" as a subset of a data warehouse that contains information for a specific entity of an organization rather than the entire organization, and "data warehouse" as a collection of data designed to support management decision making that contains a wide variety of data presenting a coherent picture of business conditions for an entire organization at a single point in time and whose development includes systems to extract data from operating systems plus installation of a warehouse database system that provides managers with flexible data access. Requires the Secretary to safeguard VA network infrastructure, computers, and servers.

Directs the Secretary to protect the confidentiality of sensitive personal information of veterans by:

 providing upgrades or phaseouts of outdated or unsupported operating systems to protect against harmful viruses and malicious software; and securing VA web applications and the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (commonly referred to as the "Vista system," which allows for an integrated inpatient and outpatient electronic health record for patients and provides administrative tools to VA employees). Directs the Secretary to submit certifications to Congress regarding the VA's compliance with information security requirements, including actions required by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Office of Management and Budget.

Requires the Secretary to submit monthly reports to Congress regarding security vulnerabilities discovered after performing regular scans of VA computers and servers.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-24 00:00:00

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

Ensuring VA Employee Accountability Act

(Sec. 2) Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to retain a copy of any reprimand or admonishment received by a VA employee in the employee's permanent record.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-25 00:00:00

U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Reform Act

 This bill extends the temporary expansion of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

 Specified recall provisions for retired Court judges are amended, including changing the recall period from 90 days in a calendar year to 90 days.

 A regular service judge and a retired judge shall be treated as an employee for government life insurance purposes.

 Regular service judges, retired recall eligible judges, and certain retired but not recall-eligible judges may purchase up to an additional year of service credit for each year of federal judicial service completed.

The salary of Court judges is set at the rate applicable to federal appellate court judges. (Currently, their salary is set at the rate applicable to federal district court judges.)
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Chris Kyle Medal of Honor Act

Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor posthumously to Navy Seal Christopher Scott Kyle for acts of valor during Operation Iraqi Freedom, notwithstanding otherwise applicable time limitations.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Real Choice for Veterans Act

Amends the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 to change a criterion for eligibility of certain veterans to receive medical care and services from non-Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities to a requirement that the veteran resides more than 40 miles from the closest VA medical facility that is able to provide the care and services the veteran seeks (currently, more than 40 miles from the closest VA medical facility).
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Department of Veterans Affairs Cyber Security Protection Act 

 Directs the Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Information and Technology to submit to the congressional veterans committees (under current law only to the Secretary of Veterans Affairs) quarterly reports on Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) compliance with federally-required information security improvements.

Directs the Assistant Secretary to submit to such committees: (1) quarterly, a plan of action to address critical known VA information security vulnerabilities; and (2) annually, a plan for identifying and replacing VA operating systems that are out-of-date or unsupported.

 Directs the Assistant Secretary to ensure that any software or Internet applications used on VA operating systems are secure from vulnerabilities that could affect the confidentiality of sensitive personal information on veterans.

Directs the Secretary to:

 report quarterly to such committees on any incidents of failure to comply with established information security policies, any actions taken in response to such incidents, and certain related information; submit a strategic plan to such committees for improving VA information security and to update such plan at least every two years; and report to such committees within five years on information security protection and accountability of the VA for information security breeches and incidents. Requires VA contractors with access to sensitive personal information to provide protective measures to safeguard from possible information security threats any information provided by the VA that will be resident on, or transiting through, information systems controlled by that contractor.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Veterans' Whistleblower and Patient Protection Act of 2015

Establishes within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) an Office of Whistleblower and Patient Protection.

Requires the Director of such Office to establish a dedicated Internet website and toll-free telephone number for any individual to file a complaint regarding an alleged prohibited personnel practice committed by a VA officer or employee or the safety of a patient at a VA medical facility.

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to refer to the Director for investigation any such complaint the Secretary receives directly. Prohibits the Secretary from referring any such complaint to any other element of the VA.

Requires the Secretary to ensure that VA employees located at a medical facility are able to efficiently refer any such complaints received to the Director. Prohibits the Director from disclosing the identity of any individual who files such a complaint without the individual's consent, except when necessary because of an imminent danger to public health or safety or imminent violation of any criminal law.

Requires the Director to: (1) investigate each complaint to determine whether there is a substantial likelihood that it discloses a violation of any law, rule, or regulation, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, abuse of authority, or substantial and specific danger to public health and safety; (2) make such determination within 240 days after its receipt; (3) notify the Secretary upon making a positive determination and refer the complaint, as appropriate, to the head of the appropriate federal department or agency; and (4) coordinate with the VA's Inspector General and Special Counsel to avoid duplicative actions.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Amends the Federal Credit Union Act to exclude loans made to veterans from the definition of a "member business loan," thus excluding them from the limit on the total amount of member business loans a credit union may have outstanding.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-26 00:00:00

Access to Timely Information Act

Deems the submission of information by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs of either the House of Representatives or the Senate in response to a request by the chairman or ranking member (or designee) of such Committees or of a subcommittee such Committees to be: (1) a covered disclosure of certain records maintained on individuals submitted without the written request or prior written consent of the individual to whom the record pertains; and (2) a permitted disclosure under regulations promulgated under specified provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, including certain authorized oversight activities.

Directs the Secretary, when responding to a request for information by such a member other than a chairman, to also submit such information to the relevant House or Senate Committee chairman.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-02-27 00:00:00

Veterans Cemetery Benefit Correction Act

Extends the requirement that the Department of Veterans Affairs  provide an outer burial receptacle for each new grave of a veteran, a veteran's spouse, or a veteran's dependent in which remains are interred in a casket in Arlington National Cemetery or in an open cemetery under the control of the the National Cemetery Administration to each such grave in an open cemetery under the control of the National Park Service.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Government operations and politics
Date: 2015-03-03 00:00:00

Gold Star Fathers Act

Includes as a preference eligible for federal employment purposes a parent (currently, the mother only) of either an individual who lost his or her life under honorable conditions while serving in the Armed Forces during a war, in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized, or during the period beginning April 28, 1952, and ending July 1, 1955, or a service-connected permanently and totally disabled veteran, if: (1) the spouse of such parent is totally and permanently disabled; or (2) such parent, when preference is claimed, is unmarried or legally separated from his or her spouse.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-03 00:00:00

Work for Warriors Act of 2015

 Authorizes the Department of Defense (DOD) to carry out a pilot program to enhance DOD's efforts to provide job placement assistance and related employment services to members of the National Guard and Reserves and veterans of the Armed Forces. Requires the program to follow a job placement program model that focuses on working one-on-one with a member of a reserve component to cost-effectively provide job placement services.

Requires DOD to: (1) develop outcome measurements to evaluate the success of the program, and (2) report to the congressional defense committees on program results.

Terminates the authority to carry out the program on September 30, 2018, with an authorized extension for up to two additional fiscal years.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

World War II Merchant Mariner Service Act

Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to accept additional documentation for verifying that an individual performed honorable service as a coastwise merchant seaman during the period beginning on December 7, 1941, and ending on December 31, 1946, for purposes of eligibility for veterans' benefits under the GI Bill Improvement Act of 1977. Requires such documentation to include Social Security Administration records and validated testimony in the case of the absence of Coast Guard shipping or discharge forms, ship logbooks, documents, or other official employment records.

Requires the Secretary, when determining whether to recognize service allegedly performed during such period, to recognize masters of seagoing vessels or other command officers who were authorized to document an individual for purposes of hiring for or discharging from the merchant marine.

Considers any service so recognized as active-duty service for purposes of veterans' burial benefits. Makes such veterans eligible for any appropriate military medals, ribbons, and decorations. Requires the Secretary to verify that an individual performed such service under honorable conditions without regard to their sex, age, or disability during the service period.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Disabled Veterans Commissary and Exchange Store Benefits Act

Permits a veteran with any compensable service-connected disability (and the veteran's dependents) to use commissary and exchange stores on the same basis as a member of the Armed Forces entitled to retired or retainer pay.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

VA Appeals Backlog Relief Act

Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that a Department of Veterans Affairs regional office certifies a VA Form 9, Appeal to Board of Veterans' Appeals, submitted by a veteran to appeal a decision relating to a claim, within one year after receiving such form.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

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

Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Relief Act

(Sec. 2) Treats the surviving spouse of a service-disabled veteran who acquires the ownership interest in a small business of the deceased veteran as such veteran for purposes of eligibility for VA service-disabled small business contracting goals and preferences for: (1) 10 years after the veteran's death if such veteran was either 100% disabled or died from a service-connected disability, or (2) 3 years after such death if the veteran was less than 100% disabled and did not die from a service-connected disability.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Quicker Veterans Benefits Delivery Act of 2015

Requires (current law authorizes) the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to accept, for purposes of establishing a claim for veterans disability benefits, a report of a medical examination administered by a private physician without requiring confirmation by a Veterans Health Administration physician if the report is sufficiently complete. Defines "sufficiently complete" as competent, credible, probative, and containing such information as required to make a decision on the claim for which the report is provided.

Requires the Secretary to submit: (1) a report on the progress of the VA's Acceptable Clinical Evidence initiative in reducing the necessity for in-person disability examinations, and (2) an annual report for each VA regional office regarding claims for which private medical evidence was determined to be unacceptable.
Topic: Defense — Other
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Authorizes the Secretary of the Army to award the Distinguished-Service Cross to Edward Halcomb for acts of extraordinary heroism from August 20, 1950, to October 19, 1950, during the Korean War, notwithstanding otherwise applicable time limitations.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-06 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on October 26, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Dignified Interment of Our Veterans Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to study and report to Congress on matters relating to the interring of veterans' unclaimed remains in national cemeteries under the control of the National Cemetery Administration, including:

 the scope of the issues relating to veterans' unclaimed remains, including the estimated number of such remains; the effectiveness of VA procedures for working with persons or entities having custody of unclaimed remains to facilitate their interment in such cemeteries; state and local laws that affect the Secretary's ability to inter unclaimed veterans' remains in such cemeteries; and recommendations for appropriate legislative or administrative action. (Sec. 3) The Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014 is amended to limit FY2016 awards and bonuses to $2 million for VA employees who are members of the Senior Executive Service.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-13 00:00:00

Veterans Beneficiary Fraud Enforcement Act

This bill prohibits a Veterans' Group Life Insurance insuree from designating as a beneficiary any Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee who is in a position of trust with the insured. (Such prohibition includes any doctor, caregiver, or caseworker working directly with the insured, unless such employee is the insured's spouse, child, parent, or other next of kin.)

The VA shall refer to an appropriate legal authority any incident of suspected or alleged fraud relating to a beneficiary designation under any Veterans' Group Life Insurance.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-16 00:00:00

Directs the Board of Veterans' Appeals, upon determining that there is insufficient evidence to make a decision in a claimant's appeal case, to take such steps as necessary to develop the evidence needed to make a decision. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to ensure that the Board has access to such information as may be necessary to develop such evidence.

Prohibits the Board from remanding any appeal case to the Veterans Benefits Administration.
Topic: Defense — Other
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2015-03-16 00:00:00

Authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish a medallion or other device to signify the veteran status of a deceased individual, to be attached to a headstone or marker furnished at private expense, regardless of the date of death of such individual.