lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-10-21 00:00:00

The Metropolitan Planning Enhancement Act

This bill requires that projects, especially the highest performing projects, included in an adopted metropolitan area transportation plan be selected through a publicly available transparent process using criteria that directly support specified factors, national transportation goals, and applicable state transportation goals.

Projects included in the priority list for a metropolitan transportation improvement program (TIP) shall come from the highest performing category of projects identified in the transportation plan; and if a lower-categorized project is prioritized before a higher-categorized project, a public description explaining why must be included in the list.

These same requirements shall apply to a long-range statewide transportation plan as well as a statewide TIP.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-10-23 00:00:00

Intelligent Technologies Initiative Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish an Intelligent Technology Initiative to provide grants to up to six state and local governments to establish deployment sites for large scale installation and operation of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment.

DOT shall develop criteria for selecting grant recipients, including how the deployment of technology will enable the recipient to:

 reduce costs and improve return on investments; deliver environmental benefits and reduce energy consumption by alleviating congestion and streamlining traffic flow; measure and improve the operational performance of its transportation network; reduce the number and severity of traffic collisions and increase driver, passenger, and pedestrian safety; collect, disseminate, and utilize real-time traffic, transit, parking, and other transportation-related information to improve mobility, reduce congestion, and provide for more efficient and accessible transportation alternatives; monitor transportation assets to improve infrastructure management, reduce maintenance costs, prioritize investment decisions, and ensure a state of good repair; and deliver economic benefits by reducing delays, improving system performance, and providing for the efficient and reliable movement of goods and services. A grant application must include:

 a plan to deploy and provide for the long-term operation and maintenance of ITS to improve safety, efficiency, system performance, and return on investment; quantifiable system performance improvements; quantifiable safety, mobility, and environmental benefit projections; a plan for partnering with the private sector, public agencies, research institutions, organizations representing transportation and technology leaders, and other transportation stakeholders; a plan to leverage and optimize existing local and regional ITS investments; and a plan to ensure interoperability of deployed technologies with other tolling, traffic management, and ITS. Recipient may use grant funds to deploy, operate, and maintain specified ITS and ITS-enabled operational strategies.

The bill requires DOT to report on the effectiveness of grant recipients in meeting their projected deployment plans.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-11-19 00:00:00

TIFIA 2.0 Act 

 This bill amends the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) to revise the Department of Transportation (DOT) TIFIA program of direct loans, loan guarantees, and credit for surface transportation projects.

A TIFIA Revolving Fund is established in the Treasury.

A set-aside of up to 10% of Fund amounts is required for rural infrastructure projects (as similarly required in current funding law).

The DOT is directed to transfer from the Fund to the general fund of the Treasury amounts equal to moneys deposited in the Fund as a result of the repayment of principal and interest on direct loans for transportation infrastructure projects before enactment of this Act.

Project eligibility requirements are revised.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-12-10 00:00:00

Transportation Megaprojects Accountability and Oversight Act of 2015

This bill requires a recipient of federal financial assistance under National Highway System provisions for a megaproject (a project that has an estimated total cost of $2.5 billion or more and such other projects as may be identified by the Department of Transportation [DOT]), in order to be authorized for construction, to submit to DOT a comprehensive risk management plan that contains:

 a description of the process by which the recipient will identify, quantify, and monitor the risks that might result in cost overruns, project delays, reduced construction quality, or reductions in benefits; examples of mechanisms the recipient will use to track such risks; a plan to control such risks; and assurances that the recipient will regularly submit updated cost estimates and maintain and regularly reassess financial reserves for addressing risks. A recipient also must establish a peer review group to give expert advice on the scientific, technical, and project management aspects of the project. Each peer review group must:

 meet annually until the project is completed; review the project within 90 days after any significant change in its scope, schedule, or budget; and report on the findings of each review to DOT, Congress, and the recipient. Each recipient must publish such report on its website, along with the name, license number, and license type of each engineer supervising an aspect of the project.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-07-14 00:00:00

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to require all railroad carriers to establish and implement a fatigue management plan that identifies and evaluates any fatigue-related railroad safety hazards on its system and determine the degree of risk associated with each hazard.

DOT shall ensure that railroad carriers provide their employees with predictable work and rest schedules that have either a defined start time or a minimum of 10 hours prior notification before being required to report to duty.

A compromise of a civil penalty for violations of railroad safety regulations or orders may not reduce the minimum federal penalties set for such violations.

DOT shall impose a penalty for a violation at least 30 days after its occurrence without regard to any correction of the violation by the liable party.

The bill revises standards for the installation of inward- and outward-facing imaging recording devices in all controlling locomotive cabs and cab car operating compartments of intercity rail passenger and commuter rail passenger trains.

An in-cab audio or image recording obtained by a railroad carrier may not be used to discipline or be used in an Federal Railroad Administration enforcement proceeding against a railroad employee.

Each freight rail service carrier may voluntarily install DOT-approved inward- or outward-facing image recording devices in their trains.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-09-07 00:00:00

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The expanded summary of the House passed version is repeated here.)

(Sec. 1) This bill declares that an airport owner or operator who renews a covered lease shall not be treated as violating that owner's or operator's written airport improvement project grant assurance requirement to maintain a schedule of airport passenger user charges that will make the airport as self-sustaining as possible under existing circumstances.

The bill defines "covered lease" to mean a lease:

 already existing before enactment of this bill, in which a nominal lease rate is provided, under which the lessee is a federal or state government entity, and that supports the operation of Air Force or Air National Guard aircraft at the airport or remotely from the airport.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-09-27 00:00:00

Freight Infrastructure Reinvestment Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose a 1% tax on certain ground transportation of property within the United States.

In addition, the bill establishes: (1) a National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Fund, consisting of amounts equivalent to taxes received under the bill; and (2) a National Freight Mobility Infrastructure Improvement Program, through which the Department of Transportation is authorized to make competitive grants for eligible costs associated with projects to improve freight mobility.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-11-17 00:00:00

This bill revises the term "urbanized area" with respect to public transportation improvement projects to also treat areas as an urbanized area if the Department of Commerce determines that:

 the area was designated in a previous decennial census as an urbanized area, the area was not designated in the most recent decennial census as an urbanized area as the result of a natural disaster that caused the area's population to fall below 50,000 people, and the most recent annual estimate of the Bureau of the Census estimates the area's population to be restored to 50,000 or more people.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-01-21 00:00:00

Local Transportation Infrastructure Act

Revises and reauthorizes the state infrastructure bank program for FY2015 and FY2016.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-02-24 00:00:00

Pay Our Coast Guard Act 

This bill provides FY2015 appropriations to the Coast Guard for any period during which FY2015 appropriations are not in effect. The appropriations are provided to the Coast Guard for:

 pay and allowances for members of the Coast Guard, civilian employees, and contractors; and the payment of a death gratuity, funeral travel, and the temporary continuation of the basic allowance for housing for dependents of members of the Coast Guard dying on active duty. The appropriations are provided until the enactment of specified appropriations legislation or January 1, 2016.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-03-17 00:00:00

Innovation in Surface Transportation Act of 2015

 Directs the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with state transportation departments, to establish an innovation in surface transportation program.

Requires states to make competitive grants for innovative surface transportation projects to eligible entities, including local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, regional transportation authorities, transit agencies, tribal governments, private providers of public transportation, nonprofit transportation organizations, port authorities, joint power authorities, freight rail providers, and local rail authorities.

Requires each state (including the governor and state department of transportation) to establish an innovation in surface transportation selection panel to formulate criteria for selecting projects.

Requires a state to reserve certain percentages of federal funds apportioned for the national highway performance, the highway safety improvement, the congestion mitigation and air quality improvement, surface transportation, and transportation alternatives programs in order to fund related projects under state innovative surface transportation grants.

Authorizes states to reserve a certain percentage of such funds for a fiscal year to meet specific requests for project application support from eligible rural local governments.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-03-18 00:00:00

Track, Railroad, and Infrastructure Network Act

This bill exempts improvements to, maintenance, rehabilitation, or operation of railroad or rail transit lines (but not stations) that are in use or were historically used for the transportation of goods or passengers from federal policies and requirements for the preservation of public park and recreation lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites. This permits such activities without the necessity to: (1) demonstrate there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of such land, and (2) plan to minimize harm to a historic site.

The Secretary of Transportation (DOT) may make a finding of de minimis impact on such preservation as a result of mitigation undertaken pursuant to a review of a transportation program or project pursuant to the National Historic Preservation Act.

Any rail project that requires DOT approval shall be subject to specified environmental project development procedures.

Any environmental impact statement, categorical exclusion, or other decision relating to a transportation project that is issued by a DOT agency under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 shall be available to any rail project to which that statement, exclusion, or decision reasonably applies.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Economics and public finance
Date: 2015-06-10 00:00:00

Jurassic Pork Act 

This bill rescinds unused earmarks previously appropriated to the Department of Transportation (DOT) and transfers the balances to the Highway Trust Fund.

Under the House and Senate rules, an earmark is a provision or report language included primarily at the request of a Member of Congress providing, authorizing, or recommending a specific amount of discretionary budget authority, credit authority, or other spending authority for a contract, loan, loan guarantee, grant, loan authority, or other expenditure with or to an entity, or targeted to a specific state, locality or congressional district, other than through a statutory or administrative formula-driven or competitive award process.

Under this bill, earmarks provided to DOT are unused and rescinded if more than 90% of the funding remains available for obligation at the end of the 9th fiscal year following the year the earmark was made available. DOT may delay the rescission if it determines that an additional obligation is likely to occur during the 10th year after funds were made available.

The bill requires each federal agency to submit an annual report to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifying: (1) each earmark for a project that is ineligible for funding, (2) projects for which funding has been made available under an earmark, and (3) projects with unobligated balances.

OMB must submit to Congress and post on its website an annual report including an accounting of unobligated earmarks, rescissions resulting from this bill, and DOT earmarks scheduled to be rescinded.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-06-25 00:00:00

National Multimodal Freight Policy and Investment Act

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to:

 establish a national multimodal freight network, a national multimodal freight advisory committee, and a freight investment grant program; and develop a national multimodal freight strategic plan. Each state receiving a freight investment grant shall also develop a freight investment plan and establish a state freight advisory committee.

The bill establishes in DOT an Office of Freight Planning, Permitting, and Development.

DOT shall establish a competitive capital grant program to provide financial assistance to states, metropolitan planning organizations, regional or local transportation authorities, tribal governments, and other entities for:

 shortline or regional railroad infrastructure improvement projects, and highway-rail vertical grade separation projects.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-07-09 00:00:00

Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to:

 promulgate regulations establishing categories of early warning motor vehicle safety information, especially about fatal incidents, that must be made available to the public; and take specified steps to improve public accessibility to information on vehicle safety databases of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The DOT Inspector General shall report biennially on the pre-investigation processes of the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation to collect and analyze vehicle safety data and determine potential safety issues.

DOT shall report on the operations of the Council for Vehicle Electronics, Vehicle Software, and Emerging Technologies.

The bill increases civil money penalties for motor vehicle safety violations, and establishes both civil and criminal penalties for knowing failure of a business entity or responsible corporate officer to inform an appropriate federal agency of a serious danger associated with covered products, services, or business practices.

In conducting motor vehicle safety research programs, DOT shall, in coordination with Department of State, enter into cooperative and collaborative research and development agreements with foreign governments.

DOT must immediately notify and order motor vehicle or replacement equipment manufacturers of defects or noncompliance presenting an imminent hazard.

No dealer may sell or lease a used passenger motor vehicle until any defect or noncompliance presenting an imminent hazard has been remedied.

DOT shall:

 complete research into development of an unattended children warning system, initiate a rulemaking to require crash avoidance and mitigation systems for certain motor vehicles, and issue a final rule establishing hood and bumper standards for certain other motor vehicles to reduce the pedestrian injuries and fatalities. The bill reauthorizes motor vehicle safety regulation through FY2021.

A manufacturer's recall obligations shall be enforceable against the manufacturer or successors-in-interest whether accomplished by merger, acquisition of the manufacturer's stock, acquisition of its assets, or confirmation of a reorganization plan under federal bankruptcy law.

Dealers must check for and remedy defective or noncomplying motor vehicles.

DOT shall initiate a rulemaking, establish grants to states, and conduct a pilot program relating to safety recalls.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-07-09 00:00:00

Transportation Infrastructure Grants and Economic Reinvestment Act

The bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish a program under which DOT shall provide competitive grants of between $10 million and $200 million to the District of Columbia, to a state, Indian tribe, U.S. territory, local government, port authority, metropolitan planning organization, transit agency, or another political subdivision of a state or local government, or to two or more of such entities working in collaboration, for eligible transportation projects (including highway or bridge, public transportation, passenger or freight rail transportation, and port infrastructure or intermodal projects) that would have a significant beneficial impact on a state, metropolitan area, or region or the United States.

DOT, in providing such grants, must: (1) ensure an equitable geographical distribution of funds, an appropriate balance in addressing the needs of urban and rural areas, and investment in a variety of transportation modes; and (2) give priority to eligible projects that require a contribution of federal funds to complete an overall financing package.

The bill sets forth primary and secondary criteria for selecting eligible projects.

The bill: (1) limits to 25% the amount of grant funds that may be provided to any state, (2) requires at least 20% of grant funds to be provided for eligible projects located in rural areas, and (3) allows up to 20% of the funds authorized to carry out this Act to be used to pay the subsidy and administrative costs of projects eligible for federal credit assistance under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act upon determining that such use of funds would advance the purposes of this Act.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-06-23 00:00:00

(Sec.1)This bill revises the requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard's alternate safety compliance program for certain fishing vessels.

Specifically, the bill delays the date when vessels must comply with the program. Vessels must comply by the later of January 1, 2021, or the end of the three-year period after the Coast Guard issues a final rule establishing the program.The bill also requires vessels that are built before July 1, 2012, to comply with the program. Currently, vessels built before July 1, 2013, must comply.Additionally, a vessel built before July 1, 2012 that undergoes a major conversion after such date must comply with the program.

If the requirements of the program change after establishment, the Coast Guard must provide at least a three-year grace period for vessels to be in compliance with such requirements.

(Sec. 2) The Coast Guard must: (1) publish and disseminate a policy to standardize coordination, outreach, and design of the alternate safety compliance program; and (2) publish a public memorandum for the fishing, shipbuilding, and maritime industry and the public including guidance, timelines, and opportunities for public engagement.

(Sec. 4) The Coast Guard must report to Congress by June 1, 2018, on the progress of the design and implementation of the alternate safety compliance program.
Topic: Transportation — General
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-09-21 00:00:00

Surface Transportation and Maritime Security Act

This bill requires the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to assess, and implement a risk-based strategy to address, threats posed to surface transportation and maritime systems. The TSA shall establish the Surface Transportation and Maritime Security Advisory Committee to develop recommendations for improvements to surface transportation and maritime security.

In addition, the bill:

 allows the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand the TSA's explosives-detection canine-team program; requires the Government Accountability Office to study specified matters related to surface transportation; expands the permissible uses of railroad security improvement grants; requires the TSA to issue a decision on the use of a passenger vetting system by the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak); requires the TSA to establish processes to improve background checks and terrorism vetting; requires DHS to commission an assessment of its transportation security card program and, if applicable, develop a corrective action plan; with respect to transportation security card applications, establishes priority for members of the Armed Forces; requires DHS to evaluate cargo-container scanning technologies; and revises other provisions related to transportation security.
Topic: Health — Other
Subject: Health
Date: 2007-02-28 00:00:00

9/11 Comprehensive Health Benefits Act of 2007 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to provide for Medicare-based eligibility and benefits for individuals with a 9/11 disaster-connected health condition. Prohibits a workers' compensation law or plan from discriminating against an individual by virtue of the individual's entitlement to such benefits. Prohibits an employer from discriminating against an individual regarding hiring, advancement, compensation, or other terms, conditions, and privileges of employment by virtue of the individual's entitlement to such benefits. Makes Medicare the primary payor for 9/11-related coverage. Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a consortium to conduct and coordinate screening, monitoring, treatment, and diagnostic research on the 9/11 disaster-connected health conditions.