lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2012-04-27 00:00:00

Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing, adopting, implementing, administering, or enforcing the proposed guidance described in the notice of availability and request for comments entitled "EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Regarding Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using such guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar guidance made publicly available on or after December 3, 2008, as the basis for any decision regarding the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or any rulemaking. Provides that use of such guidance or document as the basis for any rule shall be grounds for vacating such rule.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2012-06-05 00:00:00

Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2012 - Amends the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Commerce to authorize aboriginal subsistence whaling if it: (1) is for subsistence purposes (including the sale of authentic native articles of handicrafts and clothing); (2) does not include the striking, taking, or killing of calves or any whale accompanied by a calf; and (3) is not accomplished in a wasteful manner. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish catch limits for the Alaska Native aboriginal subsistence hunt of bowhead whales for any year or set of years if: (1) the International Whaling Commission has failed to adopt applicable catch limits; and (2) the biological status of the affected bowhead stock or stocks is such that, based on the most recent review of their status by the Scientific Committee of the Commission, the aboriginal subsistence needs statement submitted to the Commission by the United States for that year or set of years is sustainable.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-06-27 00:00:00

Global Conservation Act of 2012 - Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit, and report to Congress on, existing U.S. international conservation policies and programs to determine the extent to which such programs are: (1) addressing natural resource challenges to ensure healthy and sustainable supplies of water, wildlife, fish, forests, plants, and other critical resources; (2) advancing U.S. foreign policy priorities in areas such as security, democratization, sustainable food production, and clean water; (3) enhancing economic and wildlife conservation benefits derived from properly managed international hunting and angling tourism; (4) addressing poaching, illegal logging, fishing, and wildlife trafficking; and (5) establishing more effective policies and processes for executive branch agencies engaged in international conservation. Directs the President: (1) to establish the Interagency Working Group on Global Conservation; and (2) through such Working Group, to establish the International Conservation Strategy to strengthen the capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries, international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations to conserve natural resources and enhance biodiversity. Requires the Strategy to provide a comprehensive plan of action that identifies specific and measurable benchmarks, goals, and time frames. Requires the Working Group to ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries. Establishes the Global Conservation Public Advisory Board to: (1) advise the Working Group on matters related to U.S. international conservation policies and programs and the implementation of the Strategy; and (2) ensure that the best scientific, policy, economic security, and business expertise are reflected in U.S. international conservation strategies and policies. Prohibits any provision in this Act from being construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing: (1) properly managed recreational hunting and angling, or (2) the ability of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and commercialization. Urges the President to work with foreign assistance donor countries to: (1) develop a comprehensive international conservation assistance strategy consistent with the United States International Conservation Strategy, (2) identify multilateral mechanisms to coordinate international action, and (3) agree on a timetable for achieving the goals of the United States International Conservation Strategy.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-08-02 00:00:00

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Secretary of State should: (1) reaffirm U.S. support for the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Yellow Sea; (2) condemn the use of force by China in the South China and East China Seas and by China's North Korean ally in the Yellow Sea; (3) call on all parties to these territorial disputes to refrain from threatening force or using force to assert territorial claims; (4) welcome the diplomatic efforts of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and U.S. allies and partners in Taiwan, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to resolve these outstanding disputes; and (5) support U.S. Armed Forces operations in support of freedom of navigation rights in international waters and air space in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, and the Yellow Sea.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2012-06-28 00:00:00

Global Conservation Act of 2012 - Directs the Secretary of State to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study of, and report to Congress on, U.S. international conservation programs to determine the extent to which such programs are: (1) advancing conservation in the world's most ecologically and economically important terrestrial and marine ecosystems; (2) addressing natural resource challenges; (3) advancing U.S. foreign policy priorities in areas such as security, democratization, sustainable food production, and clean water; (4) enhancing economic and wildlife conservation benefits derived from properly managed international hunting and angling tourism; and (5) addressing poaching, illegal logging, fishing, and wildlife trafficking. Directs the President: (1) to establish the Interagency Working Group on Global Conservation; and (2) through such Working Group, to establish the International Conservation Strategy to strengthen the capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries, international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations to conserve natural resources and enhance biodiversity. Requires the Strategy to provide a comprehensive plan of action that identifies specific and measurable benchmarks, goals, and time frames. Requires the Working Group to ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries. Establishes the Global Conservation Public Advisory Board to: (1) advise the Working Group on matters related to U.S. international conservation policies and programs and the implementation of the Strategy; and (2) ensure that the best scientific, policy, economic security, and business expertise are reflected in U.S. international conservation strategies and policies. Prohibits any provision in this Act from being construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing: (1) properly managed recreational hunting and angling, or (2) the ability of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and commercialization. Urges the President to work with foreign assistance donor countries to: (1) develop a comprehensive international conservation assistance strategy consistent with the United States International Conservation Strategy, (2) identify multilateral mechanisms to coordinate international action, and (3) agree on a timetable for achieving the goals of the United States International Conservation Strategy.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-01-03 00:00:00

Multinational Species Conservation Funds Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Authorizes appropriations to carry out the African Elephant Conservation Act, the Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994, and the Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997 for FY2014-FY2018.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-02-06 00:00:00

Save Endangered Species Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to reissue the final rule published on September 2, 2005, which allows for the taking, export or re-import, delivery, receipt, carrying, and transport, shipment, or sale in interstate or foreign commerce, in the course of a commercial activity, of U.S. captive-bred live scimitar-horned oryx, addax, or dama gazelle, including embryos, gametes, and sport-hunted trophies, as long as certain criteria are met, including that the purpose of such activity is associated with the management or transfer of live wildlife or sport hunting in a manner that contributes to increasing or sustaining captive numbers or to potential reintroduction to range countries.

Directs the Secretary to reissue such rule without regard to any other statute or regulation that applies to issuance of such rule. Exempts such reissuance from judicial review.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2013-03-14 00:00:00

International Conservation Corps Act of 2013 - Directs: (1) the Secretary of the Interior to establish a program to provide grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations to assign and support volunteers to assist foreign countries in the administration of their natural resources in an environmentally sustainable manner, and (2) the Secretary of State to identify foreign countries for program participation.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2013-03-21 00:00:00

Great Ape Conservation Reauthorization Amendments Act of 2013 - Amends the Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 to authorize the Secretary of the Interior to award a multi-year grant to an eligible person to implement a great ape conservation project that the person demonstrates is an effective, long-term conservation strategy for great apes and their habitats.

Requires the Secretary to convene a panel of experts to identify the greatest needs and priorities for the conservation of great apes within a year of this Act's enactment and every five years thereafter (current law authorizes the Secretary to convene a panel to consider the greatest conservation needs every two years). Requires the panel to include representatives from foreign range states with expertise in great ape conservation and to consider relevant great ape conservation plans or strategies, including scientific research and findings related to: (1) conservation needs and priorities of great apes, (2) regional or species-specific action plans or strategies, (3) applicable strategies developed or initiated by the Secretary, and (4) any other applicable conservation plan or strategy.

Authorizes the Secretary to pay expenses of convening and facilitating meetings of the panel.

Authorizes appropriations for the Great Ape Conservation Fund for FY2014-FY2018.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2013-10-30 00:00:00

Girls Count Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to:

 support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; promote programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls, and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, and inheritance rights for women; and assist government ministries of developing countries to ensure that poor girls obtain equitable access to social programs. Directs the Secretary to coordinate with multilateral organizations to work with countries to enact laws that collect data on girls and establish registration and identification laws to ensure that girls participate in the social, economic, legal and political sectors of their countries.

Urges the Secretary and the Administrator to work with U.S., international, and local private sector and civil society organizations to advocate for the registration and documentation of all girls and boys in developing countries to prevent exploitation, violence, and other abuses.

Directs the Secretary and the Administrator to include in reports to Congress information regarding: (1) U.S. foreign and development assistance beneficiaries by age, gender, marital status, location, and school enrollment status; and (2) how U.S. foreign and development assistance benefits girls.

Sunsets this Act five years after its enactment.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2014-07-31 00:00:00

Justice Attributed to Wounded Sharks Act or the JAWS Act - Prohibits federal assistance to a country that does not prohibit: (1) shark finning in its territorial waters; and (2) the importation, sale, possession, or consumption of shark fins obtained by shark finning.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2014-09-11 00:00:00

Targeted Use of Sanctions for Killing Elephants in Their Range Act of 2014 - Amends the African Elephant Conservation Act to make it a policy to prevent additional African elephant ivory from entering global commerce, and to reduce demand for ivory that is driving elephant poaching by limiting natural resources-related trade with countries whose nationals are engaged in illegal ivory trade.

Deems the identification of a country by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) Standing Committee as a significant source or transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade to be a certification under the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967 authorizing the President to prohibit the importation of such products from the offending country.

Directs the President, within 30 days after receiving a certification, to enter into consultations with the offending country to obtain an agreement that terminates all illegal ivory trade into, out of, or within that country.

Requires the President, if such consultations are not concluded within 90 days or if the country refuses to enter into consultations, to direct the Secretary of Commerce to prohibit the importation into the United States of wildlife, fish, and plant products from that country until the earlier of:

 the finalizing of the agreement, or a CITES Standing Committee finding that the country is no longer a significant source or transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade. Directs the Secretary, within 180 days after the prohibition, to determine whether:

 the prohibition is sufficient to cause the offending country to terminate illegal ivory trade, and that country has retaliated against the United States as a result of that prohibition.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Animals
Date: 2014-12-11 00:00:00

African Elephant Conservation and Legal Ivory Possession Act of 2014 - Reauthorizes the African Elephant Conservation Act (AECA) through FY2019.

Authorizes ivory to be imported or exported under the AECA and the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) if: (1) the raw ivory or worked ivory is solely for a museum; (2) it was lawfully importable into the United States on February 24, 2014, regardless of when it was acquired; or (3) the worked ivory was previously lawfully possessed in the United States.

Authorizes the Department of the Interior to station one U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement officer in the primary U.S. diplomatic or consular post in each African country that has a significant population of African elephants to assist local wildlife rangers in protecting the elephants and facilitating the apprehension of individuals who illegally kill them or assist in killing them.

Requires Interior to certify a finding that a county is a significant transit or destination point for illegal ivory trade and report the certification to the President for the purposes of the Pelly Amendment to the Fishermen's Protective Act of 1967. (The Pelly Amendment authorizes the President to embargo wildlife products when the Interior certifies that a country is engaging in trade or certain actions that diminish the effectiveness of an international agreement for the conservation of endangered or threatened species.)

Authorizes under the AECA and ESA: (1) the possession, sale, delivery, receipt, shipment, or transportation of African elephant ivory that has been lawfully imported or crafted in the United States, and (2) the importation of a sport-hunted African elephant trophy if the country in which the elephant was taken has elephants that are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) at the time the trophy is imported.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2013-06-27 00:00:00

Approves, with specified exceptions, the agreement and appendices signed by the United States and the Republic of Palau on September 3, 2010, in connection with the Compact of Free Association between the United States and Palau.

Provides that, if Palau withdraws more than $5 million from the trust fund set up by the Compact in any of FY2011-FY2014, certain amounts will be withheld from Palau until it reimburses the fund for the total amounts withdrawn that exceeded $5 million in any of those fiscal years.

Authorizes appropriations to: (1) subsidize postal services to Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia for FY2014-FY2024, and (2) carry out specified federal responsibilities under the Compact.

Repeals specified offset requirements.

Provides funding through FY2023 for: (1) the trust fund, and (2) economic assistance.

 Provides funding through FY2024 to create an Infrastructure Maintenance Fund for routine and periodic maintenance of major capital improvement projects. (Requires Palau to provide specified quarterly amounts for the Fund.)

Provides funding through FY2016 for infrastructure projects.

Revises passport requirements.
Topic: International Affairs — Resources Exploitation
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2014-06-17 00:00:00

North Pacific Fisheries Convention Implementation Act - Authorizes the Department of Commerce to promulgate regulations to implement the Convention on the Conservation and Management of the High Seas Fisheries Resources in the North Pacific Ocean for the United States, which was adopted in Tokyo, Japan, on February 24, 2012. (The Convention establishes a regional fisheries management organization to ensure the long-term conservation and sustainable use of the fisheries resources while protecting the marine ecosystems in the Convention Area.)

 (Sec. 3) Limits U.S. representation on the North Pacific Fisheries Commission to no more than five commissioners. Requires the President to appoint the representatives to the Commission. Establishes an advisory committee for the Commission.

 Requires Commerce to develop a memorandum of understanding with the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, and the North Pacific Fishery Management Council to clarify the role of each Council with respect to participating in or working with U.S. delegations to international fishery organizations and making recommendations related to fishery resources in the Convention Area.

 (Sec. 4) Sets forth the Department of State's authority and responsibilities with respect to the Commission, including authorizing the State Department to approve, disapprove, object to, or withdraw objections to bylaws and rules adopted by the Commission.

(Sec. 5) Authorizes Commerce to promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the U.S. international obligations under the North Pacific Fisheries Convention and this Act.

 (Sec. 6) Requires Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to administer and enforce this Act, except to the extent otherwise provided for in the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.

Gives the district courts of the United States exclusive jurisdiction over any case or controversy arising under this Act.

 (Sec. 7) Sets forth prohibited fishing and shipping acts in the Convention Area.

(Sec. 9) Requires Commerce to ensure participation in the Commission and its subsidiary bodies by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to the same extent provided to the territories of other nations.

(Sec. 10) Establishes notification requirements for commercial fishing vessels before entering or transiting the exclusive economic zone of the Convention Area, if the vessels do not carry vessel monitoring systems capable of communicating with U.S. enforcement authorities.

(Sec. 11) Authorizes appropriations to Commerce and the State Department to carry out this Act and to pay for the United State's contribution to the Commission.

Requires Commerce or the State Department to provide appropriate assistance to assist developing nations in meeting their obligations under the Convention.