lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2015-03-02 00:00:00

Combat Human Trafficking Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to sex trafficking of children, to: (1) subject to criminal prosecution buyers, as well as sellers, of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims; (2) provide that in prosecutions of sex trafficking crimes, the government is not required to prove that a sex trafficking defendant knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that a victim was under age 18; (3) equalize the period of supervised release for sex trafficking offenders convicted of conspiracy; (4) expand wiretap authority for investigating crimes related to sex trafficking, including slavery, involuntary servitude, and forced labor; (5) grant crime victims the right to be informed in a timely manner of any plea agreement or deferred prosecution agreement; and (6) require an appellate court to apply ordinary standards of review in reviewing appeals filed by crime victims.   

Requires the Bureau of Justice Statistics in the Department of Justice (DOJ) to prepare and report annually on: (1) the rates of arrests by state law enforcement officers for sex trafficking crimes involving buyers of commercial sex involving sex trafficking victims, and (2) prosecutions and convictions for such crimes in state courts.

Directs the Attorney General to ensure that: (1) DOJ anti-human trafficking training programs, including programs for law enforcement officers, include technical training on effective methods for investigating and prosecuting individuals who obtain, patronize, or solicit a commercial sex act involving a person subject to severe forms of human trafficking and on facilitating the provision of physical and mental health services by health care providers to persons subject to severe forms of human trafficking; (2) federal law enforcement officers are engaged in activities, programs, or operations involving the detection, investigation, and prosecution of such offenses; and (3) DOJ anti-human trafficking programs for U.S. attorneys or other federal prosecutors include training on seeking restitution for peonage, slavery, and human trafficking offenses to ensure that each such attorney, upon obtaining a conviction for such an offense, requests a specific amount of restitution for each victim without regard to whether the victim requests it. Requires the Federal Judicial Center to provide training to judges relating to the application of mandatory restitution provisions regarding ordering restitution for victims of such offenses.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Human Trafficking Fraud Enforcement Act of 2015

 Directs the Department of the Treasury to establish within the Internal Revenue Service an office to investigate and prosecute violations of internal revenue laws by persons that appear to be engaged in violations of specified federal laws prohibiting forced labor, trafficking of individuals, and transportation of minors or aliens for immoral purposes and of state or territorial laws prohibiting the promotion of prostitution or of any commercial sex act. Directs such office to cooperate with the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the Department of Justice and the Innocence Lost National Initiative of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Allows victims of human trafficking crimes to claim awards allowed for whistleblowing.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase civil and criminal penalties for tax evasion attributable to income derived from human trafficking and commercial sex acts. Makes it a felony to fail to file a tax return including income derived from human trafficking or commercial sex acts. Appropriates to the Crime Victims Fund additional funds equal to the increase in receipts from increased civil and criminal penalties provided by this Act.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-03-04 00:00:00

Shahbaz Bhatti International Religious Freedom Act of 2015

 Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to include violations of religious freedom by non-state actors in the annual Department of State report to Congress on international religious freedom.

Requires the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to hold hearings on specified Department and U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom reports concerning the status of religious freedom.

Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require Foreign Service officers to receive training about the religious demography, status of religious freedom, and U.S. strategies for advancing religious freedom in their country of posting.

Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) transmit to specified congressional committees certain lists of persons imprisoned, detained, or placed under house arrest; and (2) report to Congress on the best uses of foreign assistance to promote the goals of religious freedom and religious engagement.

Directs the Comptroller General to report to Congress after the date on which the President designates countries as a country of particular concern for religious freedom on the lack of the President's designation of Pakistan and and any other countries recommended for such designation by the Commission.

Directs the President to take specified actions in response to violations of religious freedom by non-state actors.

Authorizes certain funds for democracy programs to be used to implement innovative uses of the Internet and other electronic methods to support freedom of religion or belief abroad.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-03-06 00:00:00

International Violence Against Women Act of 2015

Directs the Secretary of State to establish an Office of Global Women's Issues which shall be headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues.

Establishes in the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) a Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment who shall direct USAID activities, policies, programs, and funding relating to gender equality and women's empowerment.

Directs the Ambassador-at-Large to: (1) develop or update annually for five years (after the 2012 United States Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally which shall be deemed to be the first required strategy) a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, and (2) coordinate U.S. government efforts regarding gender integration and advancing the status of women and girls in U.S. foreign policy.

Directs the Ambassador-at-Large and Senior Coordinator to: (1) include in each strategy an analysis of best practices for preventing and addressing violence against women and girls internationally; and (2) develop a plan for monitoring programs, projects, and activities carried out under this Act.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-04-14 00:00:00

Cuba Human Rights Act of 2015

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that:

 the United States-Cuba relationship should not be changed, nor should any federal law or regulation be amended, until the government of Cuba ceases violating the human rights of the people of Cuba; the United States should overcome the jamming of radio and television signals of the Radio y Television Marti by the government of Cuba, and that the Broadcasting Board of Governors should not cut staffing, funding, or broadcast hours for Radio y Television Marti; if certain human rights conditions are not met the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) should oppose and encourage other U.N. members to oppose Cuba's continued membership on the United Nations Human Rights Council; and the annual trafficking victims report to Congress should include an in-depth analysis of the facilitation of or involvement in severe forms of human trafficking by any official of the government of Cuba or of companies wholly or partially owned by the government of Cuba. Nothing in this Act may be construed as:

 prohibiting the donation of food to nongovernmental organizations or individuals in Cuba; restricting the export of medicine or medical supplies to Cuba, or abrogating any requirement that such exports be verified in conformity with the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 or any other applicable federal law; or prohibiting or restricting any other form of assistance specified in the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, including telecommunications, mail, and support for democracy.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-04-27 00:00:00

United States Commission on International Religious Freedom Reauthorization Act of 2015

Amends the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 to reauthorize the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as an independent federal government advisory body through FY2021.

Requires the USCIRF as a whole to have expertise on the variety of faiths practiced around the world.

Requires appointments to the USCIRF to be made within 90 days of a vacancy. Removes authority under which a USCIRF member may serve after the expiration of that member's term until a successor has taken office.

Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to require the Secretary of State to receive assistance from the USCIRF when establishing training for Foreign Service officers in the field of internationally recognized human rights, including instruction regarding the relationship between religious freedom and security, as well as the role of religious freedom in U.S. foreign policy.

Encourages the Department of State to allow classified information to be accessed by USCIRF Commissioners and staff with the appropriate security clearance.

Requires discrimination on the basis of religion to be treated as a category of employment discrimination for purposes of the employment protections for USCIRF employees.

Revises restrictions on the USCIRF's acceptance of gifts and donations to permit sponsoring private parties to provide compensation and benefits to interns, fellows, and volunteers. Requires the number, duration, and funding source of any such internship, fellowship, or volunteer programs to be described in the USCIRF's annual financial report.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-04-29 00:00:00

Girls Count Act of 2015

Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) support programs that build the capacity of developing countries' national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls in gaining passport access and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, economic opportunities, and inheritance rights for women.

 Authorizes the Secretary and the Administrator to cooperate with multilateral organizations and private sector and civil society organizations to promote such programs.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-05-05 00:00:00

World Press Freedom Protection Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the President to impose U.S. admissibility sanctions against a foreign person who:

 is responsible for severe restrictions on the freedom of expression or freedom of the press; or has materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such an activity. The President may waive such sanctions if in U.S. national security interests, and terminate them under specified conditions.

Sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

The President shall report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, and the dates and reason for the imposition of any sanctions.

It should be U.S. policy to respond strongly to the growing number of restrictions, arrests, killings, and visa delays or denials faced by foreign journalists and their domestic employees.

An executive of a foreign state-owned media organization who is applying for a nonimmigrant I-visa (foreign media representative) shall be refused the visa if any U.S. journalist or news organization personnel were expelled, had visas denied, or faced violence in the course of working in such foreign state during the previous fiscal year.

Annual country reports of human rights practices under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 shall now include information about the country's practices with respect to foreign journalists and their domestic personnel.

It is the sense of Congress that:

 restrictions on journalists and media websites and Internet censorship are significant foreign trade barriers; the United States Trade Representative should include a list of blocked U.S. websites in its annual report on foreign trade barriers; and the United States should pursue disputes to end foreign blockage of U.S. websites at the World Trade Organization.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-05-15 00:00:00

Global Respect Act

Directs the President to submit to Congress a list of each foreign person that the President determines is responsible, or acted as an agent, for extrajudicial killings, torture, or other gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against an individual in a foreign country based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Makes a listed foreign person ineligible to enter or be admitted to the United States. Requires revocation of any visa issued for such person.

Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to waive such prohibition if in U.S. national security interests or if necessary for compliance with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters. Requires congressional notification prior to any such waiver.

Directs the Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor to designate a senior officer or officers to track violence, criminalization, and restrictions on fundamental freedoms in foreign countries based on actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.

Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to include information on sexual orientation or gender identity violence or restrictions in the annual country reports on human rights practices.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-06-02 00:00:00

China Human Rights Protection Act of 2015

 Directs the President to impose U.S. entry and property sanctions against a national of China who:

 is responsible for gross violations of internationally recognized human rights committed against individuals in China, particularly those who seek to exercise, defend, or promote internationally recognized human rights and freedoms; acted as an agent of or on behalf of a national of China in such activities; or has materially assisted or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services in support of, such activities. Authorizes the President, with regard to such sanctions, to:

 waive their application, with prior congressional notification, if in U.S. national security interests; and terminate them under specified conditions. States that sanctions shall not apply if necessary to comply with the Agreement between the United Nations (U.N.) and the United States regarding the U.N. Headquarters, or other applicable international obligations of the United States.

 Declares that the Secretary of State shall seek to provide for the establishment of, and provide funding for, a nongovernmental China Human Rights Documentation Center to:

 compile, publish, and archive evidence of nationals of China who commit gross violations of internationally recognized human rights against individuals in China, and against others seeking to expand freedoms in China; and establish an online and searchable database, in English and in Chinese of evidence of such violations for research and educational purposes. Directs the President to report to Congress annually regarding each foreign person sanctioned, the type of sanctions imposed, and the reason for their imposition.

 Directs the Government Accountability Office to assess for Congress:

 the process to determine whether a foreign person has engaged in a sanctionable activity, whether sanctions should be imposed, and whether the identity of a sanctioned foreign person should be classified; and implementation of this Act.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2015-06-24 00:00:00

Torture Victims Relief Reauthorization Act of 2015

Amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998 to authorize FY2016-FY2017 appropriations to:

 the Department of Health and Human Services for grants to domestic treatment centers for the costs of services in the rehabilitation of victims of torture (including treatment of both physical and psychological effects), social and legal services, and research and training of health care providers outside of treatment centers or programs; and the President for grants to foreign treatment centers and programs for activities designed to treat victims for the physical and psychological effects of torture. Directs the U.S. Agency for International Development to support indigenous foreign treatment centers and programs for torture victims in order to increase their capacities to train other local health care providers.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2015-07-23 00:00:00

Further Independence of Religion for Security and Tolerance Freedom Act of 2015 or the FIRST Freedom Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that:

 the protection and promotion of international human rights, including religious freedom, should be an important U.S. priority; and the United States should pursue new strategies to deter and punish the perpetrators of severe violations of religious freedom, including non-state actors, and to protect the victims of such violations. The Immigration and Nationality Act is amended to authorize the Department of State to designate refugee groups:

 whose resettlement in the United States is justified by humanitarian concerns or is otherwise in the national interest; and who share common characteristics that identify them as targets of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion, or having been so identified share a common need for resettlement. The one-year time limit for filing an asylum claim is eliminated. A two-year window is provided for certain aliens to reopen a claim denied because of failure to file within one year.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is authorized to study: (1) whether asylum officers are engaging in improper conduct, and (2) the impact of interview delays on asylum claims.

The International Religious Freedom Act is amended to authorize appropriations for the Commission through FY2017.

Any alien who was responsible for, or directly carried out, at any time, particularly severe violations of religious freedom is inadmissible or deportable. (Current law is limited to foreign government officials who commit such acts.)

The federal criminal code is amended to require that any person who outside the United States commits, or attempts or conspires to commit, religious persecution against a U.S. person: (1) be fined, imprisoned for not more than 20 years, or both; and (2) if the death of any person results from the violation, be fined and imprisoned for any term of years or for life.

No person may be prosecuted, tried, or punished for such a violation unless the indictment or the information is filed within 10 years after commission of the offense.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2016-01-13 00:00:00

DHS Human Trafficking Prevention Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to issue guidance to DHS personnel on:

 information that should be collected and recorded in DHS information technology (IT) systems used to identify individuals suspected or convicted of human trafficking, how to ensure data reliability of information regarding such individuals in such systems, and information sharing regarding such individuals among DHS components. DHS shall ensure the integration of its IT systems used to record and track such information.

The DHS Inspector General shall report to specified congressional committees on the status of implementation of this bill.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Date: 2016-02-01 00:00:00

Enhancing Detection of Human Trafficking Act

This bill directs the Department of Labor to implement a program to:

 train and periodically retrain relevant Labor personnel to detect and assist law enforcement in preventing human trafficking during the course of their primary roles and responsibilities, and ensure that such personnel regularly receive current information on matters related to the detection of human trafficking.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2016-02-02 00:00:00

Secure our Skies Act of 2016

This bill requires each air carrier providing passenger air transportation to provide flight attendants, pilots, and dispatchers who are employees or contractors of the carrier with training to combat human trafficking in the course of carrying out their duties. Such training shall cover: (1) common indicators of human trafficking, and (2) best practices for reporting suspected trafficking to law enforcement officers.

To assist in such training, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Transportation shall provide information, including the Blue Campaign training module, for use by air carriers.

The Federal Aviation Administration shall report recommendations for improving the identification and reporting of human trafficking by air carrier personnel while protecting the civil liberties of passengers.

The bill grants immunity to an air carrier for reporting any suspicious transaction relevant to a possible violation of law or regulation relating to human trafficking.
Topic: International Affairs — Human Rights
Subject: International affairs
Date: 2016-02-09 00:00:00

Distribution and Promotion of Rights and Knowledge Act of 2016 or the DPRK Act of 2016

This bill amends the North Korean Human Rights Act of 2004 to authorize the President, through the Department of State, to: (1) distribute or provide grants to distribute information receiving devices, electronically readable devices, and other informational sources into North Korea; and (2) establish a grant program, which may involve public-private partnerships, to develop and/or distribute new products or methods to allow North Koreans easier access to outside information.

The Broadcasting Board of Governors may broadcast American, Korean, Chinese, and other popular music, television, movies, and popular cultural references as part of its programming.

The Board shall broadcast to North Korea in the Korean language information on rights, laws, and freedoms afforded through the North Korean Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and any other applicable treaties or international agreements to which North Korea is bound.