lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2007-11-08 00:00:00

Property Mitigation Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Assistance and Emergency Relief Act to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a grant program to provide assistance to states to promote pre-disaster property mitigation measures within their jurisdictions.Requires a state, to be eligible for assistance, to have: (1) submitted a mitigation plan; (2) established a process for accepting and processing grant and loan applications from individual homeowners and business owners; (3) established a revolving loan fund to which any grant amounts received under this Act shall be deposited; and (4) submitted a detailed plan for how terms and conditions for authorized loans and grants will be set.Directs the Administrator to allocate grant amounts to eligible states according to a formula based on specified factors, including the nature and extent of potential hazards to property in the state, the number of properties at risk in the event that a hazard or natural disaster should occur, the amount of prior property damage incurred by the state during any previous hazard or natural disaster, and any available data on the future risk of occurrence of any hazard or natural disaster in a state.Sets forth provisions regarding baseline amounts for eligible states and matching requirements. Authorizes each state to make grants or loans to assist individual homeowners and businesses in undertaking pre-disaster property mitigation measures from a revolving loan fund established under this Act.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2007-11-13 00:00:00

Case Management Services Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends provisions of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act that authorize the President to provide case management services for victims of major disasters to require private sector recipients to be nonprofit or faith-based organizations with experience in case management services. Makes this provision applicable to any major disaster declared on or after January 1, 2005.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2007-11-16 00:00:00

Mortgage and Rental Disaster Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to authorize the President to provide temporary assistance in the form of mortgage or rental payments to or on behalf of individuals and households who, as a result of financial hardship caused by a major disaster, have received written notice of dispossession or eviction from a residence because of a foreclosure of mortgage or lien, cancellation of sales contract, or lease termination, entered into before such disaster. Defines such a "financial hardship" to include: (1) the loss of employment or significant income because a job, a business, or a business interest was located in a disaster area; or (2) suffering financially because of travel restrictions or station or road closures affecting residents of such area.Restricts eligibility for such assistance to individuals or households who have an adjusted gross income of not more than $75,000 ($100,000 for individuals or households who resided in an area with a high cost of living). Directs the President to adjust the limits annually to reflect inflation. Allows assistance to be provided for the duration of the period of financial hardship caused by the disaster, not to exceed 18 months. Requires recipients determined to be ineligible to return the full amount of assistance to the government.Makes this Act applicable to any major disaster declared on or after October 21, 2007.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2007-11-16 00:00:00

Disaster Rebuilding Assistance Act of 2007 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to increase the maximum amount of assistance available to individuals and households to $50,000 (the current limit is $25,000) with respect to a single major disaster. Authorizes the President to increase the amount for an individual or household residing in a state with a high cost of living. Makes this Act applicable to any major disaster declared on or after October 21, 2007.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2008-02-14 00:00:00

Suspends limitations on the tax deduction for personal casualty losses for losses arising on or after January 1, 2007, and before March 1, 2008, in areas declared as major disasters due to tornado damage.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2008-02-25 00:00:00

Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to direct the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure that any trailer or mobile home purchased by FEMA meets safety standards established by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under provisions relating to limitations on hazardous materials in housing to be used in Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs, including any such standards for formaldehyde, lead, or any other hazardous material, contamination, toxic chemical or gas, or radioactive substance that could affect the health or safety of an occupant.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Housing and community development
Date: 2008-03-06 00:00:00

CJ's Home Protection Act of 2008 - Amends the National Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of 1974 to revise federal standards for manufactured homes (other than one affixed to a permanent foundation) to require each such home to be installed with a weather radio: (1) capable of broadcasting emergency information relating to local weather conditions; (2) equipped with a tone alarm and Specific Alert Message Encoding, or SAME technology; and (3) compliant with the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) Standard 2009-A Performance Specification for Public Alert Receivers (or its current revision). Shields from common law civil liability: (1) manufacturers, installers, or retailers of manufactured homes for any aspect of the installation, furnishing, function, operation, performance, capabilities, or utilization of such a weather radio; and (2) the operator, owner, or employee of a manufactured home community, or the home manufacturer, with respect to the functionality of such a radio owing to any reminder, assistance, or instructions the community operator provides. Exempts modular homes from such installation standards. Requires the consensus committee established under such Act to develop and submit to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development a proposed standard for installed weather radios. Requires the Secretary to study and report to specified congressional committees on conditioning the applicability of the weather radio installation requirement on the geographic location at which a manufactured home is placed.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2008-03-13 00:00:00

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through 2010 increased depreciation allowances for certain business and investment property located in the Gulf Opportunity Zone (GO Zone) (through 2011 for nonresidential real property or residential rental property in the GO Zone); (2) extend through 2012 special rules relating to the depreciation of buildings in the GO Zone; (3) extend through 2010 the tax credit for rehabilitation expenditures in the GO Zone; (4) increase the new markets tax credit limitation in 2008 and 2009 for investments in community development entities serving the GO Zone; (5) extend through 2012, and increase the authority for, tax-exempt bond financing for bonds issued by Louisiana or a political subdivision thereof; (6) authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to expand an area designated as a renewal community; and (7) extend through 2012 the period for designating areas located in the GO Zone as renewal communities. Amends the Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 to extend for an additional two years the hiring period of employees in the Hurricane Katrina disaster area for purposes of the work opportunity tax credit.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2008-03-31 00:00:00

Amends the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Defense, the Global War on Terror, and Hurricane Recovery, 2006 to extend the authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide funds to state and local governments for utility costs resulting from the provision of temporary housing units to evacuees from Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes of the 2005 season where the state or local government has previously arranged to pay for such utilities on behalf of the evacuees, to cover the term of any leases for up to 36 months (currently, 24 months) contracted by or prior to February 7, 2006.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2008-04-07 00:00:00

8/29 Investigation Team Act - Establishes a bipartisan 8/29 Investigation Team to examine: (1) the events beginning on August 29, 2005, with respect to the failure of the flood protection system in response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; and (2) each flood control and restoration project that has been carried out since that date in the region in which those events occurred.Prohibits any elected federal official from serving as a Team member. Expresses the sense of Congress regarding member qualifications.Urges the Team to: (1) review findings and recommendations of all studies conducted in the aftermath of the levee failures in Louisiana on or after August 29, 2005; (2) review the ongoing U.S. exposure to flood control system failures; and (3) report on necessary legislative or regulatory changes.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Housing and community development
Date: 2008-05-02 00:00:00

Gulf Coast Multifamily and Assisted Housing Recovery Act - Amends the Housing Act of 1959 to authorize additional appropriations to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives to expand the supply of supportive housing for low-income elderly persons meeting certain criteria relating to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005. Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to authorize additional appropriations to the Secretary to provide the same kind of assistance for low-income persons with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for the redevelopment (rebuilding or replacement) of housing authorized under the Housing Act of 1959 which was damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and in the Parish of St. Bernard. Requires the Secretary to adjust the rent levels annually on a budget-based basis for eligible projects in a designated disaster area receiving rental assistance under the Housing Act of 1959 and the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. Requires the Secretary to report to specified congressional committees on: (1) the number of project-based assistance contracts and units which were terminated in the designated disaster area after September 30, 2005; and (2) the specific developer, project name, location, number of units, and project description for each such project-based assistance contract. Prohibits a project-based assistance payments contract for a covered assisted multifamily housing project from expiring or being terminated because of the damage or destruction of dwelling units in the project by Hurricane Katrina or Hurricane Rita. Deems the expiration date of such a contract to be the later of the date: (1) specified in the contract; or (2) that is not less than three months after the dwelling units in such project, or in a replacement project, are first made habitable. Requires the Secretary to develop and report to specified congressional committees on a written disaster response plan for federally assisted properties that receive assistance pursuant to such Acts.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2008-05-20 00:00:00

Federal Land Avalanche Protection Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Chief of the Forest Service, to establish an avalanche protection program to: (1) identify the potential for avalanches on federal land and inform the public about the probability of avalanches and the potential adverse effects; (2) carry out ongoing research to improve avalanche forecasting; and (3) reduce the risks and mitigate the effects of avalanches.Requires the Secretary: (1) to coordinate the program to ensure protection for recreational users of public land under the Secretary's and Secretary of the Interior's jurisdiction, using resources of the Forest Service's National Avalanche Center; (2) to establish an advisory committee to assist in program development and implementation; and (3) with the Secretary of Transportation and the Secretary of the Army, to establish a central depository for weapons, ammunition, and parts for avalanche control purposes.Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to carry out projects and activities to: (1) assist in the prevention, forecasting, detection, and mitigation of avalanches; (2) maintain essential transportation, utilities, and communications; (3) assist avalanche artillery users to ensure the availability of adequate supplies of artillery and explosives required for avalanche control in specified areas; and (4) assist persons in providing public education about avalanches and in conducting research and development activities for alternatives to minimize reliance on military weapons for avalanche control.Directs the Secretary to give priority to projects carried out in avalanche zones with a high frequency or severity of avalanches or in which deaths, injuries, or damage to public facilities and communities have occurred. Requires the Administrator of General Services to transfer specified property suitable for avalanche control purposes to a user of surplus ordnance.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2008-06-20 00:00:00

Predisaster Hazard Mitigation Act of 2008 - Amends the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act to require the President to: (1) award financial assistance under the pre-disaster hazard mitigation program on a competitive basis; and (2) ensure that the amount of assistance made available to each state is not less than the lesser of $575,000 or the amount that is equal to 1% of the total funds appropriated to carry out such program for the fiscal year, and is not more than 15% of such appropriated funds. Authorizes appropriations for the program for FY2009-FY2013. Repeals the program termination date. Prohibits a state from using more than 25% of the financial assistance made available to the state under the program in a fiscal year for flood control projects.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Commerce
Date: 2008-06-27 00:00:00

Small Business Energy Emergency Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration to make disaster loans to assist small businesses that have suffered or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury as the result of a significant increase in the price of heating fuel occurring on or after October 1, 2007. Prohibits such loan from being made if the total amount outstanding and committed to the borrower would exceed $1.5 million, unless the borrower is a major source of employment in its surrounding area. Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to farm operations that qualify as a small business and that have or are likely to suffer substantial economic injury on or after October 1, 2007, as the result of a significant increase in energy costs in connection with an energy emergency declared by the President or the Secretary.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Education
Date: 2008-07-28 00:00:00

Amends the Higher Education Extension Act of 2005 to extend the programs under the Higher Education Act of 1965 through August 15, 2008.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Education
Date: 2008-07-29 00:00:00

Rural Fuel for School Act of 2008 - Directs the Secretary of Education to award triennial grants to rural local educational agencies (LEAs) in amounts equal to between 10% to 50% of each grantee's annual total transportation costs for the previous fiscal year. Makes rural LEAs eligible for such grants if they experience: (1) an increase in annual fuel costs of at least 20% for the fiscal year; (2) an increase in contract transportation costs of at least 20% for the fiscal year; or (3) extreme hardship, as certified by the Secretary, in providing transportation to elementary and secondary students due to increased fuel prices. Terminates the Secretary's authority to make such grants on December 31, 2013.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Education
Date: 2008-07-30 00:00:00

Increased Student Achievement Through Increased Student Support Act - Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive, renewable, five-year grants to partnerships between low-income local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools offering graduate programs in school counseling, social work, or psychology to increase the number of program graduates employed by low-income LEAs. Defines "low-income LEAs" as those that: (1) serve students at least 20% of which are from low-income families; (2) have ratios of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists to students that fall at least 10% below specified target ratios; and (3) have been identified as needing improvement or corrective action or include at least one school identified as needing improvement, corrective action, or restructuring under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Allows the use of grant funds to: (1) provide program graduate students with field training at partnership LEA schools; (2) contribute to program graduates' salaries at such schools for up to three years after they graduate; (3) increase the number of school counselors, social workers, and psychologists per student in such schools; (4) enhance the capacity of partnership graduate schools to train such professionals; (5) develop course work designed to facilitate such graduates' service to low-income LEAs and at-risk students; and (6) provide tuition credits to such graduate students and student loan forgiveness to program graduates employed as school counselors, social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs for at least five years. Directs the Secretary to establish a program providing student loan forgiveness to non-participants in this Act's grant program who have been employed for at least five years as school counselors, social workers, or psychologists by low-income LEAs. Requires the Secretary to identify a formula for future use in designating regions as eligible for benefit programs because of having a shortage of such school personnel.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Immigration
Date: 2008-07-30 00:00:00

Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to allow a surviving spouse of a U.S. citizen who was married for less than two years at the time of the citizen's death who proves by a preponderance of the evidence that the marriage was entered into in good faith and not for the purpose of obtaining an immigration benefit to self-petition (within the required two years) for continued immediate relative status. (Applies such provision to applications and petitions pending on or after the date of enactment of this Act.) Extends the petition filing deadline for two years after the date of the enactment of this Act if: (1) the alien's U.S. citizen spouse died before the date of the enactment of this Act; (2) the alien and the citizen spouse were married for less than two years at the time of the citizen spouse's death; and (3) the alien has not remarried.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Date: 2008-07-31 00:00:00

Limitations on Interrogation Techniques Act of 2008 - Prohibits any individual in the custody or control of personnel of an element of the intelligence community or contractor or subcontractor thereof, regardless of nationality or physical location, from being subject to the following interrogation techniques: (1) forcing the individual to be naked, perform sexual acts, or pose in a sexual manner; (2) placing hoods or sacks over the head of the individual or using duct tape over the eyes; (3) applying beatings, electrical shock, burns, or similar forms of physical pain; (4) using the technique known as waterboarding; (5) using military working dogs; (6) inducing hypothermia or heat injury; (7) conducting mock executions; or (8) depriving the individual of adequate food, water, or medical care.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Congress
Date: 2008-07-31 00:00:00

United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2008 - Makes technical amendments to the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2001 with respect to the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the Capitol Police. Requires the CAO to report to and serve at the pleasure of the Chief of the Capitol Police. Repeals the CAO's authority over the personnel of the Capitol Police Office of Administration.Amends the Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2003 to authorize the Chief of Police to discipline and suspend Capitol Police employees with or without pay.Establishes a General Counsel to the Chief of Police and the U.S. Capitol Police.Prohibits lump sum payments to terminated U.S. Capitol Police officers or employees for unused compensatory time.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2008-08-01 00:00:00

Costal [sic] Homeowners Assistance Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) 25% of the qualified hurricane mitigation property expenditures incurred by a homeowner in a federally declared hurricane disaster area or in a county located in a state which borders the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico, up to $5,000; and (2) 50% of the increases in homeowner insurance premiums in such disaster areas, up to $5,000. Includes within the definition of "qualified hurricane mitigation property expenditures" expenditures to improve the strength of a roof deck attachment, create a secondary water barrier, improve the durability of a roof covering, or protect exterior doors and garages.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Emergency management
Date: 2008-08-01 00:00:00

Flood Insurance Refund Adjustment Act - Instructs the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to modify certain regulations governing premium refunds so that a standard flood insurance policyholder, whose property has been determined not to be in a special flood hazard area as a result of a specified flood map revision, has one year to submit a policy adjustment claim for a policy cancellation and refund. Declares such adjustment claims inapplicable to flood claims that have been paid or are pending.
Topic: Domestic Commerce — Disaster Relief
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2008-09-15 00:00:00

Incentive to Serve Tax Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow employers a business tax credit for 25% of wages paid to employees while such employees are performing certain services (e.g., services advancing the improvement of education, health care access, energy conservation, economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals, and disaster preparedness and response) for charitable organizations and community agencies. Limits the amount of wages eligible for such credit to $100,000 per employee.