zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Local Food and Farm Support Act - Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to support value-added agricultural products which shall include a socially disadvantaged farmer and rancher component and may include a small and individual producer grant component. Directs the Secretary to establish a Family Rancher and Rancher Viability and Innovation Fund. Amends the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to direct the Secretary, through the Agricultural Marketing Service, to: (1) establish a grant program for eligible entities to conduct enterprise feasibility studies, including studies of consumer preference; and (2) provide loans and loan guarantees to eligible entities and individual producers to develop processing, distribution, and information infrastructure for locally or regionally produced food. Amends the Farmers-to-Consumers Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to direct the Secretary to carry out a direct to consumer marketing assistance program to make grants to eligible entities for projects to establish, expand, and promote farmers' markets and other farmer to consumer direct marketing opportunities. Extends: (1) the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) farmers' market nutrition program; (2) the senior farmers' market nutrition program; (3) the food stamp community food project program; and (4) the farm-to cafeteria program. Establishes: (1) the food stamp fruit and vegetable incentive program; and (2) the urban agriculture production program.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Creating Research Extension and Teaching Excellence for the 21st Century Act of 2007 or CREATE-21 Act of 2007 - Establishes the National Institutes for Food and Agriculture, which shall be located in Washington, DC. Transfers specified authorities of the Department of Agriculture and other authorities to the Institutes. Sets forth organizational and funding provisions. Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to repeal authority for the National Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board. Eliminates specified funding provisions respecting agricultural research at 1890 land-grant colleges. Extends specified agricultural programs, including research, extension, and education programs.

Date: 2007-04-12
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Equine Equity Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) treat any race horse as three-year property for depreciation purposes; and (2) reduce to 12 months the holding period for capital gains treatment of horses.

Date: 2007-04-30
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Taxation
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture from closing or relocating any county, local, or field office of the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any rural development-related office of the Department of Agriculture until at least one year after the date of enactment of an Act to provide for the post-FY2007 continuation of agricultural programs.

Date: 2007-07-19
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farm, Ranch, Equity, Stewardship, and Health Act of 2007 - Amends the federal crop insurance program. Establishes: (1) a risk management account contract program; (2) a conservation planning pilot program; (3) a nutrient reduction and sediment control pilot program for the Chesapeake Bay watershed; (4) a national clean plant network; (5) an Office of Pest Management Policy; and (6) a program of hunger-free community collaborative and infrastructure grants. Extends and revises specified programs for: (1) commodity assistance; (2) conservation; (3) specialty crops; (4) food programs and nutrition, (5) agricultural trade; (6) rural development; (7) forestry; and (8) energy, including biobased products. Food Employment Empowerment and Development Program Act of 2007 or FEED Act of 2007 - Establishes the food employment empowerment and development program to provide grants to eligible entities to use community resources to combat hunger and the root causes of hunger by creating opportunity through food recovery and job training. Expresses the sense of Congress that any budgetary savings created by this Act should be used to reduce the federal budget deficit and not be used to offset other federal spending.

Date: 2007-10-24
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Extends, with specified exceptions, agricultural programs under the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 until May 2, 2008. Suspends permanent price support authorities through May 2, 2008.

Date: 2008-04-24
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Mobile Wireless Tax Fairness Act of 2008 - Prohibits states or local governments from imposing any new discriminatory tax on mobile services, mobile service providers, or mobile service property for five years after the enactment of this Act. Defines "new discriminatory tax" as a tax imposed on mobile services, providers, or property that is not generally imposed on other types of services or property, or that is generally imposed at a lower rate.

Date: 2008-07-10
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Taxation
Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2008, or the Credit CARD Act of 2008 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to require advance notice of any increase in the annual percentage rate of interest (APR) pertaining to a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan. Imposes a freeze on interest rate terms and fees on canceled cards. Sets limits on fees and interest charges, including a prohibition against penalties for on-time payments. Prohibits a creditor from furnishing information to a consumer reporting agency concerning a newly opened credit card account until the credit card has been used or activated by the consumer. Revises requirements for prompt and fair crediting of card payments. Prohibits universal default (except in certain circumstances) and unilateral changes to cardholder agreements. Increases the civil penalty against any creditor who fails to comply with specified requirements in the case of an individual action relating to an open end credit plan that is not secured by real property or a dwelling. Prescribes procedures for specified federal regulatory agencies to evaluate credit card issuers for compliance with this Act. Revises: (1) payoff and repayment timing disclosure requirements; and (2) requirements relating to late payment deadlines and penalties. Prohibits issuance of: (1) a credit card on behalf of a consumer under age 21, unless the consumer has submitted a written application meeting specified requirements; and (2) certain affinity cards to students unless certain requirements have been met. Amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to allow underage consumers to elect to be included in certain listings compiled by a consumer reporting agency. Amends the Federal Trade Commission Act to require all federal banking agencies and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to coordinate rulemaking and regulations. Directs the Comptroller General to study and report to certain congressional committees on: (1) the status of regulations of the federal banking agencies and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) regarding unfair and deceptive acts or practices by depository institutions and federal credit unions; and (2) the extent to which interchange fees are required to be disclosed to consumers and merchants, and how such fees are overseen by the federal banking agencies. Directs the Comptroller General to establish the Credit Card Safety Rating System Commission.

Date: 2008-07-10
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Health Freedom Act - Prohibits the federal government from preventing the use of a claim describing any nutrient in a food or dietary supplement as mitigating, treating, or preventing any disease, disease symptom, or health-related condition, unless in a final order following a trial on the merits a federal court finds clear and convincing evidence based on qualified expert opinion and published peer-reviewed scientific research that: (1) the claim is false and misleading in any material respect; and (2) there is no less speech restrictive alternative to claim suppression that can render the claim non-misleading. Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to deem a food or dietary supplement for which a claim characterizing the relationship of a nutrient to a disease or health-related condition not to be included in the definition of "drug" solely because of such claim. Revokes all Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules prohibiting nutrient-disease relationship claims. Revises the criteria for deeming a food misbranded when a claim for a nutrient is made. Revises dietary supplement labeling exemptions to prohibit the government from preventing distribution of a publication concerning the sale of a food or dietary supplement unless: (1) it establishes that a claim contained in the publication names the specific food or supplement sold and represents that the food or supplement mitigates, treats, or prevents a disease; and (2) the claim is proven to be false and misleading in any material respect by final order of a federal court in accordance with this Act.

Date: 2009-07-29
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Health
Livestock Farmer Risk Reduction Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to: (1) increase expenditure limits under pilot programs evaluating the effectiveness of risk management tools for livestock producers; (2) include livestock insurance within the scope of the partnerships for risk management education program; and (3) increase education and information program funding levels.

Date: 2010-01-12
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Greening Food Deserts Act - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Office of Urban Agriculture which shall coordinate Department of Agriculture (USDA) activities related to urban agriculture and nutrition. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to provide technical assistance in support of backyard conservation and community gardening programs involving small-scale subsistence and personal-use agriculture. Amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 regarding urban and community forestry assistance to give a priority to the production and procurement in urban areas of plant materials that are resistant to invasive species. Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations for the seniors farmers' market nutrition program. Directs the Secretary to make loans, provide loan guarantees, and make grants to public agencies and nonprofit organizations for farmers' market construction and renovation. Amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to include an evaluation of state farmers' markets in each agriculture census. Renames the Rural Energy for America Program as the Renewable Energy for America Program. Authorizes the Secretary to make a microloan or grant available to support outreach activities for: (1) developing food production in communities not traditionally associated with agricultural production; and (2) supporting local food production and distribution. Amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase reimbursement rates for school lunch, breakfast, and summer food service meals consisting in whole or part of foods produced through agricultural education programs that use enrolled students to produce food and provide the food to in-house feeding programs. Amends The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary to make eight grants each fiscal year to regional food banks or consortiums of community feeding programs for a demonstration project to produce fresh fruits and vegetables at these facilities while teaching eligible households how to engage in small-scale food production residentially or at community gardens.

Date: 2010-03-25
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Healthy Food Financing Initiative - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a Healthy Food Financing Initiative to provide assistance in order to: (1) improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas; (2) create and preserve quality jobs; and (3) revitalize low-income communities by providing loans and grants to eligible food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved, urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Date: 2010-11-30
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Service for Healthier Kids Act - Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to enter into an interagency agreement with the Corporation for National and Community Service that provides the Corporation with funding for a Nutrition Corps to carry out national service programs that: (1) increase access to, participation in, and the quality of, the nutrition assistance programs the Secretary administers; and (2) support local agriculture and farm to school initiatives undertaken by the Secretary.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Education
Creating Hope Act of 2010 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the priority review voucher program for tropical diseases to: (1) include rare pediatric diseases; (2) allow unlimited transfers of vouchers under the program; and (3) require a sponsor intending to use a voucher to notify the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) at least 90 days (currently, 365 days) before submission of the application. Revises provisions regarding the priority review user fee, including to make it payable upon notification of the Secretary of intent to use the voucher. Authorizes the Secretary, upon request of the manufacturer or sponsor of a new drug, to designate that a new drug is: (1) for a rare pediatric disease; and (2) an innovative treatment. Requires the Secretary to deem a rare pediatric disease product application to be incomplete if it does not contain a description of the sponsor's plan to market the product in the United States. Authorizes the Secretary to refuse to issue a priority review voucher upon the approval of a rare pediatric disease application if the Secretary finds that the sponsor lacks a good faith intention to produce and distribute the product. Requires sponsors of applications under the priority review voucher program to report to the Secretary within five years after the approval of the application on the demand and distribution of the product within the United States.

Date: 2010-08-04
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Health
Puppy Uniform Protection and Safety Act - Amends the Animal Welfare Act to define a "high volume retail breeder" as a person who, in commerce, for compensation or profit: (1) has an ownership interest in or custody of one or more breeding female dogs; and (2) sells, via any means of conveyance, more than 50 of the offspring of such dogs for use as pets in any one-year period. Considers such a breeder of dogs to be a dealer. Requires dealers to include on licensing applications and annual renewals the total number of dogs exempted from exercise on the premises of the dealer in the preceding year by a licensed veterinarian. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to promulgate requirements for the exercise of dogs at facilities owned or operated by a dealer, including requiring daily access to exercise that: (1) allows the dogs to move sufficiently in a way that is not forced, repetitive, or restrictive; and (2) is in an area that is spacious, cleaned at least once a day, free of infestation by pests or vermin, and designed to prevent the dogs from escaping. Allows an exemption if: (1) a licensed veterinarian determines that a dog should not exercise because of the health, condition, or well-being of the dog; and (2) such determination is reviewed and updated at least once every 30 days by the veterinarian, unless the basis for the determination is a permanent condition. Subjects such a determination to review and approval by the Secretary.

Date: 2011-02-28
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Animals
Business Risk Mitigation and Price Stabilization Act of 2011 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to revise the element of the definition of a major swap participant which states that the participant's outstanding swaps create substantial counterparty exposure that could have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the U.S. banking system or financial markets. Specifies "net" counterparty exposure, thus stating that the major swap participant's outstanding swaps create substantial net counterparty exposure that could have serious adverse effects on the financial stability of the U.S. banking system or financial markets. Declares capital and margin requirements governing swap dealers and major swap participants inapplicable to swaps in which one of the counterparties is not: (1) a swap dealer or major swap participant; (2) a specified kind of investment fund; (3) a commodity pool; or (4) the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) or any affiliate, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) or any affiliate, or a Federal Home Loan Bank. Exempts from margin requirements under the CEA and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 any swaps entered into before the date upon which specified final rules must be published under the Wall Street Transparency and Accountability Act of 2010, title VII of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

Date: 2011-04-15
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Food and Drug Administration Mission Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the mission of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include establishment of a regulatory system that: (1) advances medical innovation by incorporating modern scientific tools, standards, and approaches; (2) protects the public health and enables patients to access novel products while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation among the industries regulated by the FFDCA; (3) is based on the best available science; (4) allows for public participation and an open exchange of ideas; (5) promotes predictability, allows flexibility, and reduces uncertainty; (6) identifies and uses the most innovative and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends; (7) ensures that regulations are accessible, consistent, transparent, written in plain language, and easy to understand; (8) measures, and seeks to improve, the actual results of regulatory requirements; and (9) incorporates a patient-focused benefit-risk framework that accounts for varying degrees of risk tolerance.

Date: 2011-10-14
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Health
Farm Service Accountability Act - Amends the the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to prohibit the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from closing or relocating a Farm Service Agency county or field office in a state if the Secretary determines that the office has a high workload volume compared with other county offices in the state.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to prohibit the closing of a Farm Service Agency county or field office unless there is another Agency office not more than 20 driving miles away.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Community-Supported Agriculture Promotion Act - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out a Community-Supported Agriculture Promotion program to promote community-supported agriculture. Provides Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funding for the program through FY2018.

Date: 2011-07-26
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Food and Drug Administration Mission Reform Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the mission of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to include establishment of a regulatory system that: (1) advances medical innovation by incorporating modern scientific tools, standards, and approaches; (2) protects the public health and enables patients to access novel products while promoting economic growth, innovation, competitiveness, and job creation among the industries regulated by the FFDCA; (3) is based on the best available science; (4) allows for public participation and an open exchange of ideas; (5) promotes predictability, allows flexibility, and reduces uncertainty; (6) identifies and uses the most innovative and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends; (7) ensures that regulations are accessible, consistent, transparent, written in plain language, and easy to understand; (8) measures, and seeks to improve, the actual results of regulatory requirements; and (9) incorporates a patient-focused benefit-risk framework that accounts for varying degrees of risk tolerance.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Health
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 regarding the Rural Energy for America Program to: (1) extend the Program through FY2017, (2) make nonprofit organizations eligible for assistance, (3) make assistance available to purchase unique components of renewable energy systems, (4) create a tiered loan and grant application process that reflects project size, (5) prohibit requiring a second meter for on-farm residential portions of rural projects connected to the energy grid, (6) permit the combined amount of a grant and a loan guarantee to cover all eligible activity costs, and (7) limit individual grant amounts for feasibility studies.

Date: 2012-03-22
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to prohibit the closing of a Farm Service Agency county or field office unless there is another Agency office not more than 20 driving miles away.

Date: 2012-06-04
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farmers Protection Act of 2012 - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to permit the taking of any migratory game bird, including waterfowl, coots, and cranes, on or over land that: (1) is not a baited area; and (2) contains a standing crop (including an aquatic crop), standing, flooded, or manipulated natural vegetation, flooded harvested cropland, or an area on which seed or grain has been scattered solely as the result of a normal agricultural practice.

Date: 2012-12-12
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Animals
Farmland Preservation and Land Conservation Act of 2013- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an estate and gift tax exclusion for real property located in the United States which at the time of a decedent's death was being used as a farm for farming purposes or exclusively for conservation purposes. Imposes: (1) an additional estate or gift tax with respect to such property if an heir or donee disposes of or uses such property for other than farming or conservation purposes, and (2) a federal tax lien on such property until liability for estate or gift tax with respect to such property has been satisfied or has become unenforceable.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Taxation
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), through the Forest Service, to use funds derived from conservation-related programs executed on National Forest System lands to utilize the Agriculture Conservation Experienced Services Program to provide technical services for conservation-related programs and authorities carried out by the Secretary on such lands.

Date: 2013-04-17
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Balancing Food, Farm, and the Environment Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make a producer violating certain conservation requirements under the highly erodible land or wetland programs ineligible for federal crop insurance premiums.

Requires producers under the highly erodible land program and the wetland conservation program to comply with specified conservation requirements.

Extends and revises: (1) the conservation reserve program, (2) the conservation stewardship program, and (3) the environmental quality incentives program.

Establishes: (1) a conservation reserve easement program, and (2) a conservation innovation grant program.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds and facilities to carry out the following programs through FY2018: (1) the conservation reserve program, (2) the conservation security program, (3) the conservation stewardship program, (4) the environmental quality incentives program, (5) the conservation innovation grant program, (6) the agricultural conservation easement program, and (7) the conservation loan and loan guarantee program.

Authorizes a conservation loan and loan guarantee program.

Establishes an agricultural conservation easement program which shall combine the purposes and functions of the wetlands reserve program, the grassland reserve program, and the farmland protection program.

Provides: (1) funding for the purchase by eligible entities of agricultural land easements and other interests in eligible land, and (2) assistance to owners of eligible land to restore and protect wetland through easements and related wetland easement plans.

Authorizes the Secretary to enter into one or more agreements with a state, nongovernmental organization, or Indian tribe to carry out a special wetlands reserve enhancement program which shall include a reservation of haying and grazing component.

Establishes a regional conservation partnership program which shall combine the purposes and functions of the agricultural water enhancement program, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed program, the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and the Great Lakes basin program for soil erosion and sediment control.

Repeals: (1) the emergency forestry conservation reserve program, (2) the wetlands reserve program, (3) the farmland protection program and farm viability program, (4) the grassland reserve program, (5) the environmental easement program, (6) the program of conservation innovation grants and payments, (7) the agricultural water enhancement program, (8) the wildlife habitat incentive program, (9) the Great Lakes Basin program, (10) the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and (11) the desert terminal lakes program.

Date: 2013-05-08
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish an Office of Tribal Relations within the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to advise the Secretary on policies related to Indian tribes.

Date: 2013-05-08
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Native Americans
Balancing Food, Farm, and the Environment Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make a producer violating certain conservation requirements under the highly erodible land or wetland programs ineligible for federal crop insurance premiums.

Requires producers under the highly erodible land program and the wetland conservation program to comply with specified conservation requirements.

Extends and revises: (1) the conservation reserve program, (2) the conservation stewardship program, and (3) the environmental quality incentives program.

Establishes: (1) a conservation reserve easement program, and (2) a conservation innovation grant program.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds and facilities to carry out the following programs through FY2018: (1) the conservation reserve program, (2) the conservation security program, (3) the conservation stewardship program, (4) the environmental quality incentives program, (5) the conservation innovation grant program, (6) the agricultural conservation easement program, and (7) the conservation loan and loan guarantee program.

Authorizes a conservation loan and loan guarantee program.

Establishes an agricultural conservation easement program which shall combine the purposes and functions of the wetlands reserve program, the grassland reserve program, and the farmland protection program.

Provides: (1) funding for the purchase by eligible entities of agricultural land easements and other interests in eligible land, and (2) assistance to owners of eligible land to restore and protect wetland through easements and related wetland easement plans.

Authorizes the Secretary to enter into one or more agreements with a state, nongovernmental organization, or Indian tribe to carry out a special wetlands reserve enhancement program which shall include a reservation of haying and grazing component.

Establishes a regional conservation partnership program which shall combine the purposes and functions of the agricultural water enhancement program, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed program, the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and the Great Lakes basin program for soil erosion and sediment control.

Repeals: (1) the emergency forestry conservation reserve program, (2) the wetlands reserve program, (3) the farmland protection program and farm viability program, (4) the grassland reserve program, (5) the environmental easement program, (6) the program of conservation innovation grants and payments, (7) the agricultural water enhancement program, (8) the wildlife habitat incentive program, (9) the Great Lakes Basin program, (10) the cooperative conservation partnership initiative, and (11) the desert terminal lakes program.

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership Reauthorization Act - Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to extend the Secretary of Agriculture's (USDA) authority to make grants or provide assistance to the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership (Iowa).

Date: 2013-06-12
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise the nutritional information that restaurants and retail food establishments must disclose. Requires the nutrient content disclosure statement on the menu or menu board to include: (1) the number of calories contained in the whole product; (2) the number of servings and number of calories per serving; or (3) the number of calories per the common unit division of the product, such as for a multi-serving item that is typically divided before presentation to the consumer. Permits such information to be provided by a remote-access menu, such as through the internet, for food establishments where the majority of orders are placed by customers who are off-premises at the time the order is placed.

Defines “reasonable basis” for a restaurant or similar food establishment’s nutrient content disclosures to mean that the nutrient disclosure is within acceptable allowances for variation in nutrient content, which include variations in serving size or ingredients, and inadvertent human error in formulation of menu items.

Sets forth the methods a restaurant or similar food establishment may use to determine nutritional content for disclosure, including ranges, averages, individual labeling of flavors or components, or labeling of one preset standard build (i.e., the finished version of a menu item most commonly ordered by consumers).

Applies the nutritional disclosure requirements to retail food establishments that derive more than 50% of their total revenue from the sale of food.

Date: 2013-11-21
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Health
Flexibility to Farm Act 

This bill permits the chief executive of a state to create exemptions from federal environmental laws and regulations for farmers that are adversely affected by the requirements. The bill applies to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) and the requirements of the Clean Air Act that apply to emissions of air pollutants other than those resulting from the combustion of fossil fuels. Prior to finalizing any determination under this bill, the chief executive must solicit and accept public comments for at least 90 days.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
Subsistence Access Management Act of 2015

Prohibits the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture, with respect to a community or area designated as rural on or before May 6, 2007, from:

 redesignating the community or area as nonrural, or adjusting the boundaries of a community or area to render some or all of it as nonrural. Reinstates the list of communities and areas designated as rural (including their boundaries) as in effect on May 6, 2007, and as if the final rule issued May 7, 2007, and entitled "Subsistence Management Regulations for Public Lands in Alaska, Subpart C: Nonrural Determinations," had not been issued.

Date: 2015-05-15
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Fairness for Agricultural Machinery and Equipment Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the placed-in-service restriction on the depreciation of certain farming business machinery and equipment and to make permanent the five-year recovery period for such property.

Date: 2016-02-04
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Taxation
This bill amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to prohibit livestock packers from owning, controlling, or feeding livestock to such an extent that the producer no longer materially participates in the management of the operation with respect to the production of the livestock.

The bill includes exceptions for: (1) livestock held for not more than seven days before slaughter; (2) certain cooperatives that own, control, or feed livestock and provide such livestock for slaughter; (3) packers that are not required to report price and quantity information on each reporting day; or (4) packers that own one livestock processing plant.

Date: 2016-05-10
Topic: Agriculture (General)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Department of Homeland Security Secure American Federal Equipment Procurement Act or the DHS SAFE Procurement Act - Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to prohibit the use of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funds for the procurement of any of the following items that are not manufactured in the United States: (1) uniforms; (2) protective gear; (3) badges or other insignia indicating rank, office, or position; and (4) identification cards.Makes exceptions: (1) where the Secretary determines that satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity of the article cannot be procured as and when needed at U.S. market prices (in which case the Secretary shall notify the House and Senate homeland security committees and include a certification that manufacturing the article outside the United States does not pose a risk to national security and an explanation of steps required by the manufacturer to ensure that any elements used for the article are not misappropriated); (2) for acquisitions at or below the micro-purchase threshold; and (3) for acquisitions outside the United States for use outside the United States. Makes this Act applicable notwithstanding any presidential waiver of discriminatory purchasing requirements under the Trade Agreements Act of 1979.

Date: 2007-03-26
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Emergency management
Trade Adjustment Assistance Reform Act - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to repeal group eligibility requirements for trade adjustment assistance (TAA) that: (1) the country to which the workers' firm has shifted production of the articles be a party to a free trade agreement with the United States; or (2) such country be a beneficiary country under the Andean Trade Preference Act, African Growth and Opportunity Act, or the Caribbean Basin Economic Recovery Act.Requires the Secretary of Labor, with respect to textile and apparel workers, to make group eligibility determinations without regard to the sales, imports, and production factors of the group eligibility requirements.Requires funds provided to a state to cover the administrative costs associated with its TAA responsibilities to be sufficient to cover all costs associated with operating the program, including caseworker costs.Increases the amount of payments for training of adversely affected workers under the Act.Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the credit for health insurance costs of certain TAA and Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) pension recipients.Requires the Secretaries of the Treasury and of Labor each to carry out compatible and coordinated programs to simplify the TAA and credit eligibility process.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
American Automobile Industry Promotion Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) offer to enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to assess state-of-the-art battery technologies with potential application for electric drive transportation; (2) conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for electric drive transportation technology (i.e., vehicles that use electric motors for all or part of the motive power); and (3) establish and carry out an Advanced Battery Initiative to support research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of battery technologies in on-road or nonroad vehicles. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to redefine the new advanced lean burn technology motor vehicle credit to suspend, until 2012 and later model vehicles, requirements that vehicles, to qualify for the credit, receive a certificate stating they meet or exceed certain weight and emission standards. Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) define "biodiesel" and "biodiesel blend"; and (2) require the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to promulgate regulations to establish standards for each biodiesel blend.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Energy
Applies Buy America requirements to an entire bridge project if they apply to a component part of the project. (Buy America requires the use of steel, iron, and manufactured products produced in the United States for certain transportation-related projects unless, among other exceptions, inclusion of domestic material will increase the cost of the overall project contract by more than 25 percent.)

Date: 2007-04-20
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to extend from September 30, 2007, through December 31, 2007, the authorization of appropriations for the trade adjustment assistance program for workers, firms (including agricultural firms), and farmers. Amends the Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 to increase the amount of any corporate estimated tax installment otherwise due by a corporation with assets of not less than $1 billion in July, August, or September of 2012 to 115% of such amount. Amends the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 to extend from September 30, 2014, through October 7, 2014, certain customs fees for the processing of merchandise entered into the United States.

Date: 2007-08-03
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Improving Public Diplomacy through International Travel Act - Directs the Secretary of State to enhance diplomatic relations with foreign countries and promote domestic business interests abroad by establishing a grant program to promote international travel to the United States. Directs a grant recipient to develop a promotion program to encourage international travel to the United States and to effectively communicate U.S. entry requirements, including required documentation, fees, and processes. Sets forth the following market phase-ins: (1) year one, Canada; (2) year two, Canada and Mexico; (3) year three, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom; (4) year four, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and Japan; and (5) year five, Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany. Reserves 20% of grant funds for promotion programs for destinations that lack the resources to market themselves internationally.

Date: 2007-09-26
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Toy Origin for Toddler Safety Act - Amends the Consumer Product Safety Act to require every manufacturer of a consumer product to post on its website (if any) the location of the facility where the product was manufactured or assembled. Requires the manufacturer, if similar products are manufactured or assembled at multiple facilities, to make such information available by serial number or other identifier.

Date: 2007-12-12
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Commerce
Innovation Tax Credit Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the tax credit for increasing research activities by: (1) phasing in increases in the alternative simplified tax credit rate through 2009; (2) establishing a 20% alternative simplified tax credit rate in 2010 in lieu of the standard research tax credit rate; (3) increasing the amount of basic and contract research expenses eligible for such tax credit; and (4) making such tax credit permanent.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Taxation
American Steel First Act of 2008 - Prohibits heads of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DOD), and the Department of Transportation (DOT) from obligating or expending funds or providing financial assistance for projects for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in such project is produced in the United States.Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest; (2) iron and steel are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality; or (3) inclusion of iron and steel produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project contract by more than 25%. Prohibits waivers by a department head for products produced in a foreign country that is determined by the U.S. Trade Representative to have violated the terms of an agreement with the United States by discriminating against products covered by the agreement that are produced in the United States.Prohibits such department heads from imposing financial assistance restrictions on: (1) states that impose more stringent requirements on the use of iron and steel in foreign countries in projects carried out with such assistance; or (2) recipients that comply with such state imposed requirements.Makes any person who intentionally labels or represents a product used in a project under this Act as "Made in America" when it is not ineligible for another department contract from for six years.Requires the Secretary of Transportation to: (1) publish a justification for a waiver of the prohibition against obligating funds to carry out the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, highway projects, public transportation projects, or aviation programs unless the steel, iron, and manufactured products used are produced in the United States; and (2) provide for public notice and comment for such waiver.

Date: 2008-04-30
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Trade Enforcement Act of 2008 - Amends the Trade Act of 1974 to revise certain trade provisions to require the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to: (1) review U.S. trade expansion priorities; and (2) report to Congress on priority foreign country practices which if eliminated will have the most potential to increase U.S. exports. Requires the USTR to seek consultation and satisfactory resolution of any identified priority foreign country trade practice (including an agreement for elimination or provision of compensatory trade benefits) with the country of concern. Establishes the Office of the Congressional Trade Enforcer. Requires the USTR to: (1) identify priority foreign countries that maintain technical barriers to trade, or sanitary or phytosanitary measures, that deny market access to U.S. products; and (2) initiate an investigation of such trade barriers to determine what trade action, if any, must be taken to remedy such barriers. Amends the Tariff Act of 1930 to apply countervailing duty provisions to nonmarket economy countries. Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) the United States should restore the balance between rights and obligations struck during the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations; (2) the United States should have the ability to enforce rigorously its trade laws (including antidumping, countervailing duty, and safeguard laws) in World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and dispute settlement proceedings; and (2) dispute settlement panels are obligated to follow WTO negotiated agreements and not Appellate Body jurisprudence. Revises requirements for presidential action on a finding by the International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding an imported Chinese product that threatens or causes market disruption to a like U.S. product. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish: (1) a government-wide, uniform data system to identify all goods imported into the United States; and (2) a voluntary government-private Import Safety Program to ensure that all goods in the international supply chain do not pose risks to public health or safety, and to facilitate the movement of such goods through the chain. Requires the Secretary to establish: (1) a list of importers of record and foreign manufacturers, processing facilities, exporters, and suppliers whose imported products have been determined to be inadmissible into the United States or have been the subject of U.S. recalls because of violations of health or safety standards; and (2) sanctions for entities on the list. Establishes the position of Director of Intellectual Property Rights Enforcement to develop an annual strategic plan for the enforcement of intellectual property rights. Sets forth: (1) enforcement activities to combat the counterfeiting and piracy of products; and (2) civil fines for the import of pirated or counterfeit products.

Date: 2008-07-17
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Consumer and Automotive Recovery Act of 2008 or the CAR Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow individual taxpayers a one-time tax credit for the purchase of a U.S. manufactured motor vehicle with a gross weight rating of not more than 14,000 pounds. Limits the amount of such credit to $1,500.

Date: 2008-11-20
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)