zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Big Cat Public Safety Act of 2016

This bill amends the Lacey Act Amendments of 1981 to prohibit any person from breeding or possessing any live animal of any prohibited wildlife species (i.e., any live species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. The bill extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed.

The bill revises the list of entities that are exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions to include:

 institutions accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums; certain facilities that have an active written contract with an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan or Taxon Advisory Group for breeding prohibited wildlife species; persons who do not allow the transportation and display of prohibited wildlife species off-site; current owners of animals that were born before this bill's enactment if the animals are registered with the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service within 180 days; and certain traveling circuses that hold Class C licenses under the Animal Welfare Act. Entities exempt from Lacey Act prohibitions must require that current owners and circuses not allow direct contact between the public and the prohibited wildlife species.

Date: 2016-02-11
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riots Claims Accountability Act of 2007 - Provides that any Greenwood, Oklahoma, claimant (a survivor or descendant of victims of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Race Riot of 1921) who has not previously obtained a determination on the merits of a Greenwood claim may, in a civil action commenced within five years after enactment of this Act, obtain that determination.

Date: 2007-04-23
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Federal Tort Claim Reform Act of 2007 - Amends the federal judicial code to exempt from coverage by the Federal Tort Claims Act any claim, based on an act or omission by a federal government employee relating to criminal conduct, that is made by a person who engaged in that conduct, except to the extent: (1) the act or omission consists of the purposeful infliction of serious bodily injury; and (2) the damages sought are actual losses (up to $250,000 in medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and other tangible losses).

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Prohibits the use or availability of any sums appropriated in any Act of Congress to pay any claim against the United States by Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila arising out of the conduct of Ignacio Ramos, Jose Alonso Compean, or any other person engaging in duties as an employee of the government on February 17, 2005. Declares that the United States does not consent to (does not waive sovereign immunity for) the commencement or maintenance of any civil action against the United States by Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila arising out of such conduct.

Date: 2007-05-09
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Foreign Service Victims of Terrorism Act of 2007 - Amends the Foreign Service Act of 1980 to provide a death gratuity for foreign national employees, foreign nationals appointees, and locally employed staff who die as a result of injuries suffered abroad in an amount equal to one year's basic salary at the highest step of the highest grade on the local compensation plan of the country in which the foreign staffer was being paid. Authorizes the Secretary of State or the head of a relevant agency to make an additional payment to the surviving dependents of a Foreign Service employee or a government executive branch employee killed as a result of an act of international terrorism in an amount equal to a maximum of eight times such employee's salary. Provides compensation retroactively to the families of each person killed in a terrorist act while serving on a U.S. diplomatic or consular mission abroad between Jan. 1, 1998, and the bills enactment, including the victims of the August 1998 bombing in Nairobi, Kenya. States that with respect to a U.S. citizen such amount shall be 10 times the salary amount of $94,000 ($940,000).

Date: 2007-06-22
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: International affairs
Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity.Provides that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action; and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002.

Date: 2007-10-01
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Immunity from Claims Related to Donated Horses Act of 2007 - Requires each humane organization that receives any horse or mule to hold the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, harmless from any demand, suit, action, or claim arising from or related to the government's donation of the horse or mule, including damages to the organization's property and any personal injury, disability, or death of any officer, employee, or agent.Authorizes horses and mules belonging to the federal government that have become unfit for service to be adopted by the DHS agents who have worked with such horse or mule.

Date: 2007-10-04
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Animals
Travel Trailer Residents' Health Registry Act - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS Secretary) to: (1) establish and maintain a health registry for individuals exposed to formaldehyde in temporary housing units provided by the government when displaced by a major disaster that occurred between August 29, 2005, and January 1, 2008; (2) include in the registry information the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS Secretary) determines is necessary to ascertain and monitor the health effects of such exposure; (3) develop a public information campaign to inform eligible individuals about the registry; and (4) periodically notify such individuals of significant developments in the study and treatment of conditions associated with exposure. Directs the DHS Secretary to contract with the HHS Secretary to provide health examinations, consultations, and mental health counseling free of charge to each eligible individual.Requires the HHS Secretary to contract with an independent scientific organization to report to Congress on: (1) the effectiveness of actions taken to collect and maintain information on the health consequences of such exposure; (2) recommendations to improve such collection and maintenance; and (3) the most effective and prudent means of addressing medical needs of eligible individuals.Requires: (1) such health consultation and mental health counseling to provide to each eligible individual information on examination results and on developments; and (2) the Secretary to commence an epidemiological study of the immediate and long-term effects of such exposure sufficient to further understand the medical needs of eligible individuals.

Date: 2008-04-24
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Health
Wrongful Convictions Tax Relief Act of 2008 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow wrongfully incarcerated individuals: (1) an exclusion from gross income for compensation received relating to their incarceration and for the first $50,000 of annual income received by such an individual after December 31, 2007; and (2) a refundable tax credit for 50% of payroll taxes on employment and self-employment income, up to $50,000 of such income. Limits the duration of such tax benefits to the lesser of 15 years or the number of years such an individual was incarcerated.Defines "wrongfully incarcerated individual" as an individual who was convicted of a criminal offense and was then pardoned or found not guilty of such offense because of innocence after serving all or a portion of a prison term. Disqualifies individuals with prior convictions punishable by more than one year of imprisonment.

Date: 2008-09-23
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Hawaiian Homeownership Opportunity Act of 2007 - Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 to extend through FY2012 the authorization of appropriations for housing assistance for Native Americans and loan guarantees for Native Hawaiian housing. Amends the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 to: (1) make the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands of the state of Hawaii eligible for loan guarantees; and (2) extend through FY2012 the authorization of appropriations for the credit subsidy to cover the costs of federal guarantees for financing for tribal housing activities.

Date: 2007-02-28
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Native Americans
Grants U.S. district courts original jurisdiction over any civil action for damages for personal injury or death that: (1) arose from the deportation of persons to Nazi concentration camps between January 1, 1942, and December 31, 1944; and (2) is brought by or on behalf of such person against a railroad that owned or operated the trains on which the persons were deported and that was organized as a separate legal entity.Provides that: (1) no law limiting the jurisdiction of the U.S. courts shall preclude any such action; and (2) no such action shall be barred because a statute of limitations has expired. Makes this Act applicable to any action pending on or commenced after January 1, 2002.

Date: 2008-09-10
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
John Hope Franklin Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act of 2009 - Provides that any Greenwood, Oklahoma, claimant (a survivor or descendant of victims of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Race Riot of 1921) who has not previously obtained a determination on the merits of a Greenwood claim may, in a civil action commenced within five years after enactment of this Act, obtain that determination.

Date: 2009-04-01
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Confers upon the U.S. Court of Federal Claims jurisdiction to hear, determine, and render final judgment on any legal or equitable claim against the United States to receive just compensation for the taking of certain lands in the state of Missouri by reason of the decision and notice of interim trail use or abandonment authorized by the National Trails System Act and decided by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) on March 25, 1992.

Date: 2009-07-08
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Amends the federal law commonly known as the "Tort Claims Act" to apply it to individuals accompanying, with the knowledge and consent of the U.S. government, federal employees engaged in missions for the U.S. government in foreign countries (thus assuring them of legal recourse against the U.S. government for certain tort claims). Declares that the law of the place where the act or omission occurred which gives rise to the tort claim shall be deemed to be the law of the claimant's current or last U.S. domicile.

Date: 2009-07-21
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Removing Excess Litigation Involving Energy on Federal Lands Act or the RELIEF Act - Establishes judicial procedures for causes and claims relating to any action or decision by a federal official regarding the leasing of federal lands (including submerged lands) for the exploration, development, production, processing, or transmitting of oil, natural gas, or any other source or form of energy. Grants the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia exclusive jurisdiction to hear all causes and claims that arise from any covered energy project.

Date: 2009-10-01
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Directs the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service to use discretionary funds available to the Service to fund the settlement of claims associated with the Houlka Creek Watershed Project in Mississippi in order to close out the Project.

Date: 2010-03-11
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 to extend the period for the submission by members of the Armed Forces of claims for retroactive stop-loss special pay (paid to members whose enlistment or period of obligated service was extended, or whose eligibility for retirement was suspended, by the President in time or war or national emergency) from one to two years after the date on which implementing rules for such payments take effect. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to include in a required report concerning such payments a plan describing DOD outreach and informational efforts to promote and increase awareness of the special pay.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
District of Columbia National Disaster Insurance Protection Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a tax-exempt natural disaster protection fund held by an insurance company that: (1) is incorporated and domiciled in the District of Columbia; (2) is subject to supervision by the District of Columbia Commissioner of Insurance, Securities, and Banking; (3) maintains an office in the District of Columbia that employs no fewer than 10 full-time employees, at least 5 of whom are District of Columbia residents; (4) is subject to taxes imposed by the District of Columbia on premiums for natural catastrophic risk coverage; and (5) is not subject to premium taxes imposed by any state or other taxing jurisdiction for natural catastrophic risk coverage written through the fund. Allows distributions from such fund to cover losses attributable to wind (including hurricanes and tornadoes), earthquakes, floods, tsunami or tidal wave, volcanic eruption, fire, hail, snow, ice freezing, or other winter catastrophes, or a pandemic or other public health catastrophe. Sets forth tax rules for contributions to and distributions from such fund.

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Taxation
American Fuel Protection Act of 2010 - Deems a claim for liability against a qualified entity as a claim against the United States for damages resulting from, or aggravated by, the use of transportation fuel containing ethanol in concentrations greater than 10% to operate an internal combustion engine. Abrogates U.S. sovereign immunity and makes the United States exclusively liable for such claims. Limits awards to actual damages sustained by a claimant. Defines "qualified entity" to mean an entity engaged in the manufacture, use, sale, or distribution of: (1) transportation fuel or renewable fuel; or (2) products which use transportation fuel. Grants U.S. district courts exclusive jurisdiction of any civil actions on such claims.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese Descent Act - Establishes the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Latin Americans of Japanese descent. Directs the Commission to: (1) extend the study of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians to investigate U.S. relocation, internment, and (in some cases) deportation to Axis countries of Latin Americans of Japanese descent held in U.S. custody from December 1941 through February 1948; and (2) recommend appropriate remedies to Congress based on preliminary findings by the original Commission and new discoveries. Terminates the Commission 90 days after submission of its report to Congress (as required by this Act). Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act - Ratifies the Salmon Lake Area Land Ownership and Consolidation Agreement, which was initially executed by the United States, the state of Alaska, and the Bering Straits Native Corporation on July 18, 2007. Requires the conveyance to include specified easements developed and agreed upon by the parties. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to carry out all actions required by the Agreement.

Date: 2009-03-04
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Native Americans
Appropriates to the Department of Agriculture $1.15 billion to carry out the terms of a Settlement Agreement executed by In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation that is approved by a court order that has become final and nonappealable, and that is comprehensive and provides for the final settlement of all remaining Pigford claims (relating to a racial discrimination action against the Department of Agriculture). Provides that the $1.15 billion shall be in addition to the $100 million in funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) made available for the payment of Pigford claims and are available only after such CCC funds have been fully obligated. Provides that if such Settlement Agreement is not executed and approved as provided above, then the sole funding available for Pigford claims shall be the $100 million of CCC funds.

Date: 2010-08-03
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Pigford and Individual Indian Money Account Litigation Settlement Act of 2010 - Appropriates to the Department of Agriculture $1.15 billion to carry out the terms of a Settlement Agreement executed by In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation that is approved by a court order that has become final and nonappealable, and that is comprehensive and provides for the final settlement of all remaining Pigford claims (relating to a racial discrimination action against the Department of Agriculture). Provides that the $1.15 billion shall be in addition to the $100 million in funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) made available for the payment of Pigford claims and are available only after such CCC funds have been fully obligated. Provides that if such Settlement Agreement is not executed and approved as provided above, then the sole funding available for Pigford claims shall be the $100 million of CCC funds. Authorizes, ratifies, and confirms the Class Action Settlement Agreement dated December 7, 2009, in the case entitled Elouise Cobell et al. v. Ken Salazar et al. Establishes the Trust Land Consolidation Fund, and provides for the deposit of $2 billion in the Fund, on final approval of the Settlement, with funds being made available to the Secretary of the Interior: (1) to conduct the Land Consolidation Program (a program under which the Secretary may purchase fractional interests in trust or restricted land); and (2) for other costs of the Settlement. Establishes, on final approval of the Settlement, the Indian Education Scholarship Holding Fund to provide scholarships for Native Americans through an Indian Education Scholarship Fund. Excludes amounts received by an individual Indian as a lump sum or a periodic payment pursuant to the Settlement from: (1) gross income and adjusted gross income under the Internal Revenue Code; and (2) being considered for purposes of determining eligibility or level of benefits under any federal or federally assisted program, during the one-year period beginning on the date of receipt. Provides for the determination of incentive awards, fees, expenses, and costs under the Settlement.

Date: 2010-08-05
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Appropriates funds to the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out the Settlement Agreement (dated February 18, 2010, between plaintiffs and the Secretary to resolve claims that were raised or that could have been raised in the cases consolidated in In re Black Farmers Discrimination Litigation, including Pigford claims) if the Agreement is approved by a court order that is or becomes final and nonappealable. States that: (1) such funds are in addition to certain Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds and shall be available only after the CCC funds are fully obligated; and (2) if the Agreement is not approved the CCC funds shall be the sole funding for Pigford claims. Permits an eligible complaint alleging discrimination in violation of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act involving a USDA credit program to file a civil action or request administrative review as provided for by this Act.

Date: 2010-09-23
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2009 to extend the period for the submission by members of the Armed Forces of claims for retroactive stop-loss special pay (paid to members whose enlistment or period of obligated service was extended, or whose eligibility for retirement was suspended, by the President in time or war or national emergency) from one to two years after the date on which implementing rules for such payments take effect. Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to include in a required report concerning such payments a plan describing DOD outreach and informational efforts to promote and increase awareness of the special pay. Provides funding for the outreach and informational efforts, with a funding limit of $10 million. Requires, in subsequent reports concerning the stop-loss payments, descriptions and assessments of the outreach and informational efforts.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the public on a website the following information with regard to any payment made by the United States under a judgment, award, or compromise settlement with respect to a claim against the United States, unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order: (1) the name of the plaintiff or claimant and counsel; (2) the name of the agency that submitted the claim; (3) a brief description of the facts that gave rise to it; and (4) the amount paid representing principal, attorney fees, and interest, if applicable.

Date: 2011-04-08
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Prohibits any entity that receives funds from the federal government from using such funds to file a class action lawsuit involving the residents of an intermediate care facility for the mentally retarded (ICF/MR) unless the resident (or the resident's legal representative), after receiving notice of the proposed class action lawsuit, has the opportunity to elect not to have the action apply to the resident. Directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to consult with ICF/MR residents among all other interested parties before taking actions (including investigations and actions under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Civil Rights for Institutionalized Persons Act) involving such residents. Permits a resident to intervene in any such DOJ action. Prohibits this Act from requiring a state to include ICFs/MR services as an option under its Medicaid plan under title XIX (Medicaid) of the Social Security Act.

Date: 2011-05-26
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to pay a specified sum to the Pottawatomi Nation in Canada in settlement and full satisfaction of certain claims. Excludes such payment from the provisions of the Indian Tribal Judgment Funds Use or Distribution Act.

Date: 2011-09-14
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2012 - Amends federal bankruptcy law concerning a trust formed under a plan of reorganization following the discharge in bankruptcy of a debtor corporation in order to assume the debtor's liability with respect to claims seeking recovery for personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage allegedly caused by the presence of, or exposure to, asbestos or asbestos-containing products. Requires such trust to file with the bankruptcy court quarterly reports, available on the public docket, which describe each demand the trust has received from a claimant and the basis for any payment made to that claimant (excluding any confidential medical record or the claimant's full Social Security number). Requires such reports, upon written request and subject to payment (demanded at the option of the trust) for reasonable costs, to provide any information related to payment from, and demands for payment from, the trust to any party to any action in law or equity if the subject concerns liability for asbestos exposure.

Date: 2012-04-17
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
John Hope Franklin Tulsa-Greenwood Race Riot Claims Accountability Act of 2012 - Declares that any person (including the state of Oklahoma) who, in connection with the Greenwood community of Tulsa, Oklahoma, race riot of 1921 and its aftermath, acted under color of any statute, ordinance, regulation, custom, or usage of the state of Oklahoma to subject, or cause to be subjected, any person to the deprivation, on account of race, of any right secured at the time of the deprivation by Oklahoma law, shall be liable to the party injured in a civil action for redress (thereby allowing claims for damages notwithstanding the federal court decision in Alexander v. State of Oklahoma, which found that such claims were time-barred and not to be determined on the merits). Prohibits the commencement of such a civil action more than five years after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2012-05-08
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Justice for the American Diplomats Held Hostage in Tehran Act - Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a common fund to be administered by the class representatives and agents for the former American hostages in Iran and their survivors (case number 1:08-CV-00487 (EGS) of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) in order to pay claims to the American hostages and to family members identified as class members. Finances the fund from: (1) fines and penalties for violations of activities with respect to any government or person by reason of a connection with Iran, and (2) seized or frozen Iranian assets or assets from persons or entities subject to Iran-related sanctions. Sets forth payment priority and amount provisions. States that the United States shall be fully subrogated with respect to payments to all rights of each individual paid under this Act against the government of Iran or the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

Date: 2012-05-17
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: International affairs
Government Litigation Savings Act - Revises provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) and the federal judicial code relating to the fees and other expenses of parties in agency proceedings and court cases against the federal government to: (1) restrict awards of fees and other expenses under such Act to prevailing parties with a direct and personal monetary interest in an adjudication, including because of personal injury, property damage, or an unpaid agency disbursement; (2) require the reduction or denial of awards commensurate with pro bono hours and related fees and expenses to parties who have acted in an obdurate, dilatory, mendacious, or oppressive manner or in bad faith; (3) limit awards to not more than $200,000 in any single adversary adjudication or for more than three adversary adjudications in the same calendar year (unless the adjudicating officer or judge determines that a higher award is required to avoid severe and unjust harm to the prevailing party); and (4) expand the reporting requirements of the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States with respect to fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties during the preceding fiscal year. Requires the Comptroller General to audit the implementation of EAJA for the years 1995 through the end of the calendar year in which this Act is enacted.

Date: 2011-05-25
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Transparency in Judgment Payments Act of 2011 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury, not later than 30 days after the payment of a final judgment, award, or compromise settlement involving a federal agency, to publish electronically: (1) the agency responsible for the payment; (2) a citation to the law under which the claim was made; (3) the amount  to be paid, including any interest and attorney fees; and (4) the court in which such claim was filed and the court case number. Requires each federal agency to submit annual reports to Congress describing: (1) any civil action filed or pending against such agency or an agency employee, and (2) any settlements entered by, or final judgments entered against, such agency or an agency employee.

Date: 2011-10-13
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Amends the federal judicial code to require the Attorney General to submit to Congress and make publicly available online an annual report regarding the amount of attorney's fees, expenses for expert witnesses, and other fees and expenses awarded during the preceding fiscal year to certain prevailing parties other than the United States in civil actions (other than tort cases) brought by or against the United States.

Date: 2012-01-30
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act of 2012 or FACT Act - Amends federal bankruptcy law concerning a trust formed under a plan of reorganization following the discharge in bankruptcy of a debtor corporation in order to assume the debtor's liability with respect to claims seeking recovery for personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage allegedly caused by the presence of, or exposure to, asbestos or asbestos-containing products. Requires such a trust to file with the bankruptcy court and the U.S. Trustee quarterly reports, available on the public docket, which describe each demand the trust has received from a claimant and the basis for any payment made to that claimant (excluding any confidential medical record or the claimant's full Social Security number). Requires such reports also to provide any information relating to payment from, and demands for payment from, the trust to any party to any action in law or equity if the subject concerns liability for asbestos exposure.

Date: 2012-05-10
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the public on a website, as soon as practicable but within 30 days after a payment under this Act is tendered, the following information with regard to any payment made by the United States under a judgment, award, or compromise settlement with respect to a claim against the United States, unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order:

 the name of the specific federal agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment; the name of the plaintiff or claimant and counsel; the amount paid representing principal liability, and any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, including attorney fees, costs, and interest; a brief description of the facts that gave rise to the claim; a copy of the original or amended complaint or written claim, and any written answer given by the federal government to it; a copy of the final action by a court regarding the claim (whether by decree, approval of settlement, or otherwise), or of the settlement agreement in any action not involving a court; and the name of the agency that submitted the claim.

Date: 2013-01-18
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Puerto Rico Medicare Part B Equity Act of 2013 - Amends title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to repeal the exclusion of residents of Puerto Rico from deemed enrollment under part B (Supplementary Medical Insurance Benefits) and thus apply it to them.

Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide for a special seven-month enrollment period for such residents.

Requires recalculation of the late enrollment penalty to 15% of the usual penalty for residents of Puerto Rico who are current enrollees or who enroll during a specified transition period.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Health
Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2013 - Amends federal bankruptcy law concerning a trust formed under a reorganization plan following the discharge in bankruptcy of a debtor corporation in order to assume the debtor's liability with respect to claims seeking recovery for personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage allegedly caused by the presence of, or exposure to, asbestos or asbestos-containing products.

Requires such a trust to file with the bankruptcy court quarterly reports, available on the public docket, which describe each demand the trust has received from a claimant and the basis for any payment made to that claimant (excluding any confidential medical record or the claimant's full Social Security number).

Requires such reports, upon written request, and subject to payment (demanded at the option of the trust) for any reasonable cost incurred by it, to provide any information related to payment from, and demands for payment from, the trust to any party to any action in law or equity concerning liability for asbestos exposure.

Date: 2013-03-06
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Government Litigation Savings Act - Revises provisions of the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) and the federal judicial code relating to the fees and other expenses of parties in agency proceedings and court cases against the federal government.

Restricts awards of fees and other expenses under EAJA to prevailing parties with a direct and personal interest in an adjudication, including because of medical costs, property damage, determination of benefits, an unpaid disbursement, and other expenses of adjudication, or because of a policy interest.

Requires (currently, authorizes) the reduction or denial of an award if the party during the course of the proceedings engaged in conduct which unduly or unreasonably (currently, unduly and unreasonably) protracted the final resolution of the matter in controversy.

Increases to $200 per hour the cap on attorney fees awarded under EAJA and eliminates the cost-of-living and special factor considerations for allowing an increase in the hourly rate for such fees.

Eliminates the net worth exemption for determining eligibility for fees and expenses under EAJA for tax-exempt organizations and cooperative associations under the Agricultural Marketing Act.

Date: 2013-08-02
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Stop Deducting Damages Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred for compensatory or punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement of, any action against a government; and (2) include in gross income any amount paid as insurance or otherwise due to liability for punitive damages.

Date: 2013-10-30
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Taxation
Truth in Settlements Act of 2014 - Sets forth new requirements for the public disclosure of any covered settlement agreement entered into by a federal executive agency.  Defines "covered settlement agreement" as a settlement agreement (including a consent decree) that: (1) is entered into by an executive agency, (2) relates to an alleged violation of federal civil or criminal law, and (3) requires the payment of not less than $1 million by one or more non-federal persons (entities not within the federal government).

Requires the head of each executive agency to make publicly available on the agency website a list of each covered settlement agreement entered into by the agency, which shall include: (1) the names of the parties to the settlement agreement and the date of such agreement; (2) a description of the claims that were settled under the agreement; (3) the amount each party to the agreement is obligated to pay under the terms of the agreement and the total amounts required to be paid; and (4) for each settling party, the amount the settling party is obligated to pay that has been designated as a civil penalty or fine. Requires: (1) such information to remain publicly available for five years after the date of the agreement, and (2) a copy of a covered settlement agreement to remain publicly available until at least one year after the date of the agreement, or until five years after such date for an agreement under which a non-federal person is required to pay not less than $50 million.

Limits the disclosure of provisions of a covered settlement agreement that are subject to a confidentiality agreement.

Requires the issuer of securities subject to reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to describe in required reports any claim of a tax deduction relating to a payment under a covered settlement agreement.

Date: 2014-03-27
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Justice for Former American Hostages in Iran Act of 2013 - Establishes in the Treasury the American Hostages in Iran Compensation Fund for the purpose of making payments to the 52 Americans held hostage in the U.S. embassy in Tehran, Iran, from November 3, 1979-January 20, 1981.

Imposes a surcharge, to be deposited into the Fund, of 30% on the amount of: (1) any fine or monetary penalty assessed on a person for violation of a law or regulation penalizing any economic activity relating to Iran that is administered by the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice (DOJ), or the Department of Commerce; or (2) the monetary amount of a settlement entered into by a person regarding a suspected violation of such a law or regulation.

 Requires Fund payments of $150,000 plus $5,000 for each day of captivity first to each living former hostage and then to the estate of each deceased former hostage.

Requires a payment recipient to waive and forever release all existing claims against Iran and the United States arising out of the hostage events.

Directs the Secretary to notify each individual qualified to receive a payment of the individual's claim status.

States that: (1) if a claim is denied or approved for less than the full amount, the individual shall be entitled to submit additional information; (2) the Secretary may affirm, modify, or revise the former action; and (3) the Secretary's actions in identifying claimants and in disbursing Fund amounts shall be final on all questions of law and fact, and shall not be subject to review by any other U.S. official, agency, or court.

Directs the Secretary to report annually to Congress on the status of the Fund until the date: (1) on which all amounts have been made to all recipients, or (2) five years after the date of enactment of this Act.

Date: 2013-03-13
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: International affairs
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2013 - Requires the Secretary of the Treasury to make available to the public on a website, as soon as practicable but within 30 days after a payment under this Act is tendered, the following information with regard to any payment made by the United States under a judgment, award, or compromise settlement with respect to a claim against the United States, unless the disclosure of such information is otherwise prohibited by law or court order:

 the name of the specific agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment; the name of the plaintiff or claimant and counsel; the amount paid representing principal liability, and any amounts paid representing any ancillary liability, including attorney fees, costs, and interest; a brief description of the facts that gave rise to the claim; and the name of the agency that submitted the claim.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act - Amends the Equal Access to Justice Act and the federal judicial code to require the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States to submit to Congress and make publicly available on an Internet website an annual report on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties other than the United States in certain administrative proceedings and civil action court cases (excluding tort cases) to which the United States is a party, including settlement agreements. Requires such reports to describe the number, nature, and amount of the awards, the claims involved in the controversy, and any other relevant information that may aid Congress in evaluating the scope and impact of such awards.

Directs the Chairman to create and maintain a searchable database on an Internet website containing specified information with respect to each award, including:

 if available, the case name and number of, as well as a hyperlink to, any case in which the party other than the agency is not an individual; the name of the agency involved; for an award to an individual, a statement that excludes any personally identifiable information but indicates that the award was made to an individual; for an award made to a party other than an individual, the name of the party; the amount of the award; and the basis for finding that the position of the agency concerned was not substantially justified. Directs the head of each agency (including, with respect to court cases, the Attorney General [DOJ] and the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts) to provide the Chairman all information requested to produce such reports.

Date: 7/31/2014
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act

Amends the Equal Access to Justice Act and the federal judicial code to require the Chairman of the Administrative Conference of the United States to report to Congress annually on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties other than the United States in certain administrative proceedings and civil action court cases (excluding tort cases) to which the United States is a party, including settlement agreements. Requires that such reports: (1) describe the number, nature, and amount of the awards, the claims involved in the controversy, and any other relevant information that may aid Congress in evaluating the scope and impact of such awards; and (2) be made available to the public online.

Directs the Chairman to create and maintain online a searchable database containing specified information with respect to each award, including the name of the agency involved, the name of each party to whom the award was made, the amount of the award, and the basis for finding that the position of the agency concerned was not substantially justified.

Directs the head of each agency, including the Attorney General, to provide the Chairman all information requested to comply with such requirements.

Date: 2015-01-14
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law
Judgment Fund Transparency Act of 2015 

This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to disclose details after payments are made from the Judgment Fund. The Judgment Fund is a permanent and indefinite appropriation to pay judgments against the United States, including awards, compromise settlements, and related interest and costs.

Unless the disclosure is prohibited by law or a court order, Treasury must make available to the public on a website:

 the name of the agency or entity whose actions gave rise to the claim or judgment, the plaintiff or claimant, the counsel for the plaintiff or claimant, the amount paid, a description of the facts that gave rise to the claim, and the name of the agency that submitted the claim.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Truth in Settlements Act of 2015

 Sets forth new requirements for the public disclosure of any covered settlement agreement entered into by a federal executive agency.  Defines "covered settlement agreement" as a settlement agreement (including a consent decree) that: (1) is entered into by an executive agency, (2) relates to an alleged violation of federal civil or criminal law, and (3) requires the payment of not less than $1 million by one or more non-federal persons (entities not within the federal government).

Requires the head of each executive agency to make publicly available on the agency website a list of each covered settlement agreement entered into by the agency, which shall include: (1) the names of the parties to the settlement agreement and the date of such agreement; (2) a description of the claims that were settled under the agreement; (3) the amount each party to the agreement is obligated to pay under the terms of the agreement and the total amounts required to be paid; and (4) for each settling party, the amount the settling party is obligated to pay that has been expressly specified as a civil penalty or fine and as not deductible for tax purposes. Requires: (1) such information to remain publicly available for not less than 5 years, beginning on the date of the agreement; and (2) a copy of a covered settlement agreement to remain publicly available for a period of not less than 1 year, beginning on the date of the agreement, or for not less than 5 years for an agreement under which a non-federal person is required to pay not less than $50 million.

Limits the disclosure of provisions of a covered settlement agreement that are subject to a confidentiality agreement.

Requires the issuer of securities subject to reporting requirements under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to describe in required reports any claim of a tax deduction relating to a payment under a covered settlement agreement.

Date: 2015-06-04
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Open Book on Equal Access to Justice Act

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Equal Access to Justice Act and the federal judicial code to require the Administrative Conference of the United States to report to Congress annually for a specified period on the amount of fees and other expenses awarded to prevailing parties other than the United States in certain administrative proceedings and civil action court cases (excluding tort cases) to which the United States is a party, including settlement agreements. The reports must: (1) describe the number, nature, and amount of the awards, the claims involved in the controversy, and any other relevant information that may aid Congress in evaluating the scope and impact of such awards; and (2) be made available to the public online.

The Administrative Conference must create and maintain online searchable databases containing specified information with respect to each award, including the name of the agency involved, the name of each party to whom the award was made, the amount of the award, and the basis for finding that the position of the agency concerned was not substantially justified.

Agencies, including the Department of Justice, must provide the Administrative Conference all information requested to comply with such requirements.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Government Operations (Claims against)
Subject: Law