zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Criminal Code Modernization and Simplification Act of 2013 - Revises and reorganizes the federal criminal code. Incorporates into such code all major federal crimes, including crimes involving national security and terrorism, crimes of violence against federal officials and employees, property crimes, including theft of medical equipment, drug crimes, immigration crimes, transportation-related crimes, sex crimes, regulatory and financial crimes, international law crimes, and crimes involving female genital mutilation. Consolidates civil and criminal forfeiture provisions related to federal crimes.

Sets forth uniform definitions and standards, including state of mind requirements, applicable to the entire criminal code.

Provides for the punishment of attempts and conspiracies to commit a crime on the same basis as the completed offense, as a general rule.

Date: 2013-05-07
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Freedom From Union Violence Act of 2013 - Amends the Hobbs Act to authorize imposition of a fine of up to $100,000, 20 years' imprisonment, or both for: (1) obstructing, delaying, or affecting commerce or the movement of any article or commodity in commerce by robbery or extortion (or attempting or conspiring to do so); and (2) threatening physical violence to any person or property in furtherance of a plan or purpose to interfere with commerce by threats or violence. Makes provisions regarding any such interference inapplicable to conduct that: (1) is incidental to otherwise peaceful picketing during the course of a labor dispute; (2) consists solely of minor bodily injury, or minor damage to property, or threat or fear of such minor injury or damage; and (3) is not part of a pattern of violent conduct or of coordinated violent activity. Subjects such conduct to prosecution only by the appropriate state and local authorities.

Date: 2013-05-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fair Sentencing Clarification Act of 2013 - Directs: (1) a court, in cases in which a sentence has not yet been imposed with respect to the application of the penalty amendments of the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 to cocaine base offenses committed prior to the enactment of such Act, to impose such sentence as if such amendments were in effect on the date the offense was committed; and (2) the Court of Appeals to remand for resentencing consistent with such amendments such cases in which a sentence has already been imposed, if subject to a pending appeal on or after August 3, 2010.

Authorizes the sentencing court, in the case of a defendant who has been convicted of such an offense committed before August 3, 2010, for which a term of imprisonment has been imposed, to reduce the term of imprisonment for that crime consistent with the amendments made by that Act on motion of the defendant or the Director of the Bureau of Prisons, or on its own motion.

Date: 2013-06-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Firearm Recidivist Sentencing Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to additional penalties for using or carrying a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, to: (1) modify the penalty to require an additional prison term of not more than 5 years, not more than 7 years if the firearm is brandished, and not more than 10 years if the firearm is discharged (currently, not less than 5, 7, or 10 years respectively); (2) allow a prison term for any term of years (currently, minimum mandatory term of 25 years) for a person who has a prior conviction that has become final; (3) require an additional prison term of not more than 15 years (currently, not less than 15 years) for using, carrying, or possessing armor piercing ammunition during the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime; and (4) eliminate the death penalty for cases in which the use of such ammunition results in a death.

Date: 2013-06-17
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Aaron's Law Act of 2013 - Amends provisions of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) prohibiting computer fraud to replace the phrase "exceeds authorized access" with "access without authorization," which is defined as obtaining information on a protected computer that the accesser lacks authorization to obtain by knowingly circumventing one or more technological or physical measures that are designed to exclude or prevent unauthorized individuals from obtaining that information.

Modifies CFAA penalty provisions to: (1) limit the imposition of enhanced penalties to subsequent offenses under such Act (currently, additional penalties are allowed if there is a conviction for another offense) and to criminal acts punishable under federal or state law by a term of imprisonment for more than one year; and (2) require the determination of the value of information for enhanced penalty purposes to be made by reference to fair market value.

Date: 2013-06-20
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the federal judicial code to add a federal defender representative, designated by the Judicial Conference of the United States, as a nonvoting member of the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Date: 2013-06-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Protecting Lands Against Narcotics Trafficking Act of 2013 or the PLANT Act - Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend the federal sentencing guidelines to ensure that they provide for additional penalties applicable to persons convicted of Controlled Substances Act offenses of manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, or possessing with intent to distribute a controlled substance or a counterfeit substance while on federal property or intentionally trespassing on the property of another, if the offense involves:

 the use of a poison, chemical, or hazardous substance for the unlawful production of a controlled substance that: (1) creates a serious hazard to humans, wildlife, or domestic animals; (2) degrades or harms the environment or natural resources; or (3) pollutes an aquifer, spring, stream, river, or body of water; the diversion, redirection, obstruction, draining, or impoundment of an aquifer, spring, river, or body of water for the unlawful production of a controlled substance; or the substantial removal of vegetation or clear cutting of timber for the unlawful production of a controlled substance.

Date: 2013-07-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013 - Amends: (1) the federal criminal code to expand the scope of prohibitions against sex trafficking to include patronizing or soliciting a commercial sex act with a victim of sex trafficking, and (2) the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to expand the definition of "sex trafficking" to include patronizing or soliciting a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act.

Directs the Attorney General to ensure that all task forces and working groups within the Innocence Lost National Initiative engage in activities, programs, or operations to increase the investigative capabilities of state and local law enforcement officers in the detection, investigation, and prosecution of persons who patronize or solicit children for sex.

Date: 2013-07-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Nicole's Law of 2013 - Requires states to have in effect laws and policies to extend protections similar to those afforded to victims of domestic violence to victims of a sex offense who are not in a familiar or dating relationship with the perpetrator of such offense.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
No Identity Theft in Health Care Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose an additional five-year prison sentence for committing a felony offense of aggravated identity theft, if such offense was facilitated by being a U.S. officer or employee charged with implementing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

Date: 2013-12-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2013 - Repeals death penalty provisions for a wide range of homicide-related offenses under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the federal criminal code, the Controlled Substances Act, and other statutes relating to aircraft hijacking, espionage and treason, and offenses punished under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Prohibits the sentencing to death or execution of any person for any violation of federal law after the enactment of this Act. Commutes death penalties imposed prior to the enactment of this Act to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.

Date: 2013-12-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on May 15, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.) 

Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2014 or the SAVE Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly: (1) advertising commercial sex acts involving a minor or an individual engaged in such an act through force, fraud, or coercion; or (2) benefitting financially or otherwise from such advertising knowing that the individual involved was a minor or victim of force, fraud, or coercion.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2014 or the REDEEM Act - Amends the federal criminal code to provide a process for the sealing or expungement of records relating to nonviolent or juvenile offenses.

Requires a court considering a petition to seal a nonviolent offense to balance factors including the harm of the protected information to the ability of the petitioner to secure and maintain employment.

Sets forth limitations on involuntary room confinements at juvenile detention facilities.

Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to remove offenses relating to possession or use of a controlled substance from the categories of drug offenses that result in the convicted individual being ineligible for assistance under: (1) a state program funded with temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) grants under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (2) the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) or any state program carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

Prohibits the denial of such assistance and benefits if the convicted individual: (1) committed an offense related to a substance abuse disorder, (2) participates in a substance abuse treatment program, and (3) complies with all court-imposed obligations. Includes employment services among the categories of federal benefits that are not to be denied under PRWORA. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the Attorney General, in awarding public safety and community policing grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant in a state with laws similar to this Act.

Date: 2014-07-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Act of 2014 - Amends the federal criminal code to require the government to include in any notice required to be sent in a nonjudicial civil forfeiture proceeding under a civil forfeiture statute that the person receiving the notice may be able to obtain free or reduced rate legal representation.

Requires the government, in a suit or action brought under any civil forfeiture statute for the civil forfeiture of property, to prove that the property is subject to forfeiture by clear and convincing evidence (currently, by a preponderance of the evidence).

Provides that where a prima facie case is made for an innocent owner defense, the government has the burden of proving that the claimant knew or reasonably should have known that the property was involved in the illegal conduct giving rise to the forfeiture (currently, the claimant has the burden of proving that the claimant is an innocent owner). Places the burden on the government to show that the property owner should have had knowledge of the criminal activity by demonstrating that the property owner did not: (1) give timely notice to law enforcement of information that led the person to know the conduct giving rise to a forfeiture occurred; and (2) in a timely fashion, revoke or attempt to revoke permission for those engaging in such conduct to use the property or take reasonable actions in consultation with law enforcement to discourage or prevent the illegal use of the property.

Directs the court, in determining whether the forfeiture was constitutionally excessive, to consider such factors as the seriousness of the offense, the extent of the nexus of the property to the offense, the range of sentences available for the offense giving rise to forfeiture, the fair market value of the property, and the hardship to the property owner and dependents (currently, the court is required to compare the forfeiture to the gravity of the offense giving rise to the forfeiture).

Requires the Attorney General to: (1) specify, in the annual report on the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund, deposits from each type of forfeiture, identifying which funds were obtained from criminal forfeitures and which were obtained from civil forfeitures; and (2) assure that any equitable sharing between the Department of Justice (DOJ) and a local or state law enforcement agency was not initiated for the purpose of circumventing any state law that prohibits civil forfeiture or limits use or disposition of property obtained via civil forfeiture by state or local agencies.

Date: 2014-07-28
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Eliminating Pornography from Agencies Act - Directs the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidelines that prohibit the access of a pornographic or other explicit website from a federal computer, except any federal computer that is used for an investigative purpose that requires accessing such a website.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Lynnette's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to make an interstate act to conceal (or attempt to conceal) a homicide a federal offense punishable by imprisonment for any term of years or for life.

Date: 2014-12-11
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2013 or the STOP Identity Theft Act of 2013 - Calls for the Attorney General to: (1) make use of all existing resources of the Department of Justice (DOJ), including task forces, to bring more perpetrators of tax return identity theft to justice; and (2) take into account the need to concentrate efforts in areas of the country where the crime is most frequently reported, to coordinate with state and local authorities to prosecute and prevent such crime, and to protect vulnerable groups from becoming victims or otherwise being used in the offense.

Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) include organizations as victims for purposes of prohibitions against identity theft or aggravated identity theft, and (2) subject an identity theft offense committed during and in relation to tax fraud to a fine and/or up to 20 years' imprisonment.

Directs the Attorney General to include in the first annual DOJ performance report made more than nine months after the date of this Act's enactment information as to progress in implementing this Act regarding: (1) information readily available to DOJ about trends in the incidence of tax return identity theft, (2) the effectiveness of statutory tools in aiding DOJ in prosecuting it, (3) recommendations on additional statutory tools that would aid in removing barriers to effective prosecution, and (4) the status of implementing DOJ's March 2010 audit report on DOJ efforts to combat identity theft.

Date: 2013-01-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stronger Enforcement of Civil Penalties Act of 2013 - Amends the Securities Act of 1933, the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Investment Company Act of 1940, and the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to increase the money penalties in administrative and civil actions involving securities laws violations.

Prescribes a fourth tier penalty of triple monetary penalties for noncompliance with certain enforcement actions if the violator, within the five-year period preceding the prohibited act, was criminally convicted for securities fraud or became subject to a judgment or order imposing monetary, equitable, or administrative relief in any Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) action alleging fraud by such violator.

Applies the treatment as a separate offense each day that a violation of an SEC cease-and-desist order is committed through continuing noncompliance to violation of any action to enforce a federal court injunction or certain SEC orders that bar, suspend, place limitations on the activities or functions of, or prohibit the activities of, a person.

Date: 2013-02-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Gideon's Promise Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require grant applicants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to include in grant applications a comprehensive state-wide plan for the improvement of the administration of the criminal justice system. Makes it unlawful for government entities or their agents to engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives indigent defendants of their constitutional rights to assistance of counsel in criminal proceedings.

Date: 2013-03-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice Safety Valve Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to authorize a federal court to impose a sentence below a statutory minimum if necessary to avoid violating federal provisions prescribing factors courts must consider in imposing a sentence. Requires the court to give the parties notice of its intent to impose a lower sentence and to state in writing the factors requiring such a sentence.

Date: 2013-03-20
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fourth Amendment Preservation and Protection Act of 2013 - Prohibits the federal government or a state or local government from obtaining or seeking to obtain information relating to an individual or group of individuals held by a third party in a system of records, except as authorized by this Act. Deems information obtained otherwise to be inadmissible in a criminal prosecution in a court of law.

Permits the government to obtain, and a court to admit, information relating to an individual held by a third party in a system of records if: (1) the individual whose name or identification information the government is using to access the information provides express and informed consent to the search; or (2) the government obtains a warrant, upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched and the persons or things to be seized.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Civil rights and liberties, minority issues
Military Crime Victims' Rights Act of 2013 - Amends the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to provide specific rights for victims of offenses under the UCMJ, including the right to: (1) be protected from the accused; (2) reasonable, accurate, and timely notice of any public proceeding involving the offense; (3) not be excluded from such proceeding (with an exception), and to be heard; (4) confer with trial counsel in the case; (5) full and timely restitution; (6) proceedings free from unreasonable delay; and (7) be treated with fairness and respect for the victim's dignity and privacy.

Requires the military judge to ensure such rights in any court-martial proceeding, and requires all others involved in the matter (counsel, investigators, etc.) to make their best efforts to afford such rights. Provides for the enforcement of such rights throughout the process.

Provides for the assumption of such rights by a legal guardian, family member, or estate representative in the case of a victim who is under 18 years old, incompetent, incapacitated, or deceased.

Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to modify the Manual for Courts-Martial to prescribe regulations for the enforcement of such rights.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2013 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and the Second Chance Act of 2007 to revise and expand requirements for grant programs for adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry demonstration projects.

(Sec. 2) Extends through FY2018 the authorization of appropriations for grants for: (1) family-based substance abuse treatment, (2) the technology careers training demonstration program, and (3) the offender reentry substance abuse and criminal justice collaboration program.

Renames the program of mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations for offender reentry as the program of community-based mentoring and transitional service grants to nonprofit organizations. Provides for transitional services under such program to assist in the reintegration of offenders into the community. Reauthorizes the program through FY2018.

Directs the Attorney General to identify and publish best practices relating to academic and vocational education for offenders in prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities.

(Sec. 3) Requires the Inspector General of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to periodically conduct audits of not less than 5% of all recipients of specified offender reentry grants under the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 and the Second Chance Act of 2007. Prohibits: (1) a grantee that is found to have an unresolved audit finding from receiving grant funds; and (2) the use of grant funds for lobbying DOJ representatives or representatives of a federal, state, local, or tribal government regarding the award of grant funding.

(Sec. 4) Amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to: (1) modify and extend through FY2018 grant programs for reentry of federal prisoners into the community, including the program for placing elderly offenders (not less than 60 years of age) in home detention; (2) repeal programs under such Act relating to responsible reintegration of offenders, the study of the effectiveness of depot naltrexone for heroin addiction, and the satellite tracking and reentry training program; and (3) establish a program for partnering faith-based or community-based nonprofit organizations with prisons to conduct recidivism reduction activities.

(Sec. 5) Directs the Attorney General to establish an interagency task force on federal programs and activities for the reentry of offenders into the community. Requires the task force to: (1) identify and evaluate methods for improving such programs and activities, and (2) submit to Congress and annually update a report on barriers faced by offenders in reentering the community.

(Sec. 6) Amends the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 to exclude from the scope of such Act grant programs administered by the Office of Violence Against Women or funded under certain provisions of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 or the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 during the four-year period after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2013-11-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2014 or the REDEEM Act - Amends the federal criminal code to provide a process for the sealing or expungement of records relating to nonviolent or juvenile offenses.

Requires a court considering a petition to seal a nonviolent offense to balance factors including the harm of the protected information to the ability of the petitioner to secure and maintain employment.

Sets forth limitations on involuntary room confinements at juvenile detention facilities.

Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to remove offenses relating to possession or use of a controlled substance from the categories of drug offenses that result in the convicted individual being ineligible for assistance under: (1) a state program funded with temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) grants under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (2) the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) or any state program carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

Prohibits the denial of such assistance and benefits if the convicted individual: (1) committed an offense related to a substance abuse disorder, (2) participates in a substance abuse treatment program, and (3) complies with all court-imposed obligations. Includes employment services among the categories of federal benefits that are not to be denied under PRWORA. Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the Attorney General, in awarding public safety and community policing grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant in a state with laws similar to this Act.

Date: 2014-07-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the federal criminal code to require a business entity and any responsible corporate officer, after acquiring actual knowledge of a serious danger associated with a product, service, or business practice of such entity: (1) within 24 hours, to verbally inform an appropriate federal agency; (2) within 15 days, to inform an appropriate federal agency in writing; and (3) as soon as practicable, to warn affected employees in writing and to inform other individuals who may be exposed to the danger if such individuals can reasonably be identified.

Sets forth penalties for violations of this Act, but prohibits any fine imposed on an individual from being paid out of the assets of the business entity.

Prohibits knowingly discriminating against any person in hiring, retention, or the terms or conditions of employment because the person informed a federal agency, warned employees, or informed other individuals of such a danger.

Date: 2014-07-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code to direct the Bureau of Prisons, pursuant to a good time policy, to release a prisoner who has served one half or more of his or her term of imprisonment if that prisoner: (1) has attained age 45; (2) has never been convicted of a crime of violence; and (3) has not engaged in any violation, involving violent conduct, of institutional disciplinary regulations.

Date: 2015-01-06
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act of 2015 or the SAVE Act of 2015

 (Sec. 2) Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit knowingly: (1) advertising commercial sex acts involving a minor or an individual engaged in such an act through force, fraud, or coercion; or (2) benefitting financially or otherwise from such advertising knowing that the individual involved was a minor or victim of force, fraud, or coercion.

Date: 2015-01-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice Safety Valve Act of 2015

 This bill authorizes a federal court to impose a sentence in a criminal proceeding that is below the minimum sentence required by statute if the court finds that a lower sentence is necessary to avoid violating statutory factors that the court must consider in imposing a sentence. The court must give parties to the proceeding notice of its intent to impose a lower sentence and state in writing the factors requiring such a sentence. This bill does not limit any right to appeal that would otherwise exist.

Date: 2015-02-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Thin Blue Line Act

 Amends the federal criminal code to make the killing or attempted killing of a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder an aggravating factor in death penalty determinations.

Date: 2015-02-09
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Eliminating Pornography from Agencies Act

(Sec. 2) This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidelines that prohibit the access of a pornographic or other explicit website from a federal computer.

The bill allows an exception to this prohibition if the computer is used for an investigative purpose that requires accessing a pornographic website.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2015 or the STOP Identity Theft Act of 2015

 Calls for the Attorney General to: (1) make use of all existing resources of the Department of Justice, including task forces, to bring more perpetrators of tax return identity theft to justice; and (2) take into account the need to concentrate efforts in areas of the country where the crime is most frequently reported, to coordinate with state and local authorities to prosecute and prevent such crime, and to protect vulnerable groups from becoming victims or otherwise being used in the offense.

Amends the federal criminal code to: (1) include organizations as victims for purposes of prohibitions against identity theft or aggravated identity theft, and (2) subject an identity theft offense committed during and in relation to tax fraud to a fine and/or up to 20 years' imprisonment.

Directs the Attorney General to report to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees on: (1) trends in the incidence of tax return identity theft, (2) recommendations on additional statutory tools that would aid in the effective prosecution of tax return identity theft, and (3) the status of implementing DOJ's March 2010 Audit Report 10-21 entitled "The Department of Justice's Efforts to Combat Identity Theft."

Date: 2015-02-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Recidivism Clarification Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code, with respect to additional penalties for using or carrying a firearm in the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, to: (1) modify the penalty to require an additional prison term of not more than 5 years, not more than 7 years if the firearm is brandished, and not more than 10 years if the firearm is discharged (currently, not less than 5, 7, or 10 years respectively); (2) allow a prison term for any term of years (currently, minimum mandatory term of 25 years) for a person who has a prior conviction that has become final; (3) require an additional prison term of not more than 15 years (currently, not less than 15 years) for using, carrying, or possessing armor piercing ammunition during the commission of a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime; and (4) eliminate the death penalty for cases in which the use of such ammunition results in a death.

Makes this Act applicable to conduct engaged in and sentences imposed before, on, or after the date of this Act's enactment.

Date: 2015-03-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Record Expungement Designed to Enhance Employment Act of 2015 or the REDEEM Act

Amends the federal criminal code to provide a process for the sealing or expungement of records relating to nonviolent criminal or juvenile offenses.

Requires a court considering a petition to seal a nonviolent offense to balance factors including the harm of the protected information to the ability of the petitioner to secure and maintain employment.

Sets forth limitations on involuntary room confinements at juvenile detention facilities.

Amends the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (PRWORA) to remove offenses relating to possession or use of a controlled substance from the categories of drug offenses that result in the convicted individual being ineligible for assistance under: (1) a state program funded with temporary assistance for needy families (TANF) grants under part A of title IV of the Social Security Act; or (2) the supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP, formerly the food stamp program) or any state program carried out under the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008.

Prohibits the denial of such assistance and benefits if the convicted individual: (1) has completed, is participating in, or agrees to enroll in a substance abuse treatment program; (2) is a custodial parent; (3) is suffering from a serious illness; (4) is pregnant; or (5) is in compliance with the terms of a sentence imposed for the conviction. Includes employment services among the categories of federal benefits that are not to be denied under PRWORA.

Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to allow the Department of Justice (DOJ), in awarding public safety and community policing grants, to give preferential consideration to an applicant in a state with laws similar to this Act.

Directs DOJ to establish procedures for the prompt release of accurate records exchanged for employment-related purposes through the Federal Bureau of Investigation's background check system. Requires DOJ to: (1) obtain the consent of an individual to whom a record pertains as a condition to exchanging records with an entity requesting the information for employment, housing, or credit application purposes; and (2) allow individuals to challenge the accuracy and completeness of their records.

Prohibits exchanges of records regarding: (1) an arrest more than two years before a record request if the record does not also include the disposition of that arrest; (2) non-serious offenses, such as drunkenness, vagrancy, loitering, disturbing the peace, or curfew violations; or (3) circumstances that are not clearly arrests or dispositions.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Aaron's Law Act of 2015

 Amends provisions of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) prohibiting computer fraud to replace the phrase "exceeds authorized access" with "access without authorization," which is defined as obtaining information on a protected computer that the accesser lacks authorization to obtain by knowingly circumventing one or more technological or physical measures that are designed to exclude or prevent unauthorized individuals from obtaining that information.

Modifies CFAA penalty provisions to: (1) limit the imposition of enhanced penalties to subsequent offenses under such Act (currently, additional penalties are allowed if there is a conviction for another offense) and to criminal acts punishable under federal or state law by a term of imprisonment for more than one year; and (2) require the determination of the value of information for enhanced penalty purposes to be made by reference to fair market value.

Date: 2015-04-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Taxpayer Identity Theft Prevention and Enforcement Act of 2015

 Amends the federal criminal code to include certain felony violations under the Internal Revenue Code as aggravated identity theft, including the following offenses when committed in connection with the filing of a tax return: (1) conspiracy to defraud the government with respect to claims; (2) false, fictitious or fraudulent claims; and (3) conspiracy to commit any offense against, or to defraud, the United States.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Nicole's Law of 2015

 Requires states to have in effect laws and policies to extend protections similar to those afforded to victims of domestic violence to victims of a sex offense who are not in a familiar or dating relationship with the perpetrator of such offense.

Date: 2015-04-29
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2015

 Establishes the National Criminal Justice Commission.

Directs the Commission to: (1) undertake a comprehensive review of all areas of the criminal justice system, including federal, state, local, and tribal governments' criminal justice costs, practices, and policies; (2) submit to the President and Congress recommendations for changes in federal oversight, policies, practices, and laws designed to prevent, deter, and reduce crime and violence, reduce recidivism, improve cost-effectiveness, and ensure the interests of justice at every step of the criminal justice system; and (3) disseminate to the federal government and to state, local, and tribal governments a report that details its findings and supplemental guidance regarding the criminal justice system at all levels of government.

Expresses the sense of Congress that the Commission should work toward unanimously supported findings and supplemental guidance.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Prioritizing Online Threat Enforcement Act of 2015

Directs the Attorney General to ensure:

 that there are at least 10 additional operational agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) designated to support the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in the investigation and coordination of cybercrimes against persons; that each office of a U.S. Attorney designates at least one Assistant U.S. Attorney as responsible for investigating and prosecuting cybercrimes against persons; and the implementation of a regular and comprehensive training program to train FBI agents in the investigation and prosecution of, and the enforcement of laws related to, cybercrimes against persons, including relevant forensic training related to investigating and prosecuting such crimes. Makes additional funding available to the FBI, the Attorney General, and DOJ's Criminal Division for FY2016-FY2020 to: (1) hire and train law enforcement officers to investigate cybercrimes against person and assist in the prosecution of such crimes; and (2) enable relevant DOJ units to procure advanced tools of forensic science and expert computer forensic assistance to investigate, prosecute, and study such crimes.

Date: 2015-06-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Veterans Protection Enhancement Act

This bill directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to amend the federal sentencing guidelines to provide for a two-level sentencing increase if the defendant intentionally selected any victim or any property because of the victim's military service or veteran status.

Date: 2015-06-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Sensenbrenner-Scott Over-Criminalization Task Force Safe, Accountable, Fair, Effective Justice Reinvestment Act of 2015 or the Sensenbrenner-Scott SAFE Justice Reinvestment Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to: (1) compile and publish federal law violations with criminal penalties, (2) reduce over-federalization of criminal conduct and over-incarceration due to pretrial detention, (3) create a online complaint process to challenge prosecutions and (4) create training and best practices for prosecutors and law enforcement officers that reduce the inaccuracy and unreliability of evidence in criminal cases.

It prohibits sentencing courts from considering defendant's acquitted conduct and grants discretion to disregard manipulated conduct involving the Controlled Substances Act.

It reauthorizes the Innocence Protection Act of 2001 for FY2016-FY2021.

The bill expands pre-judgment probation, safety valve, and compassionate release eligibility.

It creates problem-solving courts, establishes a presumption of probation for certain non-violent first-time offenders, and limits prior drug offenses that trigger enhanced mandatory minimum prison terms.

It limits application of drug offense mandatory minimums to drug trafficking organization leaders, organizers, or employees. (Drug offenses include unlawful import, export, manufacture, or distribution of, or possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.)

It also reduces from life to 35 years the maximum mandatory minimum for certain drug offenses.

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 applies retroactively to permit resentencing of a convicted crack cocaine offender sentenced before August 3, 2010.

DOJ must develop a post-sentencing risk and needs assessment system.

 The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) must provide residential substance abuse treatment to all eligible offenders.

The bill establishes a standardized graduated sanctioning system for supervised release or probation violations. It eliminates mandatory revocation for certain minor violations and creates a performance-incentive funding program for judicial districts.

BOP may grant 54 days of good time credit regardless of satisfactory GED progress. Probation officers may award positive reinforcement (e.g. discharge credits) for compliance with terms of supervision.

The bill adds one non-voting, public defender member to the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

Date: 2015-06-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stop Tobacco Sales to Youth Act of 2015

Amends the Jenkins Act to include within the definition of "cigarette" electronic cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco.

Defines "electronic cigarette" to mean any electronic device that delivers nicotine, flavor, or other substance via an aerosolized solution (including an electronic cigarette, cigar, pipe, or hookah) to the user inhaling from the device, excluding any product that: (1) is approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale as a tobacco cessation product or for another therapeutic purpose, and (2) is marketed and sold solely for such a therapeutic purpose.

Makes specified exceptions with respect to Indian tribes and tribal matters.

Date: 2015-07-13
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Health
Prevent Repeat Offenders Act of 2015

This bill amends the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act to direct the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that: (1) any alien who is required to register under such Act is registered in the National Sex Offender Registry and is informed of the registration requirements under such Act before such alien may be released from the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and (2) the release of such an alien is conditioned on such alien's registration in each jurisdiction required by such Act.

DHS is also required to ensure that the chief law enforcement officer of each jurisdiction in which such an alien resides and the agency responsible for the receipt or maintenance of sex offender registration information in such jurisdiction are promptly notified when such an alien is: (1) taken into custody by ICE, (2) released from ICE custody, or (3) removed from the United States.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stopping Over-Criminalization Act of 2015

This bill amends the federal criminal code to establish a default mens rea (guilty mind) standard for a federal criminal offense, unless the provision of law that defines such offense specifically provides otherwise.

A federal criminal offense conviction requires proof that a defendant acted knowingly with respect to each element of the offense. If a defendant might lack reasonable awareness that conduct (e.g., a regulatory offense) is criminally punishable, then a conviction requires proof that the defendant had reason to know the conduct was unlawful.

Additionally, the bill amends the federal judicial code to: (1) require the Department of Justice to develop, publish, and update an inventory of all federal criminal offenses, including agency rules that carry criminal penalties; and (2) prohibit prosecuting a defendant for a non-inventoried federal offense.

Finally, it amends the Congressional Review Act to require congressional approval by joint resolution for a new rule with criminal penalties to take effect.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Sentencing Reform Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Controlled Substances Act and the Controlled Substances Import and Export Act to reduce from 20 to 15 years and from life to 25 years the mandatory minimum prison terms for certain nonviolent repeat drug offenses. (A drug offense includes the unlawful import, export, manufacture, or distribution of, or the possession with intent to distribute, a controlled substance.)

Additionally, it establishes an enhanced mandatory prison term of up to five years for a drug offense involving heroin that contains fentanyl or fentanyl that is represented or sold as heroin.

The bill limits the prior convictions which trigger enhanced mandatory minimum prison terms.

(Sec. 3) The bill amends the federal criminal code to expand safety valve eligibility to permit a court to impose a sentence below the mandatory minimum for certain nonviolent, cooperative drug defendants with a limited criminal history.

(Sec. 4) A court may impose a reduced 5-year (instead of a statutory 10-year) mandatory minimum prison term for certain nonviolent, cooperative defendants convicted of a high-level first-time or low-level repeat drug offense. (A high-level drug offense involves a very substantial drug quantity, such as one kilogram or more of heroin. A low-level drug offense involves a substantial drug quantity, such as 100 grams to 999 grams of heroin.)

It reduces the enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for certain defendants who commit a high-level repeat drug offense, use a firearm in a crime of violence or drug offense after a prior conviction for such offense, or unlawfully possess a firearm after three or more prior convictions. It permits retroactive application of such reductions for defendants without a prior serious violent felony conviction, after a court considers certain factors.

(Sec. 5) The bill reduces from 25 to 15 years the mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who uses a firearm in a crime of violence or drug offense after a prior conviction for such offense. A court may apply the reductions retroactively, subject to certain exceptions, after considering certain factors.

 (Sec. 6) It reduces from 15 to 10 years the enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for an armed career criminal convicted of unlawful firearm possession after three prior convictions for violent felonies or serious drug offenses. A court may apply the reductions retroactively, after considering certain factors.

(Sec. 7) The bill makes the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 retroactive to permit resentencing of a convicted crack cocaine offender sentenced before August 3, 2010.

(Sec. 8) The Department of Justice must report to Congress on mandatory minimum sentencing provisions under federal law. (Sec. 9) It expresses the sense of Congress that a comprehensive strategy to reform the criminal justice system must integrate a mental health component.

Date: 2015-10-08
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement