zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Wear American Act of 2012 - Directs the Federal Acquisition Regulation Council to amend the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to require federal agencies to procure textiles and apparel articles, including components for such articles, that are manufactured in the United States wholly from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced or manufactured in the United States.

Date: 2012-07-26
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Congressional Made in America Promise Act of 2013 - Amends the Buy American Act to apply Buy American requirements to articles, materials, and supplies acquired for the use of any legislative branch office, including the House of Representatives and the Senate, in the same manner as the Act applies with respect to articles, materials, and supplies acquired for the use of a department or independent establishment.

Prescribes a special rule in the case of any product which bears an official congressional insignia (including a mark resembling an official seal) that is acquired for the use of a legislative branch office. Prohibits the head of such office from making a determination under the Act that it is inconsistent with the public interest to enter into a contract in accordance with the Act.

Makes inapplicable to products with an official congressional insignia the exceptions to the Buy American rule for: (1) articles, materials, or supplies not mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available commercial quantities and of satisfactory quality; or (2) manufactured articles, materials, or supplies procured under any contract the award value of which is less than or equal to the micro-purchase threshold. (Thus applies the Buy American rule to any legislative branch office purchase of products with an official congressional insignia, without exception.)

Date: 2013-01-04
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Congress
All-American Flag Act - Requires any flags of the United States acquired for use by the federal government to be entirely manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies entirely grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States.

Date: 2013-06-13
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Government operations and politics
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2013 - Requires a business enterprise that employs 50 or more employees, excluding part-time employees, or 50 or more employees who in the aggregate work at least 1,500 hours per week, exclusive of overtime, in a call center to notify the Secretary of Labor at least 120 days before relocating such center outside of the United States. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 a day. Directs the Secretary to establish, maintain, and make publicly available a list of all such employers that relocate a call center. Authorizes the Secretary to remove from the list an employer that has relocated the call center from a location outside the United States to a location inside the United States.

Requires such an employer to remain on the list for up to three years after each relocation. Makes such an employer ineligible for federal grants or federal guaranteed loans for five years after being added to the list, except where the employer demonstrates that a lack of such loan or grant would threaten national security, result in substantial job loss in the United States, or harm the environment. Requires the head of federal or state executive agency or military department, when awarding a civilian or defense-related contract, to give preference to a U.S. employer that does not appear on the list.

Requires a business entity that initiates or receives a customer service communication to require each of its employees or agents participating in the communication to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each such communication unless all involved employees or agents are located in the United States. Exempts any communication: (1) initiated by a consumer if the consumer knows or reasonably should know that the employee or agent is located outside the United States, or (2) related to the provision of emergency services. Requires such a business entity, upon request, to transfer a customer to a customer service agent who is physically located in the United States.

Authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to exclude certain classes or types of business entities or customer services communications from the requirements of this Act under exceptionally compelling circumstances. Sets forth enforcement provisions.

Date: 2013-08-01
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Commerce
Berry Amendment Extension Act

 Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to prohibit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from procuring specified covered items directly related to national security interests (including clothing, tents, or natural fiber products) that are not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States, except to the extent satisfactory quality and sufficient quantity of any such product cannot be procured as and when needed.

Makes additional exceptions for: (1) procurements by vessels in foreign waters, (2) emergency procurements, and (3) purchases for amounts not greater than the simplified acquisition threshold described in military procurement provisions. Requires DHS to post a notification that an exception has been applied not later than seven days after the award of the contract. Directs DHS to ensure that: (1) each member of DHS's acquisition workforce who regularly participates in textile acquisition receives training on this Act's requirements, and (2) any such training includes comprehensive information on such requirements. Requires this Act to be applied in a manner consistent with U.S. obligations under international agreements.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Emergency management
American Steel First Act of 2015 

Prohibits the Departments of Homeland Security, Defense, and Transportation (DOT) (covered federal agencies) from obligating or expending funds or providing financial assistance for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in such project is produced in the United States.

Waives such prohibition in cases where: (1) the prohibition would be inconsistent with the public interest, (2) iron and steel are not produced in the United States in sufficient and reasonably available quantities of a satisfactory quality, or (3) inclusion of iron and steel produced in the United States will increase the cost of the overall project contract by more than 25%. Prohibits waivers by a covered federal agency for products produced in a foreign country that is determined by the U.S. Trade Representative to have violated the terms of an agreement with the United States by discriminating against products produced in the United States that are covered by the agreement.

Prohibits a covered federal agency from imposing financial assistance restrictions on: (1) states that impose more stringent requirements on the use of iron and steel in foreign countries in projects carried out with such assistance, or (2) recipients that comply with such state imposed requirements.

Makes any person who intentionally mislabels or misrepresents a product used in a project under this Act as "Made in America" ineligible for another department contract for six years.

Requires DOT to: (1) publish a justification for a waiver of the prohibition against obligating funds to carry out the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1982, highway projects, public transportation projects, or aviation programs unless the steel, iron, and manufactured products used are produced in the United States; and (2) provide for public notice and comment on such waiver.

Date: 2015-06-04
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Bring Jobs Home Act 

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and  relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.

Date: 2015-07-08
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Taxation
21st Century Buy American Act

This bill amends the Buy American Act to define the term "substantially all" to mean that articles, materials, or supplies shall be treated as made substantially all from articles, materials, or supplies mined, produced, or manufactured in the United States if the cost of the domestic components of such articles, materials, or supplies exceeds 60% of the total cost of all such components.

The bill prohibits the use of the overseas exception to Buy American requirements unless one of the following criteria is met: (1) the articles, materials, or supplies are needed urgently for national security reasons; or (2) a cost analysis demonstrates that the articles, materials, or supplies to be acquired would be more than 50% more expensive if made in the United States.

The bill requires the head of a federal agency, in determining whether to apply the public interest exception to Buy American requirements, to: (1) consider the short-term and long-term effects on employment in the United States, and (2) determine that preserving or increasing employment in the United States is consistent with the public interest.

The bill requires each federal agency that applies an exception or grants a waiver to Buy American requirements to submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a notification of such exception or waiver and post such notification on the OMB website.

The bill: (1) authorizes the Department of Defense to establish and carry out a program to make or guarantee loans to certain business entities, up to $500,000 per entity, under the Defense Production Act; and (2) sets forth eligibility requirements for such entities, including requirements that such an entity is a manufacturer in the United States, is certified as eligible to apply for trade adjustment assistance, and meets criteria relating to the availability of an item.

Date: 2015-10-08
Topic: Foreign Trade (Competitiveness)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act - Prohibits the federal government from purchasing any product derived from a covered animal unless the animal is raised with: (1) adequate shelter which allows the animal to stand, lie down, walk, and turn around completely and fully extend all limbs or wings without touching any part of an enclosure or other animal; (2) daily access to adequate food and water; (3) adequate veterinary care; and (4) in the case of a mammal, the offspring of a dam that was kept in compliance with such provisions during pregnancy. States that this Act shall not apply to a covered animal: (1) during lawful transport; (2) in lawful rodeo exhibitions, state or county fair exhibitions, or other similar exhibitions; (3) in lawful scientific or agricultural research; (4) undergoing veterinary care; or (5) in the case of a sow, during the seven day period prior to the date the sow is expected to give birth. Defines "covered animal" as any non-aquatic farm animal, including a pig, head of bison or cattle, chicken, turkey, duck, goose, goat, sheep, rabbit, ostrich, emu, or rhea intended for food production use.

Date: 2007-03-28
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Animals
National Offshore Aquaculture Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish an operating permit process for the development and operation of offshore aquaculture facilities in areas of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Requires the Secretary to prepare an analysis under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 with respect to the process for issuing permits. Authorizes the Secretary to issue such permits. Excludes offshore aquaculture from the definition of "fishing" under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Prohibits permits for facilities within 12 miles of a coastal state if the state opposes the activities. Authorizes the Secretary of the department in which the Coast Guard is operating to designate a zone around a facility in which incompatible installations, structures, or uses are prohibited. Requires the Secretary of Commerce, for permits for facilities in certain areas subject to the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, to obtain the concurrence of the Secretary of the Interior and the consent of lessees, operators, and owners. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) establish and conduct an integrated, multidisciplinary, scientific research and development program to further marine aquaculture technologies that are compatible with the protection of marine ecosystems; and (2) conduct research and development in partnership with permit holders. Directs the Secretary to conduct research to reduce the use of wild fish in aquaculture feeds.

Date: 2007-04-24
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to establish a program under the environmental quality incentives program to provide eligible producers with cost-share and incentive payments to promote conservation practices for production systems converting to organic production.

Date: 2007-08-02
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Prevention of Equine Cruelty Act of 2009 - Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to three years for possessing, shipping, transporting, purchasing, selling, delivering, or receiving any horse, horse flesh, or carcass with the intent that it be used for human consumption. Reduces the prison term to one year if the offense involves less than five horses or less than 2,000 pounds of horse flesh or carcass and the offender has no prior conviction for this offense.

Date: 2009-01-14
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat trees or vines producing fruit, nuts, or other crops as placed in service in the year in which they are planted for purposes of the additional 50% bonus depreciation allowance.

Date: 2009-06-04
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2011 the classification of certain farming business machinery and equipment as five-year property for purposes of the tax deduction for depreciation.

Date: 2009-12-02
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), within 30 days after this Act's enactment, to finalize the proposed rule entitled "Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule Requirements--Amendments" to exempt certain milk containers and associated piping and appurtenance from the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure program. Prohibits the Administrator from taking regulatory action against dairy and dairy product producers, processors, handlers, and distributors related to such exemption until the effective date of the finalized rule.

Date: 2010-05-27
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow an excise tax credit for: (1) 10% of the distilled spirits tax rate multiplied by the number of proof gallons of rum produced in the United States (as defined in section 2208.40.00 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States) using domestic agricultural waste or byproducts as the principal distilling source; and (2) the number of gallons of distilled spirits or wines which are produced in the United States using domestic citrus waste or byproducts as the principal distilling or fermenting source, multiplied by 10% of the excise tax on wines.

Date: 2010-06-09
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Fishermen's Collective Marketing Act of 2009 - Authorizes persons engaged in the fishery industry as charter boat or recreational fishing services providers to act together in associations in collectively undertaking and marketing such activities and services, including implementing a vessel capacity reduction program, improving the operational and economic efficiency of a fishery, undertaking research, and improving the conservation and management of a fishery resource.

Date: 2009-02-25
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Food Protection Training Institute Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to: (1) create a list of uniform food protection training standards for federal, state, and local food regulatory officials and food protection officials as part of overall regulatory program standards; and (2) ensure funding is used to advance food protection and effectiveness and equivalency throughout the food protection system. Directs the Secretary to provide assistance to establish and maintain a Food Protection Training Institute to conduct activities to improve the safety of the U.S. food supply, including: (1) improving the response and prevention controls capabilities of the national food protection system; and (2) acting as a clearinghouse for research, studies, and findings concerning all aspects of food protection programs.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Health
Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), within 30 days after this Act's enactment, to finalize the proposed rule entitled "Oil Pollution Prevention; Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure Rule Requirements--Amendments" to exempt certain milk containers and associated piping and appurtenance from the Spill Prevention, Control, and Countermeasure program. Prohibits the Administrator from taking regulatory action against dairy and dairy product producers, processors, handlers, and distributors related to such exemption until the effective date of the finalized rule.

Date: 2011-02-11
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Environmental protection
Cold Storage Reporting Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to require monthly reporting to the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) of items contained in the cold storage survey and the dairy products survey of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Exempts from reporting requirements a manufacturer or facility that stores less than an average of 10,000 pounds monthly on an annual basis.

Date: 2011-03-02
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership Reauthorization Act - Amends the Omnibus Parks and Public Lands Management Act of 1996 to extend the Secretary of Agriculture's (USDA) authority to make grants or provide assistance to the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership (Iowa).

Date: 2012-02-27
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Farmers and Ranchers Minimizing Estate Regulations Act of 2013 or the FARMER Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the special use valuation of farms and other property used in a trade or business for estate tax purposes, to: (1) increase to $2 million the allowable reduction in the fair market value of such property for valuation purposes, (2) reduce the required holding period for such property for eligibility and recapture purposes, (3) allow rentals of such property by controlled entities to qualify as a special use, (4) repeal the requirement to use the gross cash rental method for valuing such property, and (5) exempt woodlands subject to a management plan from the additional tax for early dispositions of such property and for failure to comply with special use requirements.

Date: 2013-04-09
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Taxation
Macadamia Tree Health Initiative

This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize the Department of Agriculture to make competitive research and extension grants available for a macadamia tree health initiative to:

 develop and disseminate science-based tools and treatments to combat the insect macadamia felted coccid (Eriococcus ironsidei), and establish an areawide integrated pest management program in areas affected by, or areas at risk of being affected by, it.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Changing the Culture of the FDA Act

This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration to amend its mission statement to take responsibility for protecting the public health by considering the danger of addiction and overdose death when approving and regulating prescription opioid medications. (Opioid medications are drugs with effects similar to opium, such as certain pain medications.)

Date: 2016-02-11
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Health
Century Farms Act of 2016 

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to recognize: (1) any farm that a state department of agriculture or similar statewide agricultural organization recognizes as a Century Farm, or (2) a farm or ranch that has been operated continuously and owned by the same family for at least 100 consecutive years. In recognizing farms under this bill, USDA must give preference to small farms.

Date: 2016-07-14
Topic: Agriculture (Other)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crane Conservation Act of 2008 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance for approved projects relating to the conservation of cranes, using amounts in the Crane Conservation Fund established by this Act. Allows a project proposal to be submitted by: (1) any wildlife management authority of a country located in the African, Asian, European, or North American range of a species of crane that carries out at least one activity that affects crane populations; (2) the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and (3) any person or organization with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of cranes. Establishes the Crane Conservation Fund in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of cranes to assist in carrying out this Act.Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Great Cats Conservation Act of 2007 - Defines "great cat" to mean any lion, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, clouded leopard, cheetah, or Spanish lynx.Establishes the Great Cats Conservation Fund as a separate account in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Directs the Secretary of the Interior to use amounts in such Fund to provide assistance for projects for the conservation of great cats. Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group of individuals representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of great cats.

Date: 2007-04-18
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
(Sec. 1) Amends the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 to include tropical forests and coral reefs and associated coastal marine ecosystems within the scope of such Act. (Current law refers to only tropical forests.) (Sec. 3) Renames the Tropical Forest Facility as the Conservation Facility. (Sec. 4) Makes developing countries with tropical forests or coral reefs or associated coastal marine ecosystems eligible for benefits. (Current law refers only to tropical forests.) (Sec. 5) Authorizes appropriations through FY2010 for specified credit and concessional loan debt reduction owed to the United States. Increases obligations for program administration, monitoring, and auditing. (Sec. 7) Authorizes U.S. government representation on the administering body that oversees the implementation of grants from a debt-for-nature swap or debt buy-back regardless of whether the United States is a party to any agreement between the eligible purchaser and the government of the beneficiary country. (Sec. 8) Requires U.S. government and beneficiary country government review of Conservation Fund grants in excess of $250,000. (Sec. 8) Renames the Tropical Forest Agreement as the Conservation Agreement. (Sec. 9) Renames the Tropical Forest Fund as the Conservation Fund. (Sec. 10) Repeals Enterprise for the Americas Board authority to carry out activities under the Act. (Sec. 11) Revises certain reporting dates. (Sec. 12) Renames the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 as the Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act of 2007.

Date: 2007-05-07
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
Bear Protection Act of 2007 - Prohibits any person from: (1) importing bear viscera into, or exporting it from, the United States; or (2) selling bear viscera, bartering, offering it for sale or barter, or purchasing, possessing, transporting, delivering, or receiving it in interstate or foreign commerce. Subjects persons who violate such prohibitions to specified penalties. Waives such prohibition for wildlife law enforcement purposes where a valid permit has been issued. Requires the Secretary of the Interior to continue discussions concerning trade in bear viscera with the appropriate representatives of Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and with other representatives of countries that are not party to the Convention which are determined to be the leading importers, exporters, or consumers of such products, in order to establish coordinated efforts with such countries to protect bears. Declares that nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect state regulation of bear population or to affect the lawful hunting of bears under state law.

Date: 2007-07-12
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2008 - Amends the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Commerce to authorize aboriginal subsistence whaling if it: (1) is for subsistence purposes (including the sale of authentic native articles of handicrafts and clothing); (2) does not include the striking, taking, or killing of calves or any whale accompanied by a calf; and (3) is not accomplished in a wasteful manner.Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish catch limits for the Alaska Native aboriginal subsistence hunt of bowhead whales for any year or set of years if: (1) the International Whaling Commission has failed to adopt applicable catch limits; and (2) the biological status of the affected bowhead stock or stocks is such that, based on the most recent review of their status by the Scientific Committee of the Commission, the aboriginal subsistence needs request submitted to the Commission by the United States for that year or set of years is sustainable.

Date: 2008-07-24
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Crane Conservation Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of the Interior to provide financial assistance for approved projects relating to the conservation of cranes, using amounts in the Crane Conservation Fund established by this Act. Allows a project proposal to be submitted by: (1) any wildlife management authority of a country located in the African, Asian, European, or North American range of a species of crane that carries out at least one activity that affects crane populations; (2) the Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora; and (3) any person or organization with demonstrated expertise in the conservation of cranes. Establishes the Crane Conservation Fund in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund.Authorizes the Secretary to convene an advisory group representing public and private organizations actively involved in the conservation of cranes to assist in carrying out this Act.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Declares it to be the policy of the United States to develop an informed dialogue with China and India on the sustainable use of energy and the protection of the environment, the promotion of best practices for clean energy and technology investments, and the development and transfer of energy and environmental technologies.Establishes a Congressional-Executive Commission on Clean Energy Trade Between Key Consuming Nations to coordinate energy and environmental issues relating to the United States, China, and India and to establish a dialogue among such nations on the development and promotion of clean energy production, clean air and water, clean and efficient transportation, and the conservation and management of forests and wetlands and their ecosystems.

Date: 2008-12-08
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
Tropical Forest and Coral Conservation Act - Amends the Tropical Forest Conservation Act of 1998 to make forests, coral reefs, and associated coastal marine ecosystem activities eligible for U.S. debt reduction benefits for developing countries. (Currently, such provision applies to tropical forests.) Renames: (1) the Tropical Forest Facility as the Conservation Facility; and (2) a Tropical Forest Agreement as a Conservation Agreement. Extends authorization of appropriations for debt reduction. Authorizes U.S. government representation on the administering body that oversees the implementation of grants arising from debt-for-nature swap or debt buy-back regardless of whether the United States is a party to any agreement between the purchaser and the beneficiary country government.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
FAIR (Foreign Air Impact Regulation) AIR Act of 2009 - Amends the Clean Air Act to delay the effective date of reclassification of a nonattainment area to a higher classification of nonattainment for failing to meet national ambient air quality standards by applicable deadlines if: (1) the area is adjacent to a foreign country; and (2) the state in which the area is located submits a claim to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that the area would have attained the relevant standard by the attainment date but for emissions emanating from outside the United States.Prohibits such reclassification from taking effect unless: (1) the Secretary of State has entered into negotiations with the foreign country involved to develop an air quality improvement plan for the international area encompassing the nonattainment area and submitted that plan to Congress; and (2) taking such plan into consideration, the Administrator has taken appropriate action to improve air quality in the nonattainment area.

Date: 2009-01-26
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to require that the U.S. Commissioner on the International Whaling Commission be an employee of the federal government.

Date: 2009-06-18
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to recognize the United States-Canada Transboundary Resource Sharing Understanding (and other similar fishery management Understandings) as an international agreement under such Act. States that: (1) annual fishing level recommendations for fishery stocks under such Understandings may be exceeded as long as the fishing mortality level allows for progress toward rebuilding affected fish stocks; (2) the 10-year fishery rebuilding requirement shall not apply to such stocks; and (3) this Act shall apply to fishing years beginning after April 30, 2010.

Date: 2009-12-16
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Migratory Bird Treaty Amendment Act of 2009 - Amends the Migratory Bird Treaty Act to allow an agricultural producer, or a hunter with the producer's permission, to take migratory game birds by the aid of baiting, if: (1) the manipulation occurs on the producer's land on which a crop was not harvestable during the current or immediately preceding crop year due to a natural disaster; and (2) a local representative of the Secretary of Agriculture confirms that the crop has been destroyed and that it would not be economically practicable to harvest the crop.

Date: 2009-02-26
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
POPs, LRTAP POPs, and PIC Implementation Act of 2009 - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to incorporate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) provisions from: (1) the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs Convention); (2) the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants to the Geneva Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (LRTAP POPs Protocol); and (3) the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade (PIC Convention). Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to participate in activities supporting implementation of such agreements. Prohibits the sale, distribution, use, production, or disposal of aldrin, chlordane, chlordecone, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), dieldrin, endrin, hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, hexabromobiphenyl, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), toxaphene, and other specified chemicals in a manner that is inconsistent with U.S. obligations under the POPs Convention or the LRTAP POPs Protocol. Requires the Administrator to publish notice and specified reports and provide the public an opportunity to comment on certain POPs Convention and LRTAP POPs Protocol proposals, risk profiles, decisions, and recommendations. Requires any person distributing certain chemical substances or mixtures included in the PIC Convention to comply with export conditions and notification requirements. Requires pesticides or active ingredients that are subject to certain notice requirements under the PIC Convention to have certain labeling information, safety data sheets, and documentation of customs codes assigned by the World Customs Organization. Directs the Administrator, with the concurrence of the Secretary of State, to notify the public about PIC Convention decisions to list pesticides and any foreign state's conditions or restrictions a applicable to the importation of the pesticide from the United States. Directs the Administrator to apply the more stringent of conflicting provisions between the POPs Convention and: (1) the LRTAP POPs Protocol; or (2) the PIC Convention.

Date: 2009-03-03
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Amends the Hydrographic Services Improvement Act of 1998 to authorize appropriations to the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for FY2011-FY2012: (1) to acquire hydrographic data, provide hydrographic services, and conduct coastal change analyses necessary to ensure safe navigation, and to improve the management of coastal change in the Arctic; and (2) to acquire hydrographic data and provide hydrographic services in the Arctic necessary to delineate the U.S. extended continental shelf.

Date: 2009-07-24
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
United States Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs Act of 2009 - Amends the State Department Basic Authorities Act of 1956 to establish within the Department of State an Ambassador at Large for Arctic Affairs.

Date: 2009-08-03
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
Arctic Oil Spill Research and Prevention Act of 2009 - Directs the Commandant of the Coast Guard to assess and take action to reduce the risk of, and improve the U.S. capability to respond to, a maritime disaster in the United States Beaufort and Chukchi Sea, including the prioritization of resources to address such issues as: (1) oil spill response capabilities and infrastructure; (2) coordinating contingency plans and agreements with U.S. agencies, industry, and foreign governments to respond to an Arctic oil spill; and (3) expansion of search and rescue capabilities, infrastructure, and logistics. Directs the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and in collaboration with other agencies with appropriate Arctic science expertise, to direct research and take action to improve the U.S. ability to conduct oil spill prevention, response, and recovery in Arctic waters. Requires the Secretary to request that the National Research Council conduct a risk assessment to identify and evaluate existing spill prevention and response standards and develop recommendations that will enhance safety and lessen the potential adverse environmental impacts of industrial activities in Arctic waters. Amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make specified sums in the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund available annually to the Coast Guard, NOAA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Minerals Management Service for Arctic oil spill research and development for FY2010-FY2014.

Date: 2009-08-03
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Arctic Climate Adaptation Act - Establishes in the Department of Commerce an American Arctic Adaptation Grant Program. Directs the Denali Commission to: (1) be the Alaska Project Coordinator for the Program; (2) select, administer, and coordinate projects awarded grants under the Program; (3) establish an Adaptation Advisory Committee to advise the Commission on climate adaptation needs and investments and on the award of grants under the Program; and (4) publish an annual work plan for the Program. Permits the Commission to combine funds from the Program with awards from other appropriate federal or state infrastructure development, construction, or maintenance programs to provide funds to carry out an eligible project. Defines "eligible project" as a project to repair, replace, or maintain an element of public infrastructure in a coastal or remote Alaskan village damaged or threatened by the effects of climate change. Requires the Commission, during FY2010 and in collaboration with the state of Alaska, the University of Alaska, and relevant U.S. agencies, to conduct research on best practices for climate related adaptation that are being used or researched by other polar nations or foreign or domestic research institutions or institutions of higher learning and that could be used by Arctic communities in Alaska.

Date: 2009-08-03
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Environmental protection
International Climate Change Investment Act of 2009 - Requires the President to establish the Strategic Interagency Board on International Climate Investment to assess, monitor, evaluate, and report on the progress and contributions of departments and agencies in supporting funding for international climate change activities and the goals and objectives of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Bali Action Plan. Requires the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a program to provide assistance to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from deforestation in developing countries. Establishes program objectives, including achieving emissions reductions of at least 720 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2020, a cumulative amount of at least 6 billion tons of carbon dioxide equivalent by December 31, 2025, and additional emissions reductions in subsequent years. Requires the Administrator to establish a publicly accessible registry of the emissions reductions achieved with such assistance. Requires the Administrator to develop and implement a program that addresses noncompletion or reversal with respect to any GHG emissions that were not, or are no longer, sequestered in the international deforestation reduction program. Requires: (1) the Secretary of State to establish the International Clean Energy Deployment Program to provide assistance to qualifying entities to implement clean technology activities that will contribute to reductions, sequestration, or avoidance of GHG emissions in eligible countries; and (2) the President to establish an interagency group to administer such program. Establishes an expert panel to provide guidance on technology deployment and programs to such group. Requires the Secretary to establish an International Climate Change Adaptation and Global Security Program to provide assistance to the most vulnerable developing countries for adapting and promoting resilience to climate change and its impacts. Requires the Secretary, working with the Board, to report biannually on climate change and energy policy for the five highest GHG emitting countries that are not members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Date: 2009-12-03
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs
International Fisheries Agreement Clarification Act - Amends the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act to recognize the United States-Canada Transboundary Resource Sharing Understanding (and other related fishery management Understandings and decisions made under such Understandings) as an international agreement under such Act. States that: (1) annual fishing level recommendations for fishery stocks in any given year under such Understandings may be exceeded as long as the fishing mortality level allows for progress toward rebuilding affected fish stocks; (2) the 10-year fishery rebuilding requirement shall not apply to stocks covered by such Understandings; and (3) this Act shall apply to fishing years beginning after April 30, 2010.

Date: 2009-12-09
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to deny an oil and gas lease, or an exploration, development, or production permit under such a lease, to any person that has engaged in activities with the government of a foreign country subject to a U.S. sanction or embargo, including one established under the Emergency Economic Powers Act.

Date: 2011-01-20
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Prohibits the Secretary of the Army and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from: (1) finalizing, adopting, implementing, administering, or enforcing the proposed guidance described in the notice of availability and request for comments entitled "EPA and Army Corps of Engineers Guidance Regarding Identification of Waters Protected by the Clean Water Act"; or (2) using such guidance, any successor document, or any substantially similar guidance made publicly available on or after December 3, 2008, as the basis for any decision regarding the scope of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) or any rulemaking. Provides that use of such guidance or document as the basis for any rule shall be grounds for vacating such rule.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Environmental protection
Whaling Convention Amendments Act of 2012 - Amends the Whaling Convention Act of 1949 to require the Secretary of Commerce to authorize aboriginal subsistence whaling if it: (1) is for subsistence purposes (including the sale of authentic native articles of handicrafts and clothing); (2) does not include the striking, taking, or killing of calves or any whale accompanied by a calf; and (3) is not accomplished in a wasteful manner. Requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish catch limits for the Alaska Native aboriginal subsistence hunt of bowhead whales for any year or set of years if: (1) the International Whaling Commission has failed to adopt applicable catch limits; and (2) the biological status of the affected bowhead stock or stocks is such that, based on the most recent review of their status by the Scientific Committee of the Commission, the aboriginal subsistence needs statement submitted to the Commission by the United States for that year or set of years is sustainable.

Date: 2012-06-05
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: Animals
Global Conservation Act of 2012 - Requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to audit, and report to Congress on, existing U.S. international conservation policies and programs to determine the extent to which such programs are: (1) addressing natural resource challenges to ensure healthy and sustainable supplies of water, wildlife, fish, forests, plants, and other critical resources; (2) advancing U.S. foreign policy priorities in areas such as security, democratization, sustainable food production, and clean water; (3) enhancing economic and wildlife conservation benefits derived from properly managed international hunting and angling tourism; (4) addressing poaching, illegal logging, fishing, and wildlife trafficking; and (5) establishing more effective policies and processes for executive branch agencies engaged in international conservation. Directs the President: (1) to establish the Interagency Working Group on Global Conservation; and (2) through such Working Group, to establish the International Conservation Strategy to strengthen the capacity of the United States to collaborate with other countries, international organizations, the private sector, and private voluntary organizations to conserve natural resources and enhance biodiversity. Requires the Strategy to provide a comprehensive plan of action that identifies specific and measurable benchmarks, goals, and time frames. Requires the Working Group to ensure that the Strategy is appropriate to local needs and conditions and incorporates the views of partner countries. Establishes the Global Conservation Public Advisory Board to: (1) advise the Working Group on matters related to U.S. international conservation policies and programs and the implementation of the Strategy; and (2) ensure that the best scientific, policy, economic security, and business expertise are reflected in U.S. international conservation strategies and policies. Prohibits any provision in this Act from being construed as restricting, limiting, or otherwise impairing: (1) properly managed recreational hunting and angling, or (2) the ability of any foreign jurisdiction or authority to authorize regulated programs supporting wildlife for local consumption and commercialization. Urges the President to work with foreign assistance donor countries to: (1) develop a comprehensive international conservation assistance strategy consistent with the United States International Conservation Strategy, (2) identify multilateral mechanisms to coordinate international action, and (3) agree on a timetable for achieving the goals of the United States International Conservation Strategy.

Date: 2012-06-27
Topic: International Affairs (Resources Exploitation)
Subject: International affairs