zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Provides criminal penalties against any person who solicits, contracts for, charges, or receives any fee or compensation from a veteran, other than that currently permitted under law, for: (1) advice on how to file a benefits claim; or (2) the preparation, presentation, or prosecution of a claim before the date on which a notice of disagreement is filed in a proceeding on the claim.

Date: 2011-05-11
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG), at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision, to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. Defines "mass killings" as three or more killings in a single incident. Authorizes the AG to pay rewards of up to $3 million (currently, $2 million), subject to exceptions, for assistance to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision and through deployment of the Secret Service or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. Requires that any assistance provided under this Act be presumed to be within the scope of federal office or employment.

Date: 2011-06-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2011 - Requires states that receive certain criminal justice assistance grants to report to the Attorney General on a quarterly basis certain information regarding the death of any person who is detained, under arrest, in the process of being arrested, en route to incarceration, or incarcerated at a municipal or county jail, state prison, state-run or contracted boot camp prison, state or local contract facility, or other local or state correctional facility. Imposes penalties of up to a 10% reduction of federal Byrne Justice Assistance Grant funding, at the Attorney General's discretion, on states that fail to comply with such reporting requirements. Requires the head of each federal law enforcement agency to report to the Attorney General annually certain information regarding the death of any person who: (1) is detained, under arrest, or or in the process of being arrested by any officer of such agency (or by any state or local law enforcement officer for purposes of a federal law enforcement operation); or (2) is en route to be incarcerated or detained, or is incarcerated or detained, at any federal correctional or pre-trial detention facility located within the United States or any other facility pursuant to a contract with or used by such agency. Requires the Attorney General to study such information and report on means by which it can be used to reduce the number of such deaths.

Date: 2011-06-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice for Rape Victims and Improving Use of DNA Evidence Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to increase by 10% grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program for states or local governments that had in effect for the previous fiscal year: (1) a process to provide a victim of sexual assault with an examination by a qualified sexual assault nurse examiner for purposes of collecting a rape kit from such victim and to provide the results of rape kit testing to the victim within 180 days, and (2) an online rape kit database containing specified information.Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to require the Attorney General to conduct an annual study and report to Congress on the extent of the backlog in the United States relating to the analysis of DNA samples collected from crime scenes, victims, suspects, arrestees, and convicted offenders.

Date: 2011-06-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Fair Sentencing Clarification Act of 2011 - 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: 2011-06-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Literacy, Education, and Rehabilitation Act - Amends the federal criminal code to allow a prisoner serving a term of imprisonment of more than one year to receive credit beyond time already served for up to 60 days each year, in addition to any credit received for satisfactory behavior, for earning a certificate of completion in, or for participating in or teaching, a designated program that benefits prisoners or the Bureau of Prisons, including specified educational and vocational, treatment, and work and developmental programs. Requires the Director of the Bureau to establish the number of days of credit a prisoner may be awarded considering the difficulty, time required, responsibility expected, and rehabilitative benefits of the program. Makes any person sentenced to a term of imprisonment under the Attorney General's custody eligible for the credits, including prisoners transferred from foreign countries. Allows: (1) federal prisoners to earn up to 54 days of credit toward the service of a sentence for each year of the prisoner's sentence imposed by the court if the Bureau determines the prisoner has displayed exemplary compliance with institutional disciplinary regulations; and (2) the Bureau to restore credit previously denied to a prisoner, based on such prisoner maintaining good behavior.

Date: 2011-06-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Hallowed Grounds Act - Prohibits the remains of persons convicted of certain sex offenses (tier III sex offenders for purposes of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act) from being interred or memorialized in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national cemeteries or in the Arlington National Cemetery. Applies such restrictions to interments and memorializations occurring on or after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2011-06-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Identity Theft Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to eliminate the requirement in a prosecution for identity theft that the prosecution must prove that the defendant knew that the stolen identification documents belonged to another person.

Date: 2011-07-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Caylee Anthony Caregiver Responsibility Act of 2011 or Caylee's Law of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to establish penalties to be imposed on a parent, legal guardian, or person with custody of a child who fails to report to the appropriate authorities that the child has been missing for more than 24 hours or has been dead for more than 1 hour.

Date: 2011-08-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Human Trafficking Reporting Act - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to include severe forms of trafficking in persons among "part 1 violent crimes" required to be reported by states for the Uniform Crime Reports of the Federal Bureau of Investigation for purposes of Bureau of Justice Assistance Grants and Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants.

Date: 2011-09-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Illegal Immigration Sentencing Uniformity Act of 2011 - Disapproves Amendment 6 to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines submitted to Congress by the United States Sentencing Commission on April 6, 2011 (amends section 2L1.2 of the Guidelines [Unlawfully Entering or Remaining in the United States] and the Commentary to 2L1.2 to limit the extent of the enhancement provided for certain offenders who were previously deported, or who unlawfully remained in the United States, after a predicate conviction).

Date: 2011-09-21
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Death Penalty Abolition Act of 2011 - 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: 2011-09-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Hate Crimes Against the Homeless Statistics Act of 2011 - Amends the Hate Crime Statistics Act to include crimes against the homeless in the crime data collected by the Attorney General under such Act.

Date: 2011-11-30
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
End Trafficking in Government Contracting Act of 2012 - Amends the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 to expand the authority of a federal agency to terminate a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement involving grantees or contractors who engage in severe forms of trafficking in persons to include grantees or contractors who: (1) engage in acts that directly support or advance trafficking in persons, (2) destroy an employee's immigration documents or fail to repatriate such employee upon the end of employment, (3) solicit persons for employment under false pretenses, (4) charge recruited employees exorbitant placement fees, or (5) provide inhumane living conditions. Requires the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking to monitor all known cases and activities involving trafficking in persons that are reported to certain officials of the Department of Defense (DOD). Prohibits the head of an executive agency from entering into a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement valued at $1 million or more if performance will predominantly be conducted overseas unless a representative of the recipient of such grant, contract, or cooperative agreement certifies that the recipient has implemented a plan and procedures to prevent trafficking in persons. Requires a contracting or grant officer of an executive agency who receives credible evidence that a recipient of a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement has engaged in trafficking in persons or other prohibited activities to request the agency's Inspector General to investigate allegations of trafficking and to take remedial actions, including the suspension of payments under the grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. Amends the federal criminal code to impose a fine and/or prison term of up to five years on any individual who knowingly and with intent to defraud recruits, solicits, or hires a person outside the United States, or attempts to do so, to work on on a government contract performed on government facilities outside the United States by means of materially false or fraudulent pretenses, representations, or promises regarding such employment.

Date: 2012-03-26
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2012 or the STOP Identity Theft Act of 2012 - 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) define "means of identification" to mean any name or number used to identify a specific person (currently, any specific individual); and (2) make tax fraud a predicate offense for aggravated identity theft. 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: 2012-04-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Give Workplace Gender Violence Victims Their Day in Court Act of 2012 - Makes an employer liable to a party injured in a crime of violence motivated by gender if: (1) the employer's business is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce, and (2) the employer's negligent conduct results in the perpetration of a gender-motivated crime of violence against an individual on premises under the employer's control. Prohibits anything in this Act from being construed as: (1) entitling a person to a cause of action for random acts of violence unrelated to gender or for acts that cannot be demonstrated to be motivated by gender; or (2) requiring a prior criminal complaint, prosecution, or conviction to establish the elements of a cause of action. Gives federal and state courts concurrent jurisdiction over actions brought pursuant to this Act. Directs the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to create and provide to employers materials regarding personnel policies and safety standards to assist them in avoiding liability under this Act.

Date: 2012-07-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Labor and employment
Preserving American Privacy Act of 2012 - Prohibits a federal agency from authorizing the domestic use of an unmanned aircraft for law enforcement purposes or for surveillance of a U.S. national or real property owned by that national, including by any state or local government, except pursuant to warrant and in the investigation of a felony. Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a federal agency other than a federal law enforcement agency from using in the United States, or authorizing any federal officer or employee to use in the United States, an unmanned aircraft for such purposes, with the same exceptions. Prohibits the use of any information obtained in violation of such prohibition in a criminal proceeding before a federal court. Subjects the domestic use of an unmanned aircraft to the same limitations and exceptions as apply in the case of any other search. Prohibits evidence obtained by an agency using an unmanned aircraft from being introduced in an administrative hearing. Prohibits a federal agency from authorizing the domestic use of an unmanned aircraft to permit any private person to conduct surveillance on any other private person without the consent of that other person or the owner of any real property on which that other person is present.

Date: 2012-07-25
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends title 36 of the United States Code (Patriotic and National Observances, Ceremonies, and Organizations) to revise and expand the tables of contents for such title and its subtitles, revise the formatting of the chapter headings, and make technical corrections to subtitle and chapter headings.

Date: 2012-11-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Stop Deducting Damages Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred for punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement of, any legal action; and (2) include any amount paid as punitive damages in gross income for income tax purposes.

Date: 2012-12-20
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Taxation
Food Safety Accountability Act of 2011 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to impose a fine and/or a prison term of up to 10 years for knowingly and intentionally to defraud or mislead, and with conscious or reckless disregard of a risk of death or serious bodily injury: (1) introducing into or receiving or delivering in interstate commerce any food, drug, device, tobacco product, or cosmetic that is adulterated or misbranded; (2) adulterating or misbranding any such item in interstate commerce; or (3) altering, mutilating, destroying, obliterating, or removing labeling of such item while it is held for sale after shipment in interstate commerce resulting in such item being adulterated or misbranded.

Date: 2011-01-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stalkers Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of stalking and impose criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate another person or to place a person under surveillance with the intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate such person, travels in interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or enters or leaves Indian country and: (1) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or serious emotional distress to another person, or (2) engages in conduct that would be reasonably expected to cause serious emotional distress to another person. Imposes the same criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate another person, engages in a course of conduct that: (1) uses the mail, any interactive computer service, or any other facility of interstate or foreign commerce; and (2) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or significant emotional distress to another person or occurs in circumstances where the conduct would be reasonably expected to cause another person significant emotional distress. Increases by 5 years the penalty for a stalking offense if: (1) the offense involves conduct in violation of a protection order, or (2) the victim of the offense is under the age of 18 or over the age of 65. Requires the annual report of the Attorney General to include an evaluation of efforts to enforce laws relating to stalking, including a description of those elements that constitute the best practices for the enforcement of such laws.

Date: 2011-01-31
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice for Survivors of Sexual Assault Act of 2011 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to require government entities, in order to be entitled to justice system improvement grants to combat violent crimes against women under such Act, to: (1) incur the full out-of-pocket cost of forensic medical exams for victims of sexual assault (current law), and (2) coordinate with regional health care providers to notify sexual assault victims of the availability of free exams. Repeals a provision deeming a government entity to have incurred the full out-of-pocket cost of such an exam if it reimburses the victim for the cost of such exam. Amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 to revise the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program to: (1) require the annual reports to the Attorney General by state and local governments receiving Program grants to include a specific breakdown of the number of sexual assault cases that are in a backlog for DNA case work and the percentage of grant amounts allocated to reducing the backlog; (2) direct the Attorney General to compile and publish, annually, a list of states and local governments receiving grants that have failed to provide such information, and (3) prohibit the Attorney General from awarding to such a state or local government for the next fiscal year a grant amount greater than 50% of the amount such government would have received otherwise.

Date: 2011-02-01
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Safety From Sex Offenders Act of 2011 - Prohibits a property manager from providing a key or other means of access to a residence to a sex offender, and prohibits a sex offender from possessing such means of access while acting on behalf of a property manager, unless the owner or lessor of the residence: (1) is notified of any offense for which the individual was convicted that requires the individual to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and (2) provides a written authorization for such access. Imposes a fine, imprisonment for not more than one year, or both for violations of this Act.

Date: 2011-02-14
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Amends the federal criminal code to subject an individual who knowingly and for pecuniary gain, while representing himself or herself as a principal, officer, or director of an educational institution, files a petition for certification or recertification with the Student and Exchange Visitor Program for attendance at such institution of certain nonimmigrant students under false pretenses, to a fine, up to 15 years imprisonment, or both. Directs the United States Sentencing Commission to amend the federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements to reflect such penalties.

Date: 2011-03-09
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Protecting American Taxpayers from Misconduct Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) deny a tax deduction for any amount paid or incurred for punitive damages in connection with any judgment in, or settlement of, any legal action; and (2) include any amount paid as punitive damages in gross income for income tax purposes.

Date: 2011-04-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the federal criminal code to provide for imprisonment for up to 5 years, a fine, or both, for criminal infringement of a copyright where the offense consists of 10 or more public performances by electronic means, during any 180-day period, of one or more copyrighted works and where: (1) the total retail value of the performances, or the total economic value of such performances to the infringer or to the copyright owner, would exceed $2,500; or (2) the total fair market value of licenses to offer performances of those works would exceed $5,000. Includes, within copyright provisions protecting works from criminal infringement, the public performance of a work being prepared for commercial distribution.

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
State Ethics Law Protection Act of 2011 - Considers a state transportation department not to have violated federal contract requirements for the construction of a federal-aid highway project solely because the state in which the department is located, or a local government within that state, has in effect a law or order that limits the amount of money an individual or entity doing business with a state or local agency with respect to such a project may contribute to a political party, campaign, or elected official (pay to play).

Date: 2011-05-12
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Securing Aircraft Cockpits Against Lasers Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit the aiming of the beam of a laser pointer at an aircraft or in its flight path. Imposes a fine and/or prison term of up to five years. Exempts from such prohibition: (1) individuals conducting research and development or flight test operations for an aircraft manufacturer or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA); (2) Department of Defense (DOD) or Department of Homeland Security (DHS) personnel conducting research, development, operations, testing or training; or (3) an individual using a laser emergency signaling device to send a distress signal.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stolen Valor Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to subject an individual who, with intent to obtain anything of value, knowingly makes a misrepresentiation regarding his or her military service to: (1) a fine, one year's imprisonment, or both if the misrepresentation is that such individual served in a combat zone or in a special operations force or was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor; and (2) a fine, six months' imprisonment, or both, in any other case. Provides that: (1) this Act shall not apply to a misrepresentation that an individual did not serve in the Armed Forces, and (2) it is a defense to prosecution that the thing of value is de minimis.

Date: 2011-10-18
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Attorney General (AG), at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision, to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. Defines "mass killings" as three or more killings in a single incident. Authorizes the AG to pay rewards of up to $3 million (currently, $2 million), subject to exceptions, for assistance to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to permit the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS), at the request of an appropriate law enforcement official of a state or political subdivision and through deployment of the Secret Service or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), to assist in the investigation of violent acts and shootings occurring in a place of public use, and in the investigation of mass killings and attempted mass killings. Requires that any assistance provided under this Act be presumed to be within the scope of federal office or employment.

Date: 2011-11-02
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stalkers Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise stalking provisions to prohibit: (1) the use of any electronic communication service or electronic communication system of interstate commerce to stalk victims; and (2) conduct that attempts to, or that would be reasonably expected to, cause substantial emotional distress to such a victim.

Date: 2011-11-30
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Michael Pohle Jr. Campus Emergency Alert Act - Amends title IV (Student Assistance) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to revise the civil penalties applicable to institutions of higher education (IHEs) that fail to properly disclose campus security policies and crime statistics to current students and employees and, upon request, to any applicant for enrollment or employment. Sets a maximum penalty per violation and a limitation on the total amount an IHE can be penalized each year. Establishes a minimum penalty for each instance an IHE: (1) substantially misrepresents the number, location, or nature of the crimes it is required to report; (2) fails to notify the campus community of a significant emergency or dangerous situation that is an immediate threat to its health or safety, unless notice would compromise efforts to contain it; or (3) fails to provide the campus community with timely reports on crimes that are considered to be a threat to students and employees and are reported to campus security or the local police. Expresses maximum and minimum penalty amounts as percentages of the funds an IHE received from the Department of Education in the previous award year. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a special account in the Treasury where these penalties are to be collected and from which they are to be disbursed for activities promoting campus safety.

Date: 2012-04-16
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Education
Military Service Integrity Act of 2012 - Revises provisions prohibiting the unauthorized purchase, sale, or use of military medals or decorations. Repeals a prohibition against knowingly wearing such a medal when not authorized to do so. Adds the requirement that a person act with the intent of securing a tangible benefit or personal gain to the prohibition against knowingly, falsely, and materially representing oneself as having served in the U.S. Armed Forces or having been awarded any decoration, medal, ribbon, or other device authorized by Congress or pursuant to federal law for the Armed Forces. Defines "tangible benefit or personal gain" to include: (1) a benefit relating to military service provided by the federal government or a state or local government, (2) employment or professional advancement, (3) financial remuneration, (4) an effect on the outcome of a criminal or civil court proceeding, and (5) an impact on one's personal credibility in a political campaign. Repeals provisions providing for enhanced penalties for offenses involving a Congressional Medal of Honor, a distinguished-service cross, a Navy cross, an Air Force cross, a silver star, or a Purple Heart.

Date: 2012-07-11
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Stronger Enforcement of Civil Penalties Act of 2012 - 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: 2012-07-23
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Cloud Computing Act of 2012 - Amends the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to provide that each instance of unauthorized access of a cloud computing account, access of such an account in excess of authorization, or an attempt or conspiracy to access such an account without or in excess of authorization in violation of such Act shall constitute a separate offense. Defines: (1) "cloud computing account" as information stored on a cloud computing service that requires a password or similar information to access and is attributable to an individual; and (2) "cloud computing service" as a service that enables convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction by the service provider. Establishes the value of the loss of the use of a computer, the value of the information obtained, and the value of the aggregated loss, for an offense involving unauthorized access to a protected computer that is part of a cloud computing service, as the greater of: (1) the value of the loss of use, information, or aggregated loss to one or more persons; or (2) the product obtained by multiplying $500 by the number of cloud computing accounts accessed. Directs the Secretary of State to work with international fora, such as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), to advance the aims of ensuring interoperability between the provisions of this Act and other laws and policies of the United States and foreign countries. Requires, within 180 days after enactment of this Act and at least once each year for four years thereafter: (1) the Secretary to conduct a study on international cooperation regarding data privacy, retention, and security; and (2) the heads of specified federal agencies to submit to the Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a three-year forecast of the agency's plans relating to the procurement of cloud computing services and support. Directs the Administrator to make each such forecast available to the public via an Internet website.

Date: 2012-09-19
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Federal Prison Bureau Nonviolent Offender Relief Act of 2013 - 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: 2013-01-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
David Ray Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2013 or David's Law - Amends the federal criminal code to impose penalties for willfully causing bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, or an explosive device, attempting to cause such injury, whether or not acting under color of law, because of the actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability of any person, where the offense is in or affects interstate or foreign commerce.

Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to study the issue of adult recruitment of juveniles to commit hate crimes and, if appropriate, to amend the federal sentencing guidelines to provide sentencing enhancements for such an offense.

Requires the Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to make grants to state and local programs designed to combat hate crimes committed by juveniles.

Authorizes appropriations to the Department of the Treasury and to DOJ for FY2013-FY2015 to increase the number of personnel to protect against criminal interference with federally-protected activities.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
STALKERS Act of 2013 - Amends the federal criminal code to revise the definition of stalking and impose criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate a person or to place a person under surveillance with the intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate such person, travels in interstate or foreign commerce or within the special maritime and territorial jurisdiction of the United States or enters or leaves Indian country and: (1) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or serious emotional distress to another person, or (2) engages in conduct that would be reasonably expected to cause serious emotional distress to another person.

Imposes the same criminal penalties on anyone who, with intent to kill, physically injure, harass, or intimidate a person, engages in a course of conduct in or substantially affecting interstate or foreign commerce that: (1) causes or attempts to cause bodily injury or serious emotional distress to another person, or (2) occurs in circumstances where the conduct would be reasonably expected to cause another person serious emotional distress.

Increases penalties for stalking offenses if: (1) the offense involves conduct in violation of a protection order, or (2) the victim of the offense is under the age of 18 or over the age of 65.

Requires the annual report of the Attorney General to include an evaluation of efforts to enforce laws relating to stalking and to identify and describe elements of such efforts that constitute the best practices for the enforcement of such laws.

Provides for compliance of the budgetary effects of this Act with the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

Date: 2013-01-04
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Justice for Victims of Confidential Informant Crime Act of 2013 - Amends the federal judicial code to extend to three years and six months the period within which a tort claim against the United States must be presented in writing to a federal agency when the claim arises out of a government employee's conduct with respect to the criminal misconduct of a government informant. (Current law bars all tort claims against the United States that are not presented within two years after the claim accrues.)

Applies the amendment retroactively to any such claim that: (1) accrued on or after May 1, 1981; and (2) in the case of a claim accrued before the date of enactment of this Act, is presented within one year after such date.

Prohibits the government from asserting a defense or a bar, based on the doctrine of res judicata or collateral estoppel, to a claim that accrued before enactment of this Act and to which this Act applies.

Date: 2013-01-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Law
Straw Purchaser Penalty Enhancement Act - Amends the federal criminal code to provide for an additional sentence of two years' imprisonment for violating the prohibitions against making false statements or misrepresenting identification regarding the acquisition of a firearm or ammunition: (1) knowing that the violation will further the transfer of two or more firearms to a person prohibited by law from shipping, transporting, possessing, or receiving a firearm; and (2) with the intent to conceal such person's identity from the transferor.

Prohibits the court from: (1) placing any person convicted of such violation on probation; and (2) reducing a term of imprisonment for such a violation so as to compensate for, or otherwise take into account, a term of imprisonment imposed or to be imposed for a separate such violation. Prohibits a term of imprisonment imposed under this Act from running concurrently with a term imposed on the person under any other legal provision, except that a term imposed may, in the court's discretion, run concurrently with another term imposed by the court at the same time for a separate such violation, subject to applicable guidelines and policy statements issued by the United States Sentencing Commission. Requires the court to specify in its statement of the reasons for imposing a sentence for such a violation the factors that require any sentence below the statutory minimum.

Directs the Attorney General to issue regulations requiring any form required to be completed by the purchaser of a firearm from a licensed firearms dealer to include a notice of the provisions of this Act.

Date: 2013-01-23
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 September 8, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Stopping Tax Offenders and Prosecuting Identity Theft Act of 2014 or the STOP Identity Theft Act of 2014 - 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 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: 2013-02-15
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Armed Prohibited Persons Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Attorney General to make grants to states to develop and operate systems to retrieve firearms from armed prohibited persons.

Defines an "armed prohibited person" as a person whose possession of a lawfully purchased firearm became unlawful because of an act or omission committed by such person.

Requires a state's grant application to include assurances that: (1) the state's system will provide a reasonable opportunity for such a person to lawfully dispose of a firearm before the state takes any action to retrieve it, (2) the state will contribute pertinent information to the national instant criminal background check system, and (3) the state has a plan for the continued operation and maintenance of the system.

Date: 2013-02-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Elder Abuse Victims Act of 2013 - Establishes within the Department of Justice (DOJ) an Office of Elder Justice, which shall address issues relating to elder abuse. Requires the Director of such Office to: (1) provide information, training, and technical assistance to assist states and local governments in preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and mitigating the impact of elder abuse, exploitation, and neglect and in addressing the physical and psychological trauma to victims of such abuse; (2) evaluate the efficacy of measures intended to prevent, detect, respond to, or redress elder abuse and the extent to which the needs of the victims in each state are met by crime victim services, programs, and sources of funding; (3) evaluate training models to determine best practices for investigating elder abuse, addressing evidentiary and legal issues, and interacting with victims; and (4) conduct, and regularly update, a study of state laws and practices relating to elder abuse.

Directs the Attorney General to annually: (1) collect from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices statistical data relating to the incidence of elder abuse; (2) identify common data points among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and prosecutor offices that would allow for the collection of uniform national data related to elder abuse; (3) publish a summary of the data collected; (4) identify the types of elder abuse data that should be collected and what entity is most capable of collecting it; and (5) develop recommendations for collecting additional data.

Authorizes the Director to provide grants and technical assistance to assist not more than 15 states in establishing and operating programs designed to improve: (1) the response to elder abuse in a manner that limits additional trauma to victims, and (2) the investigation and prosecution of cases of elder abuse. Requires eligible states to: (1) have a qualified crime victims compensation program; and (2) establish or designate a multidisciplinary task force on elder justice.

Amends the Social Security Act to include the Director as the alternate for the Attorney General as a member of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council.

Date: 2013-02-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Metal Theft Prevention Act of 2013 - Prohibits stealing specified metal being used in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, the theft of which harms critical infrastructure, including metal used as part of an electrical substation, power line, cellular tower, telephone land line, highway equipment and facilities, railroad equipment and facilities, water well, reservoir, or sewage line. Sets penalties of a fine, 10 years' imprisonment, or both, for violations.

Defines "specified metal" to include metal that is: (1) marked with the name, logo, or initials of a city, county, state, or federal government entity, a railroad, an electric, gas, or water company, a telephone company, a cable company, a retail establishment, or a public utility; (2) part of certain infrastructure items, such as a street light pole, guard rail, storm water grate, or grave marker; (3) a wire or cable commonly used by communications and electrical utilities; or (4) copper, aluminum, and other metal that is valuable for recycling or reuse as raw metal (except for aluminum cans).

Prohibits a recycling agent from purchasing such metal: (1) unless the seller provides documentation of ownership of, or other proof of the authority of the seller to sell, such metal and there is a reasonable basis to believe that the documentation provided is valid (does not require the agent to independently verify such validity); or (2) that the agent knows, or has a reasonable basis to believe, to be stolen. Subjects violators to a civil penalty of up to $10,000 per violation.

Sets forth recycling agent record-keeping and confidentiality requirements. Prohibits a recycling agent from paying cash for a single purchase of such metal of more than $100. Considers more than 1 purchase in any 48-hour period from the same seller to be a single purchase.

Exempts from such documentation requirements or purchase limits any recycling agent that is subject to a state or local law that requires obtaining such documentation or that limits such purchases.

Authorizes specified enforcement actions by the Attorney General and state attorneys general or equivalent state regulators.

Directs the U.S. Sentencing Commission to review and amend the Federal Sentencing Guidelines and policy statements applicable to a person convicted of the theft of such metal.

Date: 2013-02-27
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Life, Liberty, and Justice for All Americans Act - Prohibits the President from using lethal military force against a U.S. citizen located in the United States.

Provides an exception if the President determines that: (1) the individual poses an imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury to another individual, and (2) using such force will prevent or minimize such death or injury.

States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow the killing of a U.S. citizen without due process of law.

Date: 2013-03-19
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
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: 2013-04-24
Topic: Law and Crime (Criminal & Civil Code)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement