zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Competitiveness and Opportunity by Modernizing and Permanently Extending the Tax Credit for Experimentation Act of 2015 or the COMPETE Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for research expenditures, to: (1) increase the rate of such credit to 25% of so much of the taxpayer's qualified research expenses in a taxable year as exceeds 50% of the average expenses for the three preceding taxable years; (2) allow such credit for the basic research expenditures of educational institutions, scientific research organizations, and certain grant organizations; and (3) make such tax credit, as revised by this Act, permanent.

Exempts from the definition of "passive activity," for purposes of the passive loss tax rules, any qualified research activity carried on by a high technology research small business pass-thru entity. Defines "high technology research small business pass-thru entity" as any domestic pass-thru entity if: (1) more than 75% of the entity's expenditures are paid or incurred in connection with qualified research, or (2) more than 50% of the entity's expenditures constitute qualified research expenses. Designates a high technology research entity as a small business if it has 250 or fewer full-time employees and does not have aggregate gross assets in excess of $150 million.

Allows tax-exempt financing of research park facilities (facilities used in connection with research and experimentation that are located on the same site and funded with not more than 25% of the net proceeds of the bond issue).

Date: 2015-02-24
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Microlab Technology Commercialization Act of 2015

 Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the directors of national laboratories, to establish a program meeting specified criteria under which DOE sets up microlabs located in close proximity to national laboratories and accessible to the public in order to: (1) enhance collaboration with regional research groups, such as institutions of higher education and industry groups; (2) accelerate technology transfer from national laboratories to the marketplace; and (3) promote regional workforce development through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) instruction and training.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to complete a national plan for smart manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the U.S. manufacturing sector. Smart manufacturing is a set of advanced sensing, instrumentation, monitoring, controls, and process optimization technologies and practices that merge information and communication technologies with the manufacturing environment for the real-time management of energy, productivity, and costs across factories and companies.

DOE must expand the scope of technologies covered by Industrial Assessment Centers to include smart manufacturing technologies and practices and to equip the centers' directors with the training and tools necessary to provide technical assistance in smart manufacturing technologies and practices.

 DOE must: (1) study how it can increase access to existing high-performance computing resources in the National Laboratories, and (2) facilitate access to the laboratories by small and medium manufacturers so that they can fully use the laboratories' high-performance computing resources to enhance manufacturing competitiveness.

DOE may make grants to states for establishing state programs to be used as models for supporting the implementation of smart manufacturing technologies. States must use those grants to: (1) provide access to shared supercomputing facilities to small and medium manufacturers, (2) fund research and development of transformational manufacturing processes and materials technology that advance smart manufacturing, and (3) provide tools and training to aid the adoption of energy management systems and implement smart manufacturing technologies in the manufacturers' facilities.

Date: 2015-04-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
America Implementing New National Opportunities To Vigorously Accelerate Technology, Energy, and Science Act or the America INNOVATES Act

Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to rename the Under Secretary for Science as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy.

Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to report annually on DOE's ability to improve the technology transfer and commercialization of energy technologies.

 Directs DOE to carry out the Agreements for Commercializing Technology pilot program, in part by giving the contractors of the DOE nonmilitary national laboratories (national laboratories) increased authority to negotiate contract terms and making every such facility eligible for the program.

Extends the pilot program for a term of three years after the enactment of this Act.

Requires DOE to delegate to the directors of the national laboratories signature authority with respect to certain agreements (except those with a majority foreign-owned company) whose total cost is less than $1 million.

 Permits the directors of national laboratories to use funds authorized to support technology transfer within DOE to carry out early-stage and precommercial technology demonstration activities to: (1) remove technology barriers that limit private sector interest, and (2) demonstrate potential commercial applications of any research and technologies arising from national laboratory activities.

Amends the Small Business Act to require DOE, in carrying out its Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and the Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, to provide to small businesses seeking funding under these programs information concerning resources available to them at national laboratories and federally funded research and development centers.

 Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to exempt, for six years after enactment of this Act, institutions of higher education and nonprofit institutions from the cost-sharing requirements for research and development.

Requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on the results of projects developed under this Act and on DOE efforts to promote technology transfer and private sector engagement at the national laboratories.

Date: 2015-05-04
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
Promoting New Manufacturing Act

 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to publish on its website, with respect to FY2008 and each fiscal year thereafter, estimates of:

 the total number of preconstruction permits issued by the EPA under the Clean Air Act's New Source Review Program for the construction or modification of a major stationary source (any stationary facility or source of air pollutants which directly emits, or has the potential to emit, 100 tons per year or more of any regulated air pollutant); the percentage of permits issued within one year of the application; and the average length of time for the EPA's Environmental Appeals Board to decide appeals of decisions to grant or deny a permit. A new or revised national ambient air quality standard (NAAQS) may not apply to the review and disposition of a preconstruction permit application until the EPA publishes final implementation regulations and guidance that include information relating to submission and consideration of a preconstruction permit application under the standard.

The EPA must submit annually a report on actions to expedite the process for review of preconstruction permits.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Environmental protection
Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2015

 Directs the President to establish an interagency Sustainable Chemistry Program to promote and coordinate federal sustainable chemistry research, development, demonstration, technology transfer, commercialization, education, and training activities.

Directs the President to establish an Interagency Working Group that includes representatives from specified federal agencies to oversee the planning, management, and coordination of the Program.

Requires the Interagency Working Group to establish an Advisory Council on Sustainable Chemistry to make recommendations to it and provide it with advice and assistance.

Requires participating agencies to report to the Office of Management and Budget on Program activities and appropriations.

Requires the Interagency Working Group to submit a report to Congress, as well as to the Government Accountability Office.

Instructs the Interagency Working Group to lead agencies in awarding grants to institutions of higher education to establish partnerships with companies across the value chain in the chemical industry to: (1) create collaborative research, development, demonstration, technology transfer, and commercialization programs; and (2) train students and retrain professional scientists and engineers in the use of sustainable chemistry concepts and strategies.

Requires the National Science Foundation to contract with the National Research Council to assess the current status of sustainable chemistry research in the United States.

Directs the Interagency Working Group to produce a national strategy for sustainable chemistry that provides a framework for advancing sustainable chemistry research.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act

This bill directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders applicable to manufacturers of concrete masonry products. Any such order must provide for the establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board to carry out a program of promotion, research, and information regarding concrete masonry products. Manufacturers and importers shall maintain, and make available, specified records.

An order must also provide that assessments be paid by concrete masonry product manufacturers with respect to concrete masonry products manufactured and marketed in the United States. Assessment rates are specified. At least 50% of the assessments paid by a manufacturer must be used to support research, education, and promotion plans and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer. During the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, the Secretary shall conduct a referendum for order approval among the manufacturers required to pay assessments under it. Referendum procedures are outlined.

The bill allows petition and review of an order, and order enforcement through U.S. district courts. The Secretary: (1) may conduct appropriate investigations in order to administer this Act (with power of subpoena); and (2) must suspend or terminate any order or provision that obstructs or does not tend to effectuate the purposes of this Act, or that is not favored by persons voting in a referendum.

Date: 2015-06-08
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Biennial Report on the Skills Gap Act of 2015

This bill directs the Government Accountability Office to submit a biennial report on the current state of the skills gap in the United States, including: (1) an analysis of the effectiveness of efforts to close such gap, and (2) policy recommendations to improve such efforts.

The bill defines "skills gap" as the difference between the specific skills set of employees and the skills desired by employers.

Each report may include:

 an analysis of employer participation in apprenticeships and on-the-job training in the United States; an assessment of the Department of Labor's Registered Apprenticeship program to determine if it can be better utilized; an analysis of the prevalence and portability of recognized postsecondary credentials that align with occupations that are in demand; a comparison of policies and strategies addressing the current skills gap in the United States with those employed by other large countries; and an analysis of the specific barriers preventing the U.S. workforce from acquiring the skills desired by U.S. employers, including an assessment of opportunities to reduce those barriers.

Date: 2015-08-04
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Labor and employment
Made in America Manufacturing Communities Act of 2016 

This bill establishes a program to improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing by designating consortiums as manufacturing communities and authorizing federal agencies to provide them with financial and technical assistance.

The Department of Commerce must designate consortiums as manufacturing communities using a competitive process and specified criteria. An eligible consortium must:

 represent a region that is large enough to contain critical elements of the key technologies or supply chain prioritized by the consortium and small enough to enable close collaboration among the consortium's members; include at least one institution of higher education, a private sector entity, and a government entity; and have a lead applicant that is a district organization, an Indian tribe, a state or political subdivision of a state, an institution of higher education, or a nonprofit organization or association cooperating with a political subdivision of a state. Specified federal agencies may support the manufacturing communities by awarding them financial or technical assistance, providing preferential consideration when members of the consortium apply for assistance, or providing a federal point of contact to help members access assistance.

Recipients of the financial or technical assistance may use the funds to improve the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing with investments that may include infrastructure, access to capital, promotion of exports and foreign direct investment, equipment upgrades, workforce training, energy or process efficiency, and other specified purposes.

Date: 2016-02-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Manufacturing Extension Partnership Improvement Act of 2016

This bill amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to direct the Department of Commerce, through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), to convert the current program for creation and support of regional centers for the transfer of manufacturing technology into one for creation and support of manufacturing extension centers for the transfer of manufacturing technology and best business practices, to be known as the Hollings Manufacturing Extension (HME) Partnership, and reauthorized for FY2017-FY2020.

Each Hollings Manufacturing Extension Center may be affiliated with an institution of higher education or a state or local government, as well as with a U.S.-based nonprofit institution (or consortium of such institutions) as under current law.

Authorized Center activities that currently include selective, short-term loans of advanced manufacturing equipment to small manufacturing firms shall be replaced by facilitation of collaborations and partnerships between small and medium-sized manufacturing companies and community colleges and area career and technical education schools.

The bill repeals the current six-year limit on federal financial assistance to a Center, allowing open-ended assistance through a cooperative agreement.

Commerce shall appoint a panel to review and evaluate each Center receiving financial assistance during its third and eighth years of operation, but the Department shall review a Center directly during its fifth year of operation.

Each Center shall establish a board to oversee its operations.

The bill establishes a Manufacturing Extension Partnership Advisory Board.

The NIST shall establish within the HME Partnership:

 a program of competitive awards for a participating Center, or a consortium of Centers, to develop projects to solve new or emerging manufacturing problems; and an innovation services initiative to assist small and medium-sized manufacturers in improving profitability through the reduction of energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and environmental waste.

Date: 2016-04-12
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Modernizing American Manufacturing Bonds Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to qualified small issue bonds for manufacturing purposes, to: (1) expand the definition of "manufacturing facility" to include a facility which is used in the creation or production of intangible property and which is functionally related and subordinate to a facility located on the same site and financed with not more than 25% of bond proceeds, and (2) increase from $10 million to $30 million the maximum bond limitation.

Date: 2016-09-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Promoting More American Manufacturing Jobs Act

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to specify rules for applying the deduction for income from domestic production activities to contract manufacturing or production arrangements.

In a contract manufacturing or production arrangement, a person contracts with one or more unrelated persons for the manufacture, production, growth, or extraction of an item of qualifying production property (tangible personal property, computer software, and sound recordings) or film. The qualifying production property must be manufactured, produced, grown, or extracted in whole or significant part within the United States.

In an arrangement in which any person makes a substantial contribution through the activities of its employees within the United States to the manufacture, production, growth, or extraction of qualifying production property: (1) the person shall be treated as engaging in the activity, and (2) the domestic production gross receipts of the person shall include the gross receipts received under the arrangement for the activities.

The Internal Revenue Service must prescribe regulations that include specified factors for determining a substantial contribution.

A person with an economic risk of loss of more than 50% of the direct material costs necessary to the manufacture, production, growth, or extraction of the qualifying production is deemed to make a substantial contribution.

The parties to an arrangement may agree in writing to: (1) make only one person eligible for the deduction, or (2) apply the rules retroactively to tax years in which only one person claimed the deduction.

Date: 2016-12-07
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Early Detection of Dyslexia in Children Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Education to study and report to Congress on methods for identifying and treating children with dyslexia in kindergarten through third grade.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Gifted and Talented Education Enhancement Act of 2007 - Amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to include teacher quality enhancement programs relating to the needs of gifted and talented students among authorized uses of title II grants for states and partnerships.

Date: 2007-01-10
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Full Funding for IDEA Now Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to set forth a mandatory minimum level of federal grant payments to states for assistance for education of all children with disabilities under IDEA part B. Entitles a state to receive such a minimum grant allotment in an amount determined by current formulas for maximum authorization levels in specified fiscal years (which such minimum entitlement replaces). Eliminates the current authorization of appropriations for specified fiscal years for such grants.

Date: 2007-01-17
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Teacher Training Expansion Act of 2007 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize the Secretary of Education to give preference to certain entities in selecting recipients for specified IDEA grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements for technical assistance, model demonstration projects, information dissemination, and implementing activities supported by scientifically based research. Allows such preference to be given to institutions of higher education (IHEs) that are: (1) educating regular education personnel to meet the needs of children with disabilities in integrated settings; (2) educating special education personnel to work in collaboration with regular educators in integrated settings; or (3) successfully recruiting and preparing individuals with disabilities and individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the profession for which the IHE is preparing individuals. Allows such preference also to be given to local educational agencies, other public agencies, and private nonprofit organizations that: (1) provide training to regular education personnel to meet the needs of children with disabilities in integrated settings; (2) provide training to regular education personnel to work in collaboration with regular educators in integrated settings; or (3) prepare individuals with disabilities and individuals from groups that are underrepresented in the profession for which the entity is preparing individuals.

Date: 2007-01-19
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act - Makes appropriations of: (1) the greater of specified amounts or the authorized amounts for programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for FY2007-FY2014; and (2) specified amounts for FY2007-FY2015 and an amount determined pursuant to a specified formula (based on the number of children who received special education, the average per-pupil expenditure, and the rate of change in a state's population) for FY2016 and thereafter for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Requires such appropriated amounts to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Date: 2007-01-22
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize part B programs of education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for part B for FY2008-FY2016 and thereafter, according to a certain formula. (Provides phased-in increases of such authorized funding designed to reach a promised 40% federal share by FY2015.) Makes appropriations in specified amounts (which are less than the amounts this Act authorizes to be appropriated) for part B for FY2008-FY2016 and thereafter. Requires such amounts to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Date: 2007-02-05
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Achieving Our IDEA Act of 2007 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to authorize and make appropriations for: (1) each of FY2008-FY2012 in specified amounts; and (2) each subsequent fiscal year, in amounts necessary to fully fund 40% of the average per pupil expenditure for IDEA part B programs of assistance for education of all children with disabilities.

Date: 2007-04-17
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to require both the participation and performance of disabled children using reasonable accommodations, or the modifications they regularly use in daily classroom instruction as documented in their individualized education program or their plan under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, to be counted in determinations as to whether local educational agencies and schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP) toward state academic performance standards.

Date: 2007-09-20
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Bulletproof Vest Partnership Grant Act of 2008 - Amends the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to extend through FY2012 the grant program for armor vests for law enforcement officers.

Date: 2008-05-13
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize part B programs of education of all children with disabilities. Authorizes appropriations for part B: (1) for FY2008-FY2015 in specified amounts; and (2) for FY2016 and each fiscal year thereafter in an amount equal to the sum of the maximum amounts of the grants all states may receive under certain IDEA provisions. (Provides phased-in increases of such authorized funding.)Makes appropriations for part B for FY2008-FY2015, as well as for FY2016 and each fiscal year thereafter, in amounts less than the amounts this Act authorizes to be appropriated.

Date: 2007-04-19
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
VA Vision Scholars Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish and carry out a scholarship program of financial assistance for individuals who: (1) are accepted for, or currently enrolled in, a program of study leading to a degree or certificate in visual impairment or orientation and mobility, or both; and (2) enter into an agreement to serve, after program completion, as a full-time Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employee for three years within the first six years after program completion. Sets maximum assistance amounts of $15,000 per academic year and $45,000 total. Requires pro rate repayment for failure to satisfy education or service requirements, while allowing the Secretary to waive or suspend such repayment whenever noncompliance is due to circumstances beyond the control of the participant, or when waiver or suspension is in the best interests of the United States.

Date: 2007-06-21
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Global Autism Assistance Act of 2008 - Directs the Administrator for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish and administer a health and education grant program (Global Autism Assistance Program) to: (1) support activities by nongovernmental organizations and other service providers, including advocacy groups, focused on autism in developing countries; and (2) establish a "teach the teachers" program to train health and education professionals working with autistic children in developing countries.

Date: 2008-04-02
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: International affairs
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act - Makes appropriations for: (1) programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 for FY2009-FY2014; and (2) the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including specified amounts for FY2009-FY2016 and an amount determined pursuant to a specified formula (based on the number of children who received special education, the average per-pupil expenditure, and the rate of change in a state's population) for FY2017 and thereafter. Requires such appropriated amounts to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Date: 2009-02-13
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to allow states to adopt alternate and modified academic performance standards for disabled students who, consistent with their individualized education programs, should be given opportunities to achieve grade-level proficiency beyond a given school year. Requires such modified standards to reflect ambitious annual academic achievement goals.

Date: 2009-05-04
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Everyone Deserves Unconditional Access to Education (EDUCATE) Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. Sets the amount to be authorized and the amount to be appropriated for each fiscal year from FY2010-FY2015 as the greater of: (1) a specified amount; or (2) a specified percentage of an amount determined pursuant to a formula that multiplies the number of children receiving special education services by the average per-pupil expenditure in public elementary and secondary schools. Authorizes appropriations for FY2016 and thereafter that equal 40% of the amount determined using such formula. Makes appropriations for FY2016 and thereafter that are determined by subtracting a specified amount from the amount authorized. Requires amounts appropriated to be expended consistent with pay-as-you-go requirements.

Date: 2009-09-15
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Amends the Impact Aid program (which compensates local educational agencies [LEAs] for the financial burden of federal activities affecting their areas) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to compensate LEAs for educating children who are admitted into this country as citizens of one of the Freely Associated States (the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau).

Date: 2010-02-25
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act - Reauthorizes the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 for FY2011-FY2015. Directs the Secretary of State to act through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs in awarding grants or entering agreements with Special Olympics for activities outside the United States. Includes community-based prevention among the activities for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants or enter into agreements with Special Olympics. Requires grant or agreement applications to include a description of specific measurable annual benchmarks, as well as long-term goals and objectives, to be achieved through specified activities, which must include: (1) activities to increase the full participation of people with intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community activities with nondisabled people; (2) education programs that dispel negative stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities; and (3) activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics outside of the United States. Requires annual reports by Special Olympics to describe demographic data about Special Olympics participants. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to promote the expansion of Best Buddies, including activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in social relationships and other aspects of community life, including education and employment, within the United States. Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to establish Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institutes for Sport and Social Impact. Requires recipients to use grant funds to advance the quality of life and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through research and evaluation, technical assistance, training, data collection, evaluation, collaboration, and dissemination of evidence-based best practices.

Date: 2010-04-29
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Health
Eunice Kennedy Shriver Act - Title I: Reauthorization of Special Olympics Act - (Sec. 101) Reauthorizes the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 for FY2011-FY2015. Directs the Secretary of State to act through the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs in awarding grants or entering agreements with Special Olympics for activities outside the United States. Includes community-based prevention among the activities for which the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants or enter into agreements with Special Olympics. Requires grant or agreement applications to include a description of specific measurable annual benchmarks, long-term goals and objectives, and outcomes to be achieved through specified activities, which must include: (1) activities to increase the full participation of people with intellectual disabilities in inclusive school and community activities with nondisabled people; and (2) education programs that dispel negative stereotypes about people with intellectual disabilities, activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in Special Olympics outside of the United States, and health-related activities (including on-site health assessments, screening for health problems, health education, community-based prevention, data collection, and referrals to direct health care services). Requires annual reports by Special Olympics to describe demographic data about Special Olympics participants. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: Best Buddies - (Sec. 202) Authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements to promote the expansion of Best Buddies, including activities to increase the participation of people with intellectual disabilities in social relationships and other aspects of community life, including education and employment, within the United States. (Sec. 203) Conditions the receipt of funds on Best Buddies submitting to the Secretary an annual report that describes the degree to which progress has been made toward meeting the specific measurable goals, objectives, and outcomes described in its grant or contract application. (Sec. 204) Authorizes appropriations. Title III: Establishment of Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institutes for Sport and Social Impact - (Sec. 302) Directs the Secretary of Education to award competitive grants to institutions of higher education to establish Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institutes for Sport and Social Impact. (Sec. 303) Requires recipients to use grant funds to advance the quality of life and inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities through research and evaluation, technical assistance, training, data collection, evaluation, collaboration, and dissemination of evidence-based best practices. (Sec. 304) Authorizes appropriations.

Date: 2010-05-05
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Health
Allows veterans' educational benefits that are transferred to an intellectually or developmentally disabled dependent to be used for special education, even if the dependent has not earned a secondary school diploma or equivalency certificate. Directs the Secretary of Defense to prescribe regulations to determine whether those dependents must enroll in the exceptional family member program of the Department of Defense (DOD). Prohibits payment of the monthly stipend to such dependents if the Secretary determines that it is not relevant to their special education. Prohibits this Act's special education benefits from affecting a dependent's receipt of, or eligibility for, other federal educational benefits.

Date: 2010-12-09
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. Decreases the amount authorized and makes appropriations for FY2010-FY2011, authorizes and makes specified appropriations for FY2012-FY2017, and sets forth a formula for determining the authorization of, and makes, appropriations for FY2018 and thereafter.

Date: 2009-01-06
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. Decreases the amount authorized and makes appropriations for FY2010-FY2011, authorizes and makes specified appropriations for FY2012-FY2015, and authorizes and makes appropriations pursuant to a formula for FY2016 and thereafter.

Date: 2009-09-08
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Homestead National Monument of America Boundary Expansion Act - Authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to acquire by donation or by purchase with donated or appropriated funds, from willing sellers only, the approximately 140 acres located south of the Homestead National Monument of America in Nebraska and owned by the Friends of Homestead and the approximately 160 acres known as the "Graff Parcel." Instructs the Secretary to revise the boundary of Homestead National Monument to reflect the acquisition upon its completion. Requires any lands acquired under this Act to be administered by the Secretary as part of Homestead National Monument.

Date: 2011-01-12
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Transition toward Excellence, Achievement and Mobility through Education Act of 2011 or TEAM-Education Act of 2011 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to allow states to use special education grant funds to contract with entities that have the experience to assist disabled children in accomplishing the transition objectives outlined in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Conditions a state's eligibility for such grant funds on its having a plan to coordinate state efforts to transition disabled youth into adulthood. Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide a disabled child and his or her parents, when the child's secondary education ends, with a comprehensive record of the child's work experiences and skills that would be relevant to prospective employers, post-secondary education programs, career placement services, and mentors. Requires IEPs, after a child attains age 14, to describe: (1) the transition services to be provided to assist the child in reaching postsecondary goals, and (2) the training the child will receive to empower the child to act on his or her own behalf. (Currently, IEPs are to address postsecondary goals and transition services when children turn 16.) Requires an IEP team: (1) to include a representative of the state intellectual and developmental disabilities agency after a disabled child attains age 14, if the child is expected to be eligible to receive certain adult services upon reaching adulthood; (2) to consider the transition services necessary to assist the child to attain postsecondary education, integrated employment, independent living, and community participation; (3) at the request of a 14 year old disabled child, to take certain steps to enable his or her parents to advocate at IEP team meetings on the child's behalf; and (4) after the child attains age 14, to evaluate the progress made in meeting, and discuss any additional services that may be needed to meet, the child's transition objectives. Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to states to assist LEAs in establishing transition service coordinators.

Date: 2011-02-10
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
IDEA Fairness Restoration Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to include expert witness fees, including the reasonable costs of any test or evaluation necessary for the preparation of the parents' or guardians' case in the action or proceeding, within the definition of "attorneys' fees" that may be awarded to the prevailing party in a civil action brought under such Act.

Date: 2011-03-17
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Defending Special Education Students and Families Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize appropriations for the grant program to assist states, outlying areas, and Freely Associated States to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. Authorizes specified appropriations for FY2012-FY2016, and sets forth a formula for determining the authorization of appropriations for FY2017 and thereafter. Terminates funding for the F-35B and F-35C Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft and the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. Limits the naval combat forces of the Navy, beginning on October 1, 2013, to no more than 10 operational aircraft carriers and 9 carrier air wings. Requires the Secretary of Defense to decommission the U.S.S. George Washington during 2016.

Date: 2011-09-15
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Autism Understanding and Training in School Methodologies for Educators Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to carry out a demonstration program to award five-year grants to eligible local education agencies for the following purposes in schools for children in grades pre-kindergarten through 12: (1) providing training to teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff on effective ways to teach, communicate, recognize, support, and interact with children with autism spectrum disorders in the classroom; (2) providing technical assistance consisting of consultation on the type of training needed, hands-on opportunities to practice and perform newly acquired skills and methodologies, and post-training support to ensure accuracy of implementation in the classroom; (3) executing strategies for recruiting and retaining skilled personnel participating in the education of children with such disorders; and (4) implementing a program of parental support and involvement in the education of students with such disorders.

Date: 2012-04-27
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Teacher Education for Autistic Children Act of 2012 or the TEACH Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a refundable income tax credit for up to $10,000 of the annual education expenses (e.g., tuition, books, student loan interest) incurred by individuals studying to become teachers of children or adults with an autism spectrum disorder. Terminates such credit after 2017.

Date: 2012-07-09
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Taxation
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. Decreases the amount authorized and makes appropriations for FY2011, authorizes and makes specified appropriations for FY2012-FY2018, and sets forth a formula for determining the authorization of, and makes, appropriations for FY2019 and thereafter.

Date: 2011-01-25
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations through FY2021 for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities. Saving Lives by Lowering Tobacco Use Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase excise taxes on cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, snuff, and chewing tobacco. Imposes an excise tax on smokeless tobacco sold in discrete single-use units. Taxes other tobacco products at a level of tax equivalent to the tax rate for cigarettes on an estimated per use basis. Provides for annual inflation adjustments to excise taxes on tobacco products and cigarette papers and tubes.

Date: 2011-07-21
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Transition toward Excellence, Achievement and Mobility through Education Act of 2013 or TEAM-Education Act of 2013 - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to allow states to use special education grant funds to contract with entities that have the experience to assist disabled children in accomplishing the transition objectives outlined in their Individualized Education Programs (IEPs).

Conditions a state's eligibility for such grant funds on its having a plan to coordinate state efforts to transition disabled youth into adulthood.

Requires local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide a disabled child and his or her parents, when the child's secondary education ends, with a comprehensive record of the child's work experiences and skills that would be relevant to prospective employers, post-secondary education programs, career placement services, and mentors.

Requires IEPs, after a child attains age 14, to describe: (1) the transition services to be provided to assist the child in reaching postsecondary goals, and (2) the training the child will receive to empower the child to act on his or her own behalf. (Currently, IEPs are to address postsecondary goals and transition services when children turn 16.)

Requires an IEP team: (1) to include a representative of the state intellectual and developmental disabilities agency after a disabled child attains age 14, if the child is expected to be eligible to receive certain adult services upon reaching adulthood; (2) to consider the transition services necessary to assist the child to attain postsecondary education, integrated employment, independent living, and community participation; (3) at the request of a 14 year old disabled child, to take certain steps to enable his or her parents to advocate at IEP team meetings on the child's behalf; and (4) after the child attains age 14, to evaluate the progress made in meeting, and discuss any additional services that may be needed to meet, the child's transition objectives.

Authorizes the Secretary of Education to provide grants to states to assist LEAs in establishing transition service coordinators.

Date: 2013-02-05
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
Autism Understanding and Training in School Methodologies for Educators Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of Education to carry out a demonstration program to award 5-year grants to eligible local education agencies for the following purposes in schools for children in grades pre-kindergarten through 12:

 providing training to teachers, paraprofessionals, and other staff on effective ways to teach, communicate, recognize, support, and interact with children with autism spectrum disorders in the classroom; providing technical assistance consisting of consultation on the type of training needed, hands-on opportunities to practice and perform newly acquired skills and methodologies, and post-training support to ensure accuracy of implementation in the classroom; executing strategies for recruiting and retaining skilled personnel participating in the education of children with such disorders; and implementing a program of parental support and involvement in the education of students with such disorders.

Date: 2013-04-11
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities. Authorizes and makes specified appropriations for FY2013-FY2020, and sets forth a formula for determining the authorization of, and makes, appropriations for FY2021 and thereafter.

Date: 2013-01-23
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education
IDEA Full Funding Act - Amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to reauthorize and make appropriations through FY2024 for the grant program to assist states and outlying areas to provide special education and related services to children with disabilities.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require an individual taxpayer whose adjusted gross income exceeds $1 million to pay a minimum tax rate of 30% of the excess of the taxpayer's adjusted gross income over the taxpayer's modified charitable contribution deduction for the taxable year (tentative fair share tax). Establishes the amount of such tax as the excess (if any) of the tentative fair share tax over the excess of: (1) the sum of the taxpayer's regular tax liability, the alternative minimum tax (AMT) amount, and the payroll tax for the taxable year; over (2) certain tax credits. Provides for a phase-in of such tax. Requires an inflation adjustment to the $1 million income threshold for taxable years beginning after 2016.

Date: 2014-09-10
Topic: Education (Special)
Subject: Education