zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on September 22, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Program Management Improvement Accountability Act

(Sec. 2) This bill establishes as additional functions of the Deputy Director for Management of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requirements to:

 adopt and oversee implementation of government-wide standards, policies, and guidelines for program and project management for executive agencies; chair the Program Management Policy Council (established by this Act); establish standards and policies for executive agencies consistent with widely accepted standards for program and project management planning and delivery; engage with the private sector to identify best practices in program and project management that would improve federal program and project management; conduct portfolio reviews to address programs identified as high risk by the Government Accountability Office (GAO); conduct portfolio reviews of agency programs at least annually to assess the quality and effectiveness of program management; and establish a five-year strategic plan for program and project management. The bill exempts the Department of Defense (DOD) from such provisions to the extent that they are substantially similar to: (1) federal provisions governing the defense acquisition workforce; or (2) policy, guidance, or instruction of DOD related to program management.

The head of each federal agency that is required to have a Chief Financial Officer shall designate a Program Management Improvement Officer to implement agency program management policies and develop a strategy for enhancing the role of program managers within the agency. The OMB must submit a report containing such strategy within one year after enactment of this bill. The Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics shall be considered the Program Management Improvement Officer for DOD.

The Program Management Policy Council is established within OMB to act as the principal interagency forum for improving agency practices related to program and project management.

The Office of Personnel Management must issue regulations that: (1) identify key skills and competencies needed for an agency program and project manager, (2) establish a new job series or update and improve an existing job series for program and project management within an agency, and (3) establish a new career path for program and project managers.

The GAO must issue a report within three years of enactment, in conjunction with its high risk list, examining the effectiveness of the following (as required or established under this Act) on improving federal program and project management:

 the standards, policies, and guidelines for program and project management; the strategic plan; Program Management Improvement Officers; and the Program Management Policy Council.

Date: 2015-06-10
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Independent Agency Regulatory Analysis Act of 2015

(Sec. 3) This bill authorizes the President to require an independent regulatory agency, while maximizing net benefits and considering costs, to comply with regulatory analysis requirements applicable to other federal agencies.

For any proposed or final economically significant rule (i.e., a rule that is likely to have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or to adversely affect in a material way the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities), the President may require in independent regulatory agency to publish and provide the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) with: (1) an assessment of the costs and benefits of such rule, (2) an assessment of costs and benefits of alternatives to such rule, and (3) an explanation of why the planned regulatory action is preferable to identified alternatives.

The President may require: (1) such an agency to submit any proposed or final economically significant rule to OIRA for review; (2) OIRA to submit for inclusion in the rule making record its assessment of the extent to which the agency has complied with regulatory analysis requirements; and (3) that if OIRA does not complete such assessment within 90 days, such agency shall be deemed to have met the requirement for review and may publish the final rule without inclusion of an assessment in the rule making record.

(Sec. 4) Compliance of an independent regulatory agency with this bill's requirements shall not be subject to judicial review.

Date: 2015-06-18
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Just Google It Act

 Repeals the National Technical Information Act of 1988, effective one year after the enactment of this Act (thus abolishes the National Technical Information Service [NTIS]).

Directs: (1) the Secretary of Commerce, the Archivist of the United States, the Comptroller General, and the Commissioner of Social Security to consult with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to determine if any NTIS function is critical to the U.S. economy; and (2) the Comptroller General to determine which of such critical functions are not being carried out by any other federal agency. Authorizes: (1) the Secretary of Commerce to transfer such critical functions to another office of the Department of Commerce, excluding any fee-based services offered by the NTIS; and (2) the General Services Administration or any federal agency receiving critical fee-based services from an NTIS contractor to enter into a new contract to continue such services. Terminates all other NTIS functions.

Requires the Secretary of Commerce to certify that all NTIS operations have been terminated. Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to: (1) transfer all unexpended balances in the NTIS Revolving Fund to the Treasury general fund for the purpose of deficit reduction, and (2) dissolve such Fund.

Date: 2015-06-18
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome Act of 2015 or the SCRUB Act of 2015

Establishes the Retrospective Regulatory Review Commission to review the Code of Federal Regulations to identify, using specified criteria, rules and sets of rules that collectively implement a regulatory program that should be repealed to lower the cost of regulation to the economy, giving priority to major rules that: (1) have been in effect more than 15 years, (2) impose paperwork burdens that could be reduced substantially without significantly diminishing regulatory effectiveness, (3) impose disproportionately high costs on small business entities, and (4) could be strengthened in their effectiveness while reducing regulatory costs. 

Sets forth congressional procedures for consideration of recommendations for the repeal of rules in the Commission's reports. Requires agencies to repeal a rule or set of rules as recommended by the Commission within 60 days after the enactment of a joint resolution approving the recommendations in the Commission's reports. Prohibits the reissuance of a rule similar to any rule that has been repealed or that results in the same adverse effects of a repealed rule.

Requires the Commission to: (1) establish a public website to make regulatory information accessible to the public at no cost, and (2) make any of its meetings of hearings open to the public.

Requires a federal agency that makes a new rule to: (1) repeal rules identified by the Commission to offset the cost to the economy of such new rule (cut-go procedures), and (2) include in the final issuance of such rule a plan for reviewing the rule not later than 10 years after it is promulgated. Requires the Administrator of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of the Office of Management and Budget to review and certify the accuracy of agency determinations of the cost of new rules.

Makes agency compliance with the requirements of this Act subject to judicial review.

Date: 2015-06-25
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Impact Scale on the Economy Small Business Act of 2015 or the RISE Small Business Act of 2015

Requires a federal agency, before promulgating a proposed or final rule that it determines is likely to have an annual effect on the economy of at least $100 million, to assign the rule to, and publish in the Federal Register, the following category that applies based on the highest possible annual effect the agency determines the rule is likely to have on the economy:

 category 1 rule likely to result in an annual effect of between $100 million and $499,999,999; category 2 rule likely to result in an annual effect of between $500 million and $999,999,999; category 3 rule likely to result in an annual effect of between $1 billion and $4,999,999,999; category 4 rule likely to result in an annual effect of between $5 billion and $9,999,999,999; and category 5 rule likely to result in an annual effect of not less than $10 billion. Directs: (1) each agency to submit to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) annually a list of the rules, by category, that the agency published during the preceding year; and (2) OIRA to publish each list and an estimate of the costs and benefits of each included rule on www.reginfo.gov.

Defines "significant economic impact" for purposes of provisions concerning initial and final regulator flexibility analyses as an annual economic effect of at least $100 million.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Early Participation in Regulations Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill defines a "major rule" as a rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) determines is likely to impose: (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S. enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises.

The bill directs an agency, not later than 90 days before publishing a notice of proposed rule making for a major rule in the Federal Register, to publish advance notice of proposed rule making for such rule, which shall:

 include a written statement identifying the nature and significance of the problem to be addressed, a general description of regulatory alternatives, the legal authority under which the rule is proposed, and an achievable objective for the rule and metrics by which the agency expects to measure progress toward that objective; and solicit and provide a period of at least 60 days for submission of written data, views, and argument from interested persons. Any deviation between policies set forth in such statement and any final agency action shall not be considered arbitrary, capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

The bill is inapplicable to a major rule:

 for which the proposing agency is not required to publish a notice of proposed rule making, if the OIRA determines that complying with the requirements described in this bill would not serve the public interest or would be unduly burdensome and duplicative of processes required by specific statutory requirements as rigorous as those prescribed in this bill, or if the agency proposing the major rule is otherwise specifically exempted by law from notice and comment rule making procedures. Such a determination made by the OIRA shall not be subject to judicial review.

Date: 2015-07-21
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Require Evaluation before Implementing Executive Wishlists Act of 2015 or the REVIEW Act of 2015

Requires a federal agency to postpone the effective date of a high-impact rule pending judicial review. Permits such a rule to take effect 60 days after it is published in the Federal Register if no person seeks judicial review of such rule during such period.

Defines a "high-impact rule" as any rule that the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs determines may impose an annual cost on the economy of at least $1 billion.

Date: 2015-08-04
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulations Endanger Democracy Act of 2015 or the RED Tape Act of 2015

Prohibits a federal agency from issuing a covered rule (a rule that causes a new financial or administrative burden on businesses or people in the United States) that either amends or modifies an existing agency rule or does not amend or modify an existing rule unless the agency has repealed one or more existing covered rules and the cost of the rule to be issued is less than or equal to that of the covered rules repealed. Exempts a covered rule that: (1) relates to the internal policy or practice of, or procurement by, the agency; or (2) is being revised to be less burdensome by decreasing requirements imposed by, or compliance costs of, the rule.

Prohibits any statutory pay adjustment from taking effect for any employee of an agency during any period during which the agency is not in compliance with such requirement.

Directs an agency, in determining whether to repeal a covered rule, to consider: (1) whether the rule has achieved its purpose, has become obsolete, or overlaps with a covered rule to be issued; (2) any adverse effects that could materialize if the rule is repealed; and (3) whether the costs of the rule outweigh it benefits.

Requires each agency, semiannually, to submit to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs for publication in the Unified Agenda a list containing each covered rule the agency intends to issue, repeal, or amend during the following six months and the cost of each such rule.

Date: 2015-08-05
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Administrative Procedure Act to revise requirements for federal agency rulemaking by requiring agencies, in making a rule, to consider: (1) the legal authority under which a rule may be proposed, including whether rulemaking is required by statute or is within the discretion of the agency; (2) the nature and significance of the problem the agency intends to address with a rule; (3) whether existing federal laws or rules have created or contributed to the problem; (4) reasonable alternatives for a new rule; and (5) for any major rule or high-impact rule (generally defined as rules having an annual cost to the economy of $100 million or $1 billion or more, respectively), the potential costs and benefits associated with potential alternative rules.

The bill requires agencies that initiate a rulemaking that may result in a major rule or a high-impact rule to: (1) establish an electronic docket for that rulemaking, which may have a physical counterpart; and (2) publish a notice of initiation of rulemaking in the Federal Register.

The bill requires agencies issuing a rule to notify the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget and publish a notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register which shall include: (1) a text of the proposed rule; (2) a summary of rulemaking considerations; and (3) for any major rule or high-impact rule, a preliminary determination that the benefits of the proposed rule justify its costs and a discussion of the costs and benefits of alternatives to the rule. Similar notice requirements apply when an agency adopts a final rule.

The bill expands agency requirements for allowing opportunities for public comment and sets forth requirements for providing public hearings for high-impact and major rules and for petitioning for the issuance, amendment, or repeal of a rule. An agency must, in a rulemaking for a major rule or high-impact rule, adopt the least costly rule considered during the rulemaking that meets relevant statutory objectives.

The bill requires the OIRA to establish and update guidelines for the assessment of: (1) the costs and benefits of proposed and final rules, and (2) other economic issues and risk assessments that are relevant to rulemaking.

The bill revises the scope of judicial review to prohibit review of a determination of whether a rule is a major rule and to establish a substantial evidence standard for affirming agency rulemaking decisions.

The bill sets forth criteria for issuing major guidance (agency guidance that is likely to lead to an annual cost to the economy of $100 million or more, a major increase in cost or prices, or significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or ability to compete).

Date: 2015-08-06
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Inspector General Mandates Reporting Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill requires each Office of Inspector General to submit to the Council of Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency a report which: (1) shall include a list of each reporting requirement for such Office, and (2) may include a list of reporting requirements that such Office recommends should be modified or repealed.

Within 60 days after receiving such report, the Council shall submit to Congress a report which: (1) shall include a list of reporting requirements that are common to more than one Office of Inspector General and a list of reporting requirements that are unique to each Office, and (2) may include recommendations for reporting requirements that should be modified or repealed.

These reports shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified index.

Date: 2015-10-05
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Regulatory Authority Clarification Act of 2015

This bill prohibits a federal agency from promulgating a rule that conflicts with or fails to carry out any concurrent resolution enacted by Congress that clarifies the meaning of a provision of law, including a clarification of whether a law delegates certain authority to an agency. If an agency has a rule in effect that conflicts with or fails to carry out the meaning of the resolution, the agency must promulgate new rules that carry out such meaning.

Date: 2015-10-22
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Government Transformation Act of 2015

This bill establishes the Government Transformation Board, which shall:

 review programs and conduct research to determine whether the organizational practices, operations, and reform efforts of federal agencies are useful, duplicative, efficient, effective, and economical; develop and maintain approved criteria for the selection, prioritization, and scheduling of such reviews; analyze organizational practices and management challenges of federal agencies; identify best practices of federal agencies and opportunities for such agencies to share methods, tools, systems, and technologies; coordinate input from appropriate federal agencies and provide opportunities for the Board to accept ideas on improving government performance; upon request, provide information on Board activities to the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget, other federal agencies, the Office of the Inspector General of each federal agency, and specified congressional committees; conduct post-transformation follow-up reviews; serve as a repository for best practices and successful processes, systems, and technologies for federal agencies; provide training and education to federal employees who are on detail to the Board about program improvement, government transformation, efficiency, and effectiveness; review program assessments performed by federal agencies; and maintain data privacy and security. The Board shall submit semiannual reports on its activities, including its suggestions for implementing the best practices of federal agencies and recommendations for improvement or investment in federal programs or elimination, reduction, or consolidation of federal programs.

The Board shall submit: (1) specific recommendations, after completion of a program assessment, for the improvement of the effectiveness, efficiency, and economy of the program; and (2) biannual reports on historical data and trends in the information studied by the Board.

The Board shall terminate on September 30 of the sixth fiscal year beginning after enactment of this Act.

The bill provides for expedited congressional consideration of legislation to implement Board recommendations.

Date: 2015-11-10
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
SCORE Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to establish a Regulatory Analysis Division within the Congressional Budget Office to assess the impact of economically significant rules.

The division must provide an economic analysis of proposed rules that: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of at least $100 million; or (2) adversely affect in a material way the economy, a sector of the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities.

Date: 2015-11-17
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on June 28, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Making Electronic Government Accountable By Yielding Tangible Efficiencies Act of 2016 or the MEGABYTE Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue a directive to require the Chief Information Officer (CIO) of each executive agency to develop a comprehensive software licensing policy, which shall:

 identify clear roles, responsibilities, and central oversight authority within the agency for managing enterprise software license agreements and commercial software licenses; and require each CIO to establish a comprehensive inventory of software licenses, track and maintain such licenses, analyze software usage to make cost-effective decisions, provide software license management training, establish goals and objectives of the agency's software license management program, and consider the software license management life cycle phases to implement effective decision-making and incorporate existing standards, processes, and metrics. Each CIO shall report to OMB in each of the six fiscal years after this bill's enactment on the savings from improved software license management.

Date: 2015-12-02
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Duplication Reduction and Scoring Act of 2016

This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with relevant federal agencies to: (1) use available administrative authority to eliminate, consolidate, or streamline federal programs and agencies with duplicate and overlapping missions identified in specified reports of the Government Accountability Office issued between 2011 and 2015; (2) determine the total cost savings from the use of such authority; and (3) rescind from appropriate accounts the greater of $10 billion or the total amount of estimated cost savings and apply the savings towards deficit reduction.

The bill amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require the Congressional Budget Office to submit an analysis of whether any legislation reported from a congressional committee that creates a new federal program, office, or initiative would duplicate or overlap with any existing program, office, or initiative with a similar mission, purpose, or goal.

Date: 2016-01-20
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Unfunded Mandates Accountability Act of 2016

This bill revises rulemaking requirements under the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (UMRA) to: (1) require federal agencies to prepare and publish in the Federal Register an initial and final regulatory impact analysis prior to promulgating any proposed or final rule that may have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more (adjusted for inflation); (2) make consideration of the least burdensome alternative to a rule mandatory and require the selection of the least costly, most cost-effective, or least burdensome alternative; (3) extend UMRA requirements to independent regulatory agencies; and (4) expand judicial review of agency rulemaking. The bill exempts from UMRA requirements rules that concern monetary policy proposed or implemented by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System or the Federal Open Market Committee.

Date: 2016-02-24
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Equal Access to Congressional Research Service Reports Act of 2016

This bill directs the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish and maintain a public website containing Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports, and an index, that are searchable, sortable, and downloadable (including in bulk), for which no fee may be charged.

The CRS Reports on the website shall include CRS Authorization of Appropriations Products, Appropriations Products, and any other written CRS product containing CRS research or analysis available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet.

The website shall exclude any:

 custom product or service prepared in direct response to a request for custom analysis or research and not available for general congressional access on the CRS Congressional Intranet; CRS Reports, Authorization of Appropriations Products, or Appropriations Products not so available; or written CRS products that CRS has made available on a public website (besides this website) maintained by the GPO or the Library of Congress. The GPO shall ensure that the website is updated contemporaneously, automatically, and electronically to include each new or updated CRS Report.

Before transmitting a CRS Report to the GPO for publication on the website, CRS may remove the name of, and any contact information for, any CRS employee.

The Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 is amended to require CRS to comply with this Act.

Date: 2016-03-03
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Congress
Separation of Powers Restoration Act of 2016

This bill modifies the scope of judicial review of agency actions to authorize courts reviewing agency actions to decide de novo all relevant questions of law, including the interpretation of constitutional and statutory provisions and rules.

Date: 2016-03-17
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2016

(Sec. 2) This bill authorizes the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to obtain federal agency records required to discharge the GAO's duties (including audit, evaluation, and investigative duties), including through bringing civil actions to require an agency to produce a record.

No provision of the Social Security Act shall be construed to limit, amend, or supersede the GAO's authority to: (1) obtain information or inspect records about an agency's duties, powers, activities, organization, or financial transactions; or (2) obtain other agency records that the GAO requires to discharge its duties.

Agency statements on actions taken or planned in response to GAO recommendations must be submitted to: (1) the congressional committees with jurisdiction over the pertinent agency program or activity, and (2) the GAO.

Date: 2016-04-25
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Corps' Obligation to Assist in Safeguarding Texas Act or the COAST Act

This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expedite: (1) the completion of the Coastal Texas Protection and Restoration Study by taking into consideration information developed by the Gulf Coast Community Protection and Recovery District, and (2) the completion of the reports for the study. (The study will evaluate the feasibility of developing a comprehensive plan for flood risk management, hurricane and storm risk management, and ecosystem restoration for Texas' coastal areas.) The Corps of Engineers may proceed without additional congressional authorization to preconstruction, engineering, and design of coastal protection projects along the Texas coast that are justified by the Corps of Engineers in the reports.

Date: 2016-04-27
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Transportation and public works
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the Senate on November 29, 2016. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes Act or the ECHO Act

(Sec. 3) This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to report on technology-enabled collaborative learning and capacity building models, which connect specialists to primary care providers through videoconferencing to facilitate case-based learning, dissemination of best practices, and evaluation of outcomes.

The report must include: (1) an analysis of the use, integration, and impact of such models; (2) a list of such models recently funded by HHS; (3) recommendations to reduce barriers to adoption of such models; (4) opportunities for adoption of such models into HHS programs; and (5) recommendations regarding the role of such models in continuing medical education.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Health
Reports Reduction Act of 2016

This bill eliminates or modifies reporting requirements for programs of:

 the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Justice, Labor, State, the Treasury, Transportation, and Veterans Affairs; the U.S. Coast Guard; the Environmental Protection Agency; the Executive Office of the President; the Federal Communications Commission; the Federal Trade Commission; the General Services Administration; the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the National Science Foundation; the Office of Personnel Management; the Director of National Intelligence; and the Small Business Administration. The Andean Trade Preference Act is amended to eliminate the U.S. International Trade Commission's reports regarding the economic impact of the President's authority to proclaim duty-free treatment to beneficiary countries and the effectiveness of drug-related crop eradication.

The bill eliminates a provision that required the President to report on compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act for projects under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Date: 2016-04-28
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Federal Research Transparency and Accountability Act of 2016

This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to coordinate with each federal agency that provides funding to entities to carry out research and development to establish a system for the detection of potential duplicative applications for funding in order to prevent duplicative funding.

Each federal agency shall include in a publicly accessible database a searchable listing of each unclassified research and development project the agency funds, including contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or task orders.

The acknowledgment section in each study carried out in whole or in part with federal funds and published, presented at a conference or meeting, or otherwise made publicly available shall include:

 the name of the agency that provided funding for the study, the project or award number associated with the study, and an estimate of the study's total cost. The Government Accountability Office shall study agency compliance with these requirements.

Date: 2016-05-10
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Inspector General Recommendation Transparency Act of 2016

This bill amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to require each Inspector General, within one year after the first deadline for the semiannual report on its activities after enactment of this bill, to make available on its website a list of any recommendations by such Inspector General that have been open for more than one year. An "open" recommendation is one that has been made publicly available on such website but has not been adopted or implemented by such Inspector General's establishment.

The list shall include:

 the number of recommendations issued by the Inspector General for the fiscal year and the number that are open, each report in which an open recommendation was issued, the assigned number and a short description of each open recommendation, the date the open recommendation was first issued and its current status, and any comments of the Inspector General relating to why the recommendation remains open and any response from the establishment. The list shall be updated by the Inspector General at least every six months.

Date: 2016-06-29
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Cutting Administrative Red-tape for Education and Employment Reinvestment Act or the CAREER Act

This bill addresses educational and employment training programs for certain individuals including:

 training for adults, training for disadvantaged youth, vocational rehabilitation and referral services for individuals with disabilities, training for Native Americans, and training to reintegrate criminal offenders. The Department of Labor must assist in the development of a nationwide system of public labor exchange services that are provided through state and local workforce investment boards. Labor must provide funding to the boards to assist with training adults and disadvantaged youths, including providing services to promote literacy, attain education, and assist with job search and placement.Additionally, Labor must provide funding to states to carry out vocational rehabilitation and referral services for individuals with disabilities so that those individuals may prepare for and engage in employment.

The bill also provides training for Native Americans to develop skills, be competitive in the workforce, and promote economic and social development.

The bill amends the Second Chance Act of 2007 to make youth offenders eligible to receive grants from Labor for certain transitional services, including being reintegrated into society and obtaining and retaining employment.

The bill replaces several provisions related to educational and employment programs for adults, youths, disabled individuals, and Native Americans.

Date: 2016-07-07
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Labor and employment
Mandatory Bureaucratic Realignment and Consolidation Commission Act of 2016 or the Mandatory BRACC Act 

This bill establishes within the legislative branch a Mandatory Bureaucratic Realignment and Consolidation Commission to review all direct spending by the federal government and identify changes in law to reduce direct spending. The commission may also review offsetting receipts and discretionary appropriations.

The commission must submit to Congress a report including recommendations and proposed legislation to reduce direct spending, such that:

 total spending is gradually reduced during FY2018-FY2027, total spending does not exceeded total revenues by FY2027 and for each succeeding year, and direct spending does not exceed 50% of total spending by FY2027 and for each succeeding year. Congress must consider the commission's proposal using specified expedited legislative procedures.

If a bill to achieve the commission's recommendations is not enacted, the President must order a sequestration to enforce specified limits on the growth of spending. A sequestration is not required if: (1) the Office of Management and Budget determines that, as a result of reductions in budgetary resources required by this bill, total spending for the previous year did not exceed revenues; or (2) changes in law have been enacted that will achieve the requirements for the commission's proposal.

Date: 2016-09-07
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act of 2016 or the ALERT Act of 2016

This bill requires each federal agency to submit a monthly report to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each rule such agency expects to propose or finalize during the following year. The reports must include: (1) a summary of the nature of the rule, (2) the objectives of and legal basis for issuance of the rule, (3) the stage of the rulemaking as of the date of submission, and (4) whether the rule is subject to periodic review as a rule with a significant economic impact.

Each agency must submit a monthly report for any rule expected to be finalized during the following year for which the agency has issued a general notice of proposed rulemaking. The reports must include an approximate schedule for completing action on the rule and an estimate of its cost and economic effects, including any estimate of the net effect of the rule on the number of jobs in the United States.

OIRA must make such monthly reports publicly available on the Internet.

OIRA must publish, not later than October 1 of each year, in the Federal Register: (1) information that OIRA receives from each agency under this bill; (2) the number of rules and a list of each such rule that was proposed by each agency and each rule that was finalized by each agency; (3) the number of agency actions that repealed a rule, reduced the scope or cost of a rule, or accelerated the expiration date of a rule; (4) the total cost of all rules proposed or finalized; and (5) the number of rules for which an estimate of the cost of the rule was not available.

OIRA must make publicly available on the Internet, not later than October 1 of each year: (1) the analysis of the costs or benefits of each proposed or final rule issued by an agency for the preceding year, (2) the docket number and regulation identifier number for each such rule, (3) the number of rules reviewed by OMB for the preceding year, (4) the number of rules for which a review by the head of an agency was completed, (5) the number of rules submitted to the Government Accountability Office, and (6) the number of rules for which a resolution of disapproval was introduced in Congress.

The bill prohibits a rule from taking effect until the information required by this bill is posted on the Internet for not less than 180 days unless: (1) the agency proposing the rule claims a "good cause" exemption from notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures under the Administrative Procedure Act; or (2) the President determines by executive order that such rule is necessary because of an imminent threat to health or safety or another emergency, for the enforcement of criminal laws, for national security, or to implement an international trade agreement. Such provision becomes effective 240 days after enactment of this bill.

Date: 2016-12-09
Topic: Government Operations (Bureaucracy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
FHA Multifamily Loan Limit Adjustment Act of 2007 - Amends the National Housing Act to increase high-cost area and project-based additional mortgage loan limits for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured mortgages for: (1) rental housing; (2) cooperative housing; (3) rehabilitation and neighborhood conservation housing insurance; (4) moderate income and displaced family housing; (5) housing for the elderly; and (6) condominiums.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to continue, until February 15, 2007, to insure, and to enter into commitments to insure, home equity conversion mortgages for elderly homeowners under the National Housing Act, without regard to the maximum aggregate number of mortgages insured or maximum dollar amount of insurance benefits specified in such Act.

Date: 2007-01-10
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit credit from being extended in any consumer credit transaction in which a security interest will be retained or acquired in property located within the United States which will be used as the consumer's principal residence if such consumer lacks a Social Security account number.

Date: 2007-01-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Better Future for American Families Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to rename the tax credit for elective deferrals and IRA contributions as the saver's credit. Revises the applicable percentage and phaseout formula for calculating the credit and makes such credit refundable.

Date: 2007-01-17
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Reverse Mortgages to Help America's Seniors Act - Amends the National Housing Act to remove the aggregate and insurance benefit limitations on the number of home equity conversion (reverse) mortgages for elderly homeowners that may be insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

Date: 2007-01-18
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Credit Card Payment Fee Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to prohibit a creditor, in the case of a credit card account under an open end consumer credit plan, from imposing a fee based on the manner in which payment on the account is made, including a fee for making any such payment by electronic fund transfer.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Savings for Working Families Act of 2007 - Allows certain low-income individuals between age 18 and 61 to establish tax-exempt individual development accounts (IDAs) to pay for certain qualified expenses, including education expenses, first-time homebuyer costs, and business capitalization or expansion costs. Sets forth rules for the establishment, maintenance, and termination of IDAs. Permits tax-free withdrawals from IDAs for qualified expenses, but requires IDA beneficiaries to complete one or more financial education courses prior to making an IDA withdrawal.Allows certain financial institutions, tax-exempt organizations, and Indian tribes to sponsor and administer IDAs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow such entities a business-related tax credit for the cost of administering IDAs and for making matching contributions to IDAs in parallel accounts. Provides that IDA amounts shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for assistance under certain means-tested federal programs.

Date: 2007-02-07
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to suspend the limitation period for filing refund claims for overpayments of tax for any veteran whose overpayment relates to a determination by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs that such veteran was entitled to service-connected disability compensation. Provides that the suspension period begins on the date a veteran submits a claim for compensation and ends on the date the Secretary makes a determination. Permits a veteran to file a refund claim for overpayment of tax (relating to benefit determinations made by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs after 1995) even if the claim is barred by law, if the claim is filed before the end of one year after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2007-02-08
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Credit Card Repayment Act of 2007 - Amends the Truth in Lending Act to include among the mandatory disclosures at each billing cycle of open end consumer credit plans: (1) the words "Minimum Payment Warning: making only the minimum payment will increase the amount of interest that you pay and the time it will take to repay your outstanding balance;" (2) the number of years and months it would take the consumer to pay the entire amount of the balance if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments; (3) the total cost to the consumer, as well as a breakdown in principal and interest payments, of paying that balance in full if the consumer pays only the required minimum monthly payments, and if no further advances are made; (4) the monthly payment amount that would be required to eliminate the outstanding balance in 36 months if no further advances are made; and (5) a toll-free telephone number for information about accessing credit counseling and debt management services. Directs the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Trade Commission to issue jointly guidelines for creditors to establish and maintain a toll-free telephone number for such disclosures.

Date: 2007-03-13
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Fair FHA Appraisals Act of 2007 - Amends the National Housing Act to subject to civil money penalties actions that improperly influence appraisals for an FHA insured mortgage for a small-family residence by compensating, instructing, inducing, coercing, or intimidating any person who conducts an appraisal in connection with such mortgage in order to cause the appraised value to be based on any other factor other than the independent judgment exercised in accordance with professional standards. Modifies FHA mortgage insurance appraisal standards to require that: (1) the appraisal be conducted by an appraiser selected by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development on a rotating basis, mortgage-by-mortgage, from a list of appraisers (blind draws) developed by the Secretary; and (2) an authorized mortgagee use only appraisers selected in accordance with such list. Restricts use by a qualified appraiser of the assistance of others to cases where a limited number of appraisals is conducted within a limited rural area.

Date: 2007-03-27
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Housing and community development
Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act - Amends the Consumer Credit Protection Act to prescribe consumer protection guidelines for rental-purchase transactions, including: (1) the determination of rental-purchase cost; (2) disclosure requirements; (3) prohibitions against confessions of judgment, wage assignments, and waiver of consumer claims or defenses; (4) furnishing of statements of account; (5) point-of-rental disclosures; and (6) rental-purchase advertising disclosures. Declares that an action for civil liability may be brought against a merchant's assignee only if the violation is apparent on the face of a rental-purchase agreement to which it relates, including, but not limited to, a disclosure that can be determined to be incomplete or inaccurate from the face of the agreement. Authorizes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to promulgate implementing regulations. Grants enforcement powers to the Federal Trade Commission and to state attorneys general. Subjects to criminal penalties any willful and knowing violation of the information disclosure requirements of this Act.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Commerce
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the tax deduction for mortgage insurance premiums.

Date: 2007-03-29
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation
Identify Theft Relief Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax deduction from gross income (available to taxpayers who do not itemize deductions) for all identity theft expenses arising from a fraud committed or attempted using identifying information without authority.

Date: 2007-04-16
Topic: Domestic Commerce (Consumer Finance)
Subject: Taxation