zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Emergency Port of Entry Personnel and Infrastructure Funding Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to hire, by the end of FY2016, an additional: (1) 5,000 full-time U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers to serve on all inspection lanes and enforcement teams at U.S. land ports of entry on the northern and southern borders of the United States, and (2) 350 full-time support staff for all U.S. ports of entry. Directs the Secretary to: (1) equip each CBP officer with a secure communication and satellite-enabled device that allows communication between ports of entry and inspection stations, and with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement entities; and (2) establish a grant program for the purchase of detection equipment at land ports of entry and communication and biometric devices for state and local law enforcement officers serving on the southern border. Authorizes: (1) the Commissioner of CBP to construct land ports of entry, acquire necessary land or land interests, and construct additional ports of entry along the borders; and (2) the Secretary to acquire necessary real property leaseholds. Authorizes appropriations. Rescinds specified funds equal to such appropriations.

Date: 2011-09-22
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Directs the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish a pilot program under which the Secretary conducts case studies of states and metropolitan planning organizations that are designed to: (1) provide more detailed, in-depth analysis and data collection regarding transportation programs; and (2) apply rigorous methods of measuring and addressing the effectiveness of pilot program participants in achieving national transportation goals. Requires states and metropolitan planning organizations participating in the program to work cooperatively with the Secretary to: (1) evaluate the methods and metrics they use in measuring their effectiveness in achieving national transportation goals, and (2) identify steps to improve those methods and metrics. Authorizes the Secretary to provide financial assistance to program participants to assist them in these efforts. Directs the Secretary, within 21 months of this Act's enactment, to analyze the pilot program case studies and develop and implement a plan for the DOT to use outcome-oriented performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness of transportation programs in achieving national transportation goals.

Date: 2011-12-08
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Cross-Border Trade Enhancement Act of 2012 - Authorizes the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to enter into agreements with persons for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide customs and immigration services at a land border port of entry, subject to payment of a fee to reimburse the CBP for providing such services. Directs the Administrator of General Services to establish procedures for evaluating proposals submitted by persons to: (1) enter into cost-sharing or reimbursement agreements with the General Services Administration (GSA) for the construction or maintenance of infrastructure at a land border port of entry, and (2) provide GSA an unconditional gift of property for use in the construction or maintenance of such infrastructure. Prescribes minimum requirements for such procedures.

Date: 2012-06-07
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Flood Protection Public Safety Act of 2013 - Authorizes the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to implement any flood risk management project for which the Secretary has transmitted to Congress, before the date of enactment of this Act, a letter that includes: (1) a description of the project as recommended in a report by the Chief of Engineers that concludes that the project is technically sound, environmentally acceptable, and economically justified; and (2) notification that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has concluded that the report's recommendations are consistent with the President's policy and programs.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Water resources development
Restarting Local Economies Act of 2013 - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to: (1) authorize the use of grants for economic adjustment for activities identified by communities, the economies of which are injured by the closure of a local government entity that had an economic development mission and left obligations related to economic development projects unfulfilled when closed; and (2) authorize the Secretary of Commerce to increase the federal share for a grant to up to 100% of the cost of a project that assists such a community.

Date: 2013-11-15
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Economics and public finance
American Infrastructure Investment Fund Act - Establishes the American Infrastructure Investment Fund in the Department of Transportation (DOT) to: (1) invest in infrastructure projects that increase or otherwise improve U.S. economic output, productivity, or competitive commercial advantage; (2) provide funding for projects that face significant funding barriers because of the need to combine resources across multiple jurisdictions or modes of transportation; and (3) improve the efficiency or throughput, the safety, and the environmental sustainability of a national or regional transportation network.

Requires the Fund to publish: (1) a detailed description of its strategy in an Investment Prospectus, and (2) its Operating Guidance for the Fund's management.

Requires the President to appoint the Fund's Executive Director, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, as well as a Fund Advisory Committee.

Authorizes the Fund to provide direct loans and loan guarantees to eligible recipients for activities related to the planning, preparation, or design of an eligible project proposal.

Prohibits the use of funds for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron and steel used in the project is domestic, except in certain circumstances.

Directs the Secretary of Transportation to establish: (1) a competitive national infrastructure investment grant program, and (2) an oversight program to monitor the effective and efficient use of funds authorized under this Act.

Sets forth the federal share of net project costs at 80%.

Date: 2013-02-26
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act or BRIDGE Act - Establishes the Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and managed by a Board of Directors, which shall provide direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs that are reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $50 million ($10 million for rural infrastructure projects).

Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas. Establishes an Office of Technical and Rural Assistance to provide technical assistance to state and local governments and parties in public-private partnerships in the development and financing of eligible infrastructure projects, including rural infrastructure projects.

Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the business activities of IFA.

Prohibits financial assistance from IFA for any private project for which no public benefit is created. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for eligible infrastructure projects and for the repayment of such loans. Requires an annual independent audit of IFA finances.

Requires the Chief Executive Officer of IFA to: (1) establish fees with respect to loans and loan guarantees that are sufficient to cover IFA's administrative costs; and (2) take actions to make IFA a self-sustaining entity, with administrative and federal credit subsidy costs fully funded by fees and risk premiums on loans and loan guarantees.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Partnership to Build America Act of 2014 - Establishes the American Infrastructure Fund (AIF) as a wholly-owned government corporation to provide bond guarantees and make loans to state and local governments, non-profit infrastructure providers, private parties, and public-private partnerships for state or local government sponsored transportation, energy, water, communications, or educational facility infrastructure projects (Qualified Infrastructure Projects [QIPs]). Authorizes AIF also to make equity investments in QIPs .

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury, acting through the AIF, to issue American Infrastructure Bonds with an aggregate face value of $50 billion. Requires proceeds from the sale of the bonds to be deposited into the AIF.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow U.S. corporations to exclude from gross income qualified cash dividend amounts received during a taxable year from a foreign-controlled corporation equal to the face value of qualified infrastructure bonds the corporation has purchased.

Prohibits allowance of a foreign tax credit to the excluded portion of any dividend received by a U.S. corporation. Prohibits also the allowance of a deduction for expenses related to that excludable portion.

Date: 2014-01-16
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Nation Building Here at Home Act of 2015

 Directs the Secretary of Transportation (Secretary) to establish a transformational infrastructure competitive grant program to award grants to state and local governments, transit agencies, and port authorities for certain public transportation projects (including water infrastructure projects) that will significantly impact a metropolitan area, a region, or all of the United States.

Specifies the federal share of project costs at 100%.

Requires the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in projects funded under this Act to have been produced in the United States, except in specified circumstances.

Requires the Secretary to coordinate with relevant federal departments and agencies to ensure that environmental reviews are made in a manner that accelerates delivery of such projects.

Directs the Secretary of the Treasury to establish a Nation Building Here at Home Financing Initiative.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Regional Infrastructure Accelerator Act of 2015

This bill authorizes the Department of the Treasury to establish a regional infrastructure accelerator program to provide grants to regional infrastructure accelerators to establish and administer a process for developing the priorities of, and acquiring financing for, covered infrastructure projects.

A "regional infrastructure accelerator" is defined as a multi-jurisdictional organization dedicated to provide technical assistance, financing options, and resources for covered infrastructure projects within the represented jurisdictions. A "covered infrastructure project" is as an infrastructure project sponsored by a state, local, or regional public entity that involves the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of rail, bus, or public transportation facilities or equipment, highway facilities (including bridges and tunnels), airports, port or marine facilities and equipment, pipelines, inland waterways, intermodal facilities and equipment, water treatment and solid waste disposal facilities, storm water management systems, dams and levees, and facilities or equipment for energy transmission, distribution, or storage.

From applications received, Treasury shall select five regional infrastructure accelerators from geographically diverse regions to receive initial grants. A regional infrastructure accelerator shall use such a grant to:

 assess regional approaches to advancing innovative investment in covered infrastructure projects; develop strategies for transparency in the analysis of such projects to ensure protection of the public interest, for the bundling of smaller scale and rural projects into a larger transaction for investment, and for reducing transaction costs; facilitate the creation of a catalog of covered infrastructure projects available for investment; and analyze and apply project procurement methods. Treasury shall review reports submitted by such accelerators and select four of them to receive subsequent grants. A selected accelerator may use such subsequent grant to make subgrants to public entities for covered infrastructure predevelopment costs, which may include project planning, feasibility studies, economic assessments, cost-benefit analyses, public benefit studies, design and engineering, financial planning, permitting, environmental review, assessment of the impacts on the area, workforce and wages and benefits, assessment of infrastructure vulnerability and resilience to the impacts of climate change and other risks, and public outreach and community engagement.

Date: 2015-05-20
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National Infrastructure Development Bank Act of 2015

Establishes the National Infrastructure Development Bank as a wholly owned government corporation.

Makes the Bank's Board of Directors responsible for monitoring and overseeing energy, environmental, telecommunications, and transportation infrastructure projects. Authorizes the Board to: (1) make senior and subordinated direct loans and loan guarantees to assist in the financing or refinancing of an infrastructure project, (2) issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to infrastructure projects, and (3) pay an interest subsidy to the issuer of American Infrastructure Bonds.

Requires the Board to establish an Executive Committee to establish requirements and make recommendations for project proposals to be considered for financial assistance.

Requires the Bank to establish a Risk Management Committee, which shall: (1) create financial, credit, and operational risk management guidelines for the Bank; (2) set guidelines to ensure diversification of lending activities by geographic region and infrastructure project type; (3) create conforming standards for all financial assistance provided by the Bank; (4) monitor financial, credit, and operational exposure of the Bank; (5) provide financial recommendations to the Board; and (6) ensure that the aggregate amount of interest subsidies provided for American Infrastructure Bonds in a given calendar year does not exceed 28% of interest payable under all such Bonds.

Requires the Bank to establish an audit committee.

Requires the Board to approve criteria established by the Executive Committee for determining project eligibility for financial assistance. Sets forth criteria to be considered by the Board for each type of infrastructure project. Requires the Executive Committee to conduct an analysis that considers the economic, environmental, and social benefits and costs of each project under consideration, prioritizing projects that contribute to economic growth, lead to job creation, and are of regional or national significance.

Requires any financial assistance for an infrastructure project to be repayable from dedicated revenue sources that also secure the infrastructure project obligations. Limits the amount of assistance under this Act to 50% of reasonably anticipated project costs.

 Exempts all bonds issued by the Bank from state or local government taxation.

Sets forth requirements regarding compliance of assisted projects with wage rate, domestic content, and buy American statutes.

Requires the Board to establish an American Infrastructure Bond program. Establishes in the Treasury the National Infrastructure Development Bank Trust Fund into which an amount estimated to equal the tax receipts attributable to interest payable under such Bonds is to be appropriated.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Build USA Act 

This bill establishes the American Infrastructure Bank as a wholly owned government corporation.

The Bank's Board of Directors has authority, among other operations, to issue public benefit bonds and provide financing to core infrastructure projects from bond proceeds.

State governments may enter into minimum three-year remittance agreements with the Bank under which:

 a state agrees to remit to the Bank at least 60% of the total amount of federal-aid highway activities funds it receives from the federal government in each of the three years, the Board will issue to the state funds from the Bank equal to 90% of the amount the state remitted to the Bank, and the state will use those funds to carry out core infrastructure projects. The Bank may grant a loan to a state or a unit of local government to implement core transportation infrastructure projects.

The deduction from gross income under the Internal Revenue Code for temporary dividends received from a controlled foreign corporation (CFC) decreases from 85% to 81.4% of the cash dividends received by a U.S. corporate shareholder from a CFC during the taxable year. Allowance of the deduction applies, if the taxpayer elects it, to the three-taxable year period beginning with:

 the taxpayer's last taxable year which begins before the enactment of this Act, or the taxpayer's first taxable year which begins during the one-year period beginning on that date of enactment.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Building and Renewing Infrastructure for Development and Growth in Employment Act or the BRIDGE Act

 Establishes the Infrastructure Financing Authority (IFA) as a wholly-owned government corporation, headed by a Chief Executive Officer and managed by a Board of Directors, which shall provide direct loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the construction, consolidation, alteration, or repair of transportation, water, and energy infrastructure projects. Requires infrastructure projects assisted under this Act to have costs reasonably anticipated to equal or exceed $50 million ($10 million for rural infrastructure projects).

Sets forth special requirements for infrastructure projects in rural areas.

Establishes an Office of Technical and Rural Assistance to:

 provide technical assistance to state and local governments and parties in public-private partnerships in the development and financing of eligible, including rural, infrastructure projects; and establish a regional infrastructure accelerator demonstration program. Establishes an Office of Special Inspector General to conduct, supervise, and coordinate audits and investigations of the business activities of IFA.

Prohibits IFA financing of a project if:

 it is private or does not create a public benefit, or the loan applicant is unable to demonstrate a sufficient revenue stream. Sets forth terms for loans or loan guarantees for eligible infrastructure projects and for the repayment of such loans. Requires an annual independent audit of IFA finances.

Requires the President, immediately after IFA approves financing for a proposed project, to convene a meeting of representatives of all permitting agencies to:

 establish a permitting timetable for the environmental review of a project, and coordinate with relevant state agencies and regional infrastructure development agencies in the review of such projects. Requires the Chief Executive Officer of IFA to:

 establish fees with respect to loans and loan guarantees that are sufficient to cover IFA's administrative costs; and take actions to make IFA a self-sustaining entity, with administrative and federal credit subsidy costs fully funded by fees and risk premiums on loans and loan guarantees. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase from $15 billion to $16 billion the aggregate amount of proceeds from tax-exempt facility bonds the Department of Transportation shall allocate among qualified highway or surface freight transfer facilities.

Date: 2015-06-16
Topic: Transportation (Infrastructure)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Homecoming Enhancement Research and Oversight Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences for a study of the physical and mental health and other readjustment needs of members and former members of the Armed Forces who deployed in Operations Iraqi Freedom or Enduring Freedom, and their families. Requires: (1) reports, from the Academy to the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs and from the Secretary to Congress, on such study; (2) the public availability of the reports; (3) such Secretaries to develop a joint plan to address report findings; and (4) the public availability of the Secretaries' response.

Date: 2007-09-20
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Border Security Technology Innovation Act of 2008 - (Sec. 2) Requires the Under Secretary for Science and Technology of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to ensure that any federal government interagency or intra-agency agreement entered into by the Under Secretary to develop and transition new technology explicitly characterizes the requirements, expected use, and concept of operations for that technology.(Sec. 3) Amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to terminate the Homeland Security Science and Technology Advisory Committee on December 31, 2012 (currently, 2008).(Sec. 4) Requires the Under Secretary to enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council for a one-year assessment of the basic science research needs in the border and maritime security domain.(Sec. 5) Directs: (1) the Secretary of Homeland Security and the Director of the Joint Planning and Development Office to research and develop technologies to permit routine operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, including autonomously piloted drones, within the national airspace for border and maritime security missions without degradation of existing safety levels for national airspace system users; and (2) the Secretary to coordinate with the Director and the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to enter into pilot projects in sparsely populated, low-density Class G air traffic airspace to conduct experiments and collect data to accelerate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system as part of research activities of the Office.(Sec. 6) Requires: (1) the Under Secretary to research and develop technologies to permit detection of near surface voids, such as tunnels, with an emphasis on technologies with real time capability; and (2) the Secretary to coordinate with other federal agencies to ensure the integration of such research and development activities with their efforts.(Sec. 7) Requires the Under Secretary and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a joint research and development program on anticounterfeit technologies and standards.(Sec. 8) Directs the Under Secretary to study and report to Congress on the need for next generation global positioning system technology as it relates to border security.(Sec. 9) Directs the Under Secretary, in coordination with the Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), to establish a research program on the use of mobile biometric technology at the nation's borders between the ports of entry. Requires the Secretary to ensure that the program is coordinated with other DHS biometric identification programs.

Date: 2007-10-22
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Emergency management
Amends the Bob Stump National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 relating to the defense nanotechnology research and development program (program) to: (1) revise program purposes; (2) replace the Director of Defense Research and Engineering with the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics as program administrator; (3) outline program activities, including the development of a strategic plan for defense nanotechnology research and development that is integrated with the strategic plan for the National Nanotechnology Initiative; and (4) extend through 2011 program report requirements. Requires a report from the Comptroller General to the congressional defense and appropriations committees on progress made by the Department of Defense (DOD) in achieving program purposes.

Date: 2007-05-17
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of Defense to contract with a federally funded research and development center to carry out a comprehensive study of policies, procedures, organization, and regulatory constraints affecting the acquisition of technologies supporting network-centric operations. Requires the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) to carry out an independent study of the same subject.

Date: 2009-03-16
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Light Weight Armor Research Requirements for Individual Operational Readiness Act or LT WARRIOR Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to establish the Joint Task Force Light Weight Armor Research Requirements for Individual Operational Readiness, or JTF-LT WARRIOR, to: (1) synchronize efforts among the military departments to identify and examine the requirements for lighter weight body armor; and (2) serve as the centralized body for determining and coordinating issues regarding such armor and other personal protective equipment, including its development and procurement. Requires the Task Force to report to the Secretary semiannually over a two-year period recommending ways to more effectively address the research, development, and procurement requirements regarding reducing the weight of body armor.

Date: 2010-04-15
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretary of the Air Force to: (1) conduct a study on the ability of the major air test and training range infrastructure to support the full spectrum of Air Force operations; (2) develop a master plan for requirements and proposed investments to meet Air Force training and test needs through 2025; and (3) submit to the congressional defense and appropriations committees an interim and final report on the master plan.

Date: 2010-06-30
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Reduces by 10% the amounts authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense (DOD) for FY2012 for studies, analysis, and evaluations under Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and defense-wide operation and maintenance funds.

Date: 2011-03-29
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Tinnitus Research and Treatment Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to: (1) recognize tinnitus as a condition for research and treatment by Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Auditory Centers of Excellence; (2) recognize the need to enhance the research and treatment of tinnitus and to ensure the allocation of appropriate resources for such research and treatment conducted by such Centers, commensurate with peer-review protocols; and (3) ensure VA cooperation with the Hearing Center of Excellence established by the Department of Defense (DOD) to further research on tinnitus.

Date: 2013-04-09
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
DoD Laboratory Authorities for Breakthrough Scientific Research Act or the DoD LABS Research Act - Prohibits the Secretary of Defense (DOD) from disallowing an employee of a defense laboratory from traveling to a technical symposium or conference if the head of such laboratory determines that there is a sufficient amount available to the laboratory for such travel and approves such travel using standard travel approval procedures.

Amends the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 to allow the director of any DOD science and technology laboratory to appoint as an employee, through 2019, any student enrolled in a program of undergraduate or graduate instruction leading to a bachelor's or master's degree in a scientific, technical, engineering, mathematical, or medical course of study. (Under current law, such a director may only appoint through such period a candidate already possessing a bachelor's degree or a qualified veteran.)

Directs the Secretary to report to the congressional defense committees on the implementation and use by DOD of specified hiring authorities provided under federal law, prior defense authorization Acts, and the Intergovernmental Personnel Act.

Amends the Strom Thurmond National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1999 to reinstate and make permanent a DOD personnel program for the hiring of scientific and technical personnel.

Date: 2014-04-04
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Wounded Warrior Research Enhancement Act - Directs the Secretary of Defense (DOD) to award grants to carry out research for the advancement of orthotic and prosthetic clinical care for members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and civilians who have undergone amputation, traumatic brain injury, and other serious physical injury as a result of combat or military experience. Includes under such research the prevention of amputations, orthotic and prosthetic intervention, and orthotics and prosthetic materials and technology research.

Date: 2013-03-11
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Veterans Affairs Research Transparency Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make available on a publicly-available Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website: (1) data files that contain information on VA research, (2) a data dictionary on each data file, and (3) instructions on how to obtain access to each data file for use in research.

Directs the Secretary, within 540 days after enactment of this Act, to require, as a condition on the use of any data gathered or formulated from research funded by the VA, that any final, peer-reviewed manuscript prepared for publication that uses such data be submitted to the Secretary for deposit in a digital archive (established by the Secretary under this Act). Requires such archive to be publicly available.

Requires the Department of Veterans Affairs-Department of Defense Joint Executive to submit to the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense (DOD) options and recommendations for establishing a program of long-term cooperation and data-sharing between and within the VA and DOD to facilitate research on outcomes of military service, readjustment after combat deployment, and other topics of importance to veterans, members of the Armed Forces (members), their families, and members of communities that have a significant population of veterans or members.

Date: 2013-05-07
Topic: Defense (R&D)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Directs the Secretaries of Veterans Affairs and Labor to jointly conduct a study (with annual updates) on employment fields with the greatest need for employees in various geographic areas. Directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to make the study's findings available on the Department of Veterans Affairs website.

Date: 2007-09-24
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Armed forces and national security
Summer Travel Delay Prevention Act - Directs the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop: (1) a plan for opening up to commercial flights special use airspace for additional lanes of air traffic at specific choke points; and (2) a permanent plan for sharing military airspace off the eastern U.S. coast by such flights. Authorizes the Director of the New York Integration Office of the FAA to transfer appropriated amounts for Office operations to flight delay reduction projects in airspace over the New York-New Jersey region. Requires the FAA Administrator to establish an Aviation Traveler Task Force to: (1) clarify interpretations of FAA safety directives with which air carriers will soon need to comply; (2) develop contingency plans in the event that additional aircraft do not comply with such safety directives and need to be grounded; and (3) design a notification system to alert passengers of potential service disruptions.

Date: 2008-06-19
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Transportation and public works
National Commission on Employment and Economic Security Act - Establishes the National Commission on Employment and Economic Security to: (1) examine the effects of economic and psychological insecurity caused by employment displacement and the decreasing number of well-paid jobs on U.S. workers and their families; and (2) recommend to the President and Congress potential solutions, including legislative and administrative action, to alleviate such problems.

Date: 2009-04-23
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Labor and employment
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to repeal the temporary (through June 2011) increase in the rate of the unemployment tax (thus reducing such rate from 6.2% to 6.0% of total wages).

Date: 2009-11-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Taxation
Amends title XII (Advances to State Unemployment Fund) of the Social Security Act, as added by the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act, to extend through December 31, 2012, the waiver of certain interest payments on advances made to states from the federal unemployment account in the Unemployment Trust Fund. (Thus continues temporary assistance for states with such advances.)

Date: 2009-12-10
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Labor and employment
Increases the federal share of federal-aid highway construction projects for FY2011 and FY2012 for any state with an unemployment rate equal to or exceeding 11% at any time during FY2009 and FY2010. Increases the federal share of costs for FY2011-FY2012: (1) from 90% to 95% for Interstate System projects; and (2) from 80% to 85% for other transportation projects. Suspends certain eligibility requirements with respect to the use of tolls as a credit toward the non-federal share of project costs in such states for those fiscal years. Makes eligible for use as such a credit for such fiscal years any tolls that were not previously eligible. Suspends, as well, certain state transportation capital expenditure maintenance of effort requirements during FY2011-FY2012.

Date: 2009-08-06
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Business Incubator Promotion Act - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act to include among the Act's goals encouraging distressed communities to support the formation of business incubators to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in economically distressed areas. Defines "business incubator" as an entity established to foster the startup of businesses or accelerate the growth of fledgling companies by providing entrepreneurs with resources and services to produce viable businesses that can help create jobs and restore vitality to distressed areas, excluding an entity organized primarily as for-profit venture. Modifies criteria for the eligibility of an area for grants under such Act for public works and economic development or economic adjustment projects to require an area to have had an unemployment rate of at least 1% greater than the national average for the most recent 12-month (currently, 24-month) period for which data are available. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) increase the federal share for public works and economic development project grants based upon an area's unemployment rate or per capita income compared to the national average; and (2) reduce or waive the non-federal or local share required for participation in such grant assistance for a special need area in cases of severe economic distress. Authorizes the Secretary to provide competitive grants for: (1) the development and implementation of feasibility studies and plans for the creation or expansion of business incubators; and (2) the temporary support of operations of business incubators that is essential to self-sustainability.

Date: 2009-09-10
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Emergency Unemployment Benefits Extension Act of 2010 - Amends the Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2008 with respect to the state-established individual emergency unemployment compensation account (EUCA). Extends the final date for entering a federal-state agreement under the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program through January 3, 2012. Postpones the termination of the program until June 9, 2012. Amends the Assistance for Unemployed Workers and Struggling Families Act to extend until January 4, 2012, requirements that federal payments to states cover 100% of EUC. Amends the Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2008 to exempt weeks of unemployment between enactment of this Act and June 10, 2012, from the prohibition in the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 against federal matching payments to a state for the first week in an individual's eligibility period for which extended compensation or sharable regular compensation is paid if the state law provides for payment of regular compensation to an individual for his or her first week of otherwise compensable unemployment. (Thus allows temporary federal matching for the first week of extended benefits for states with no waiting period.) Amends the Federal-State Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 1970 to authorize a state by law to apply certain requirements of the Act, with specified substitutions, for determining an extended unemployment compensation period. Requires the state's "on" and "off" indicators to be based on its rate of insured unemployment and rate of total unemployment for the period between enactment of this Act (or, if later, the date established pursuant to state law), and ending on or before December 31, 2011. Rescinds permanently, out of all available unobligated federal funds, $95 billion in appropriated discretionary funds. Requires the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to identify and report to the Secretary of the Treasury and Congress on which appropriation accounts the rescission shall apply from, including amounts. Exempts from rescission any unobligated funds of the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Date: 2010-11-30
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Labor and employment
Jobs Score Act of 2012 - Amends the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 to require a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of any public bill or resolution reported from a congressional committee (except on Appropriations of each chamber) to estimate the number of jobs which would be created, sustained, or lost in carrying out such measure in the fiscal year in which it is to become effective and in each of the four ensuing fiscal years, together with the basis for each such estimate. Requires such analysis, to the extent practicable, to include regional and state-level estimates of such jobs.

Date: 2012-01-18
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Real Unemployment Calculation Act - Treats the measure of unemployment issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (known as U5) as the official and primary measure of unemployment in the United States.

Date: 2012-03-01
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Labor and employment
Regulation Moratorium and Jobs Preservation Act of 2011 - Prohibits any federal agency from taking any significant regulatory action until the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports a monthly unemployment rate equal to or less than 7.7%.   Defines as "significant" any regulatory action that is likely to: (1) have an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more or adversely affect the economy, productivity, competition, jobs, the environment, public health or safety, small entities, or state, local, or tribal governments or communities; (2) create a serious inconsistency or otherwise interfere with another agency's action; (3) materially alter the budgetary impact of entitlements, grants, user fees, or loan programs or the rights and obligations of recipients thereof; or (4) raise novel legal or policy issues. Authorizes the President to waive such prohibition if the President notifies Congress that a waiver is necessary on the basis of national security or a national emergency.  Allows judicial review of all claims under this Act.

Date: 2011-07-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Business Incubator Promotion Act - Amends the Public Works and Economic Development Act to include among the Act's goals encouraging distressed communities to support the formation of business incubators to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in economically distressed areas. Defines "business incubator" as an entity established to foster the startup of businesses or accelerate the growth of fledgling companies by providing entrepreneurs with resources and services to produce viable businesses that can help create jobs and restore vitality to distressed areas, excluding an entity organized primarily as for-profit venture. Modifies criteria for the eligibility of an area for grants under such Act for public works and economic development or economic adjustment projects to require an area to have had an unemployment rate of at least 1% greater than the national average for the most recent 12-month (currently, 24-month) period for which data are available. Authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) increase the federal share for public works and economic development project grants based upon an area's unemployment rate or per capita income compared to the national average, and (2) reduce or waive the non-federal or local share required for participation in such grant assistance for a special need area in cases of severe economic distress. Authorizes the Secretary to provide competitive grants for: (1) the development and implementation of feasibility studies and plans for the creation or expansion of business incubators, and (2) the temporary support of operations of business incubators that is essential to self-sustainability.

Date: 2012-02-29
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Fair Playing Field Act of 2012 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the classification of workers for employment tax purposes, to: (1) repeal the prohibition against issuance of regulations and guidance by the Secretary of the Treasury on workers' employment tax status (i.e., as an employee or as an independent contractor) enacted by the Revenue Act of 1978; (2) direct the Secretary to issue regulations and other guidance to clarify the proper employment status of workers for employment tax purposes; (3) prohibit a retroactive assessment of employment tax, except with respect to certain skilled workers, for tax periods after December 31, 1978, and before a specified reclassification date for worker misclassifications, unless the taxpayer had no reasonable basis for not treating a worker as an employee; (4) require taxpayers who hire independent contractors on a regular and ongoing basis to provide such contractors with notice of their federal tax obligations, the labor and employment law protections that do not apply to them, and their right to seek a status determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS); and (5) eliminate reduced penalty provisions for failure to withhold income taxes for taxpayers who lack a reasonable basis for treating a worker as other than an employee (i.e., as an independent contractor). Provides that for purposes of determining whether a registered representative of a securities broker-dealer is an employee for employment tax purposes, no weight shall be given to instructions from a service recipient which are imposed only in compliance with investor protection standards. Makes this rule applicable to services performed by a broker-dealer after December 31, 1997.

Date: 2012-03-01
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Taxation
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on September 16, 2014. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2014 - Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to: (1) complete, within 12 months of enactment of this Act, the required audit of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve Board) and of the Federal Reserve Banks; and (2) submit to Congress, within 90 days of audit completion, a detailed report of audit findings and conclusions.

Repeals certain limitations placed upon such audit.

Repeals GAO authority to conduct audits of the Federal Reserve Board, a Federal Reserve Bank, or a credit facility pursuant to its determination that they are appropriate for specified assessments of a credit facility or a covered transaction.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Federal Reserve Board Abolition Act - Abolishes the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and each federal reserve bank.

Repeals the Federal Reserve Act.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Democratizing the Federal Reserve System Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to reduce from 14 years to 7 years the term of office of the members of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

Increases from two years to four years the post-service restriction which renders Board members ineligible to hold any office, position, or employment in any member bank.

Revises the terms for ongoing service on the Board with respect to its Chairman and Vice Chairman.

Requires the Speaker and the minority leader of the House of Representatives, the majority leader and minority leader of the Senate, and specified committee chairpersons and ranking members to create jointly a list of five candidates in rank order to present to the President for consideration for a Board vacancy if the President has not made a nomination to fill it within a specified time period.

Requires the President, no later than 30 days after the transmittal of such list, to nominate a person to fill the vacancy, whether from such list or another person.

Increases the membership of the Federal Open Market Committee from five to six members. Revises the distribution of Federal Open Market Committee membership.

Date: 2013-01-03
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Finance and financial sector
Real Unemployment Calculation Act - Treats the measure of unemployment issued by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (known as U5) as the official and primary measure of unemployment in the United States.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Labor and employment
Focusing the Fed on the Currency of the United States Act of 2013, or FFOCUS Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Reserve Act to repeal the joint mandate on the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee to make maximum employment one of the goals of their duty to maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate with the U.S. economy's long run potential to increase production.

Date: 2013-02-04
Topic: Macroeconomics (Unemployment Rate)
Subject: Economics and public finance