zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Startup Act 3.0 - Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust to conditional permanent resident status up to 50,000 aliens who have earned a master's or doctorate degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field (STEM field) and permit such an alien to remain in the United States: (1) for up to one year after the expiration of the alien's student visa, if the alien is searching for STEM field employment; and (2) indefinitely if the alien remains actively engaged in a STEM field.

Removes a STEM alien's conditional status after five years of maintaining eligibility during the entire five-year period.

Authorizes the Secretary to issue conditional immigrant visas to up to 75,000 qualified alien entrepreneurs. Removes such conditional basis after four years of maintaining qualified entrepreneur status.

Eliminates the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based visas.

Increases the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas.

Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual People's Republic of China immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a permanent full tax exclusion on gain from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock held for more than five years, (2) repeal the minimum tax preference and the 28% capital gains rate on such stock, and (3) provide a limited tax credit for certain startup small businesses.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to use certain federal agency extramural budget funds to award grants to institutions of higher education for initiatives to improve commercialization and transfer of technology.

 Requires the head of any federal or independent regulatory agency, before issuing a notice of rule making in connection with the issuance of a proposed major rule, to complete a review that, among other things, analyzes the problem that the rule intends to address, and identifies and analyzes the rule's expected impact on state, local, and tribal governments, as well as on the ability of new businesses to form and expand. Requires a cost-benefit analysis before rule issuance.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to regularly compile: (1) information from each of the states and the District of Columbia on laws that affect the formation and growth of new businesses, and (2) quantitative and qualitative information on U.S. businesses that are not more than one year old.

Date: 2013-02-13
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Bring Jobs Home Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and  relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Concrete Masonry Products Research, Education, and Promotion Act of 2013 - (Sec. 4) Directs the Secretary of Commerce to issue orders applicable to manufacturers of concrete masonry products (concrete).

 (Sec. 5) Requires any such order to provide for establishment of a Concrete Masonry Products Board to carry out a program of generic promotion, research, and information regarding concrete products.

Prohibits the Board from engaging in any action, nor using any funds received under this Act, to: (1) influence legislation or governmental action, or (2) engage in an action that would be a conflict of interest or in advertising that is false or misleading.

 Requires an order to require manufacturers to:

 maintain records sufficient to ensure compliance with it and regulations; submit to the Board any required information to carry out its responsibilities; and make these records available, during normal business hours, for inspection by Board employees or agents or the Department of Commerce, including any records necessary to verify such information. (Sec. 6) Requires any such order to require assessments to be paid by manufacturers with respect to concrete manufactured and marketed in the United States.

Establishes an initial assessment rate at $0.01 per concrete masonry unit sold. Grants the Board authority to increase or decrease such rate but limits the change to $0.01 per such unit. Prohibits the rate from exceeding $0.05 per unit and from being changed more than once annually.

Authorizes the Board to make specified investments of collected assessments.

Requires at least 50% of the assessments (less administrative expenses) paid by a manufacturer to be used to support research, education, and promotion plans and projects in support of the geographic region of the manufacturer.

(Sec. 7) Directs the Secretary, during the 60-day period preceding the proposed effective date of an order, to conduct a referendum for order approval, according to specified procedures, among the manufacturers required to pay assessments under it.

(Sec. 8) Prescribes requirements for petition and review of an order, including order enforcement through U.S. district courts. Authorizes the Secretary to assess a civil penalty on any person willfully violating such an order or regulation.

(Sec. 10) Authorizes the Secretary to conduct appropriate investigations to administer this Act (with power of subpoena).

(Sec. 11) Directs the Secretary to suspend or terminate any order or provision of an order that obstructs or does not tend to effectuate the purposes of this Act, or that is not favored by persons voting in a referendum.

(Sec. 16) Prohibits the use of funds appropriated to carry out this Act for the Board's payment of expenses or expenditures in administering the order.

Date: 2013-02-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
SelectUSA Authorization Act of 2013 - Authorizes appropriations for FY2014-FY2018 for the SelectUSA Initiative (federal assistance aimed at increasing both foreign and domestic investment in U.S. business).

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress on Initiative activities during each such fiscal year by the following December 31st.

Date: 2013-10-29
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt manufacturing reinvestment accounts (MRAs) for taxpayers engaged in a manufacturing business. Allows such manufacturers to make tax deductible cash payments into an MRA of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing gross receipts for the taxable year or $500,000. Permits expenditures from an MRA for expenses for property to be used in the manufacturing business and expenses for employee job training and workforce development. Imposes a 10% tax on amounts in an MRA that are not distributed within 7 years. Terminates the tax deduction for payments to an MRA 10 years after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2013-11-05
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
American Manufacturing Competitiveness Act of 2013 - Directs the Committee on Technology under the National Science and Technology Council to develop, in coordination with the National Economic Council, in lieu of the currently required strategic plan to guide federal programs and activities in support of advanced manufacturing research and development, a national manufacturing competitiveness strategic plan to improve government coordination and provide long-term guidance for federal programs and activities in support of U.S. manufacturing competitiveness, including advanced manufacturing research and development.

Requires the Secretary of Commerce, in developing and updating the plan quadrennially, to serve as the chairperson of the Committee.

Specifies the goals of the plan to be to: (1) promote growth, job creation, sustainability, and competitiveness in the U.S. manufacturing sector; (2) support the development of a skilled manufacturing workforce; (3) enable innovation and investment in domestic manufacturing; and (4) support national security.

Requires the Committee, as part of the development of the plan, to conduct an analysis of specified factors that impact the competitiveness and growth of the U.S. manufacturing sector.

Permits the chairperson of the Committee to appoint an advisory panel of private sector and nonprofit leaders to provide input, perspective, and recommendations to assist in the development of the plan.

Requires the President to submit the plan to Congress and publish it on an Internet website accessible to the public.

Date: 2013-11-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Innovators Job Creation Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) allow an offset of such credit against liability for the alternative minimum tax (AMT); (3) make permanent the five-year carryback of research tax credit amounts of certain small businesses; and (4) allow a qualified small business, other than a tax-exempt organization, to use a portion, up to $250,000 in a taxable year, of its tax credit for increasing research expenditures as an offset against its employment tax liability.  Defines "qualified small business" as a corporation, partnership, or S corporation if the gross receipts of such entity for the taxable year are less than $5 million and such entity did not have gross receipts for any period preceding the 5-year period ending with such taxable year.

Date: 2014-01-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Accelerating Technology Transfer to Advance Innovation for the Nation Act of 2014 or ATTAIN Act of 2014 - Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Office of Advanced Research, Technology Transfer, and Innovation in Energy (OARTTIE), under the direction of a Technology Transfer Coordinator, to improve Department of Energy (DOE) consolidation, coordination, and use of technology transfer resources.

Tasks the Office with improvement of procurement, contracting, and partnership procedures for technology transfer.

Enumerates the types of information collected by DOE or the National Laboratories from recipients of financial assistance awards or technology transfer partners that shall be considered privileged and confidential and therefore, not subject to disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

Instructs DOE to establish a T2-Corps, modeled after the I-Corps of the National Science Foundation (NSF), to: (1) support investments in entrepreneurs, mentors, and principal investigators; and (2) invest in technology maturation, market assessment, and increasing industry and small business access to intellectual property and core DOE and National Laboratories capabilities.

Requires the OARTTIE to establish: (1) teams of entrepreneurs and mentors, selected competitively and each headed by a technology transfer office; and (2) technology commercialization challenges.

Directs DOE and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish jointly a Technology Transfer Investment Initiative to coordinate a partnership program carried out by the OARTTIE and the Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program of the SBA in order to leverage the strengths of the SBIC program to benefit the T2-Corps teams completing the DOE program.

Date: 2014-03-13
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
Freight Priorities Act - Declares the policy, objectives, and goals of the United States for improving the efficiency, operation, and security of the national freight network by leveraging investments and promoting partnerships that accomplish specified results.

Requires metropolitan planning organizations to involve public port authorities in metropolitan freight transportation planning.

Authorizes the Secretary of Transportation (DOT) to establish: (1) measures to assess the performance of a multimodal freight network in accordance with the national freight strategic plan, and (2) a pilot program for up to five urbanized areas to develop and deploy one or more pilot measures and targets to improve multimodal freight movement in densely populated and congested urban areas.

Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish and support a national cooperative freight transportation research program, and (2) offer to enter into an agreement with the Transportation Research Board of the National Research Council of the National Academies to support and carry out administrative and management activities relating to governance of the research program.

Requires the National Academies to select an advisory committee consisting of a representative cross-section of freight stakeholders, which shall recommend a national research agenda for the program.

Date: 2014-05-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Bring Jobs Home Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and  relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.

Date: 2014-06-26
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Competitiveness and Opportunity by Modernizing and Permanently Extending the Tax Credit for Experimentation Act of 2014 or the COMPETE Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for research expenditures, to: (1) increase the rate of such credit to 25% of so much of the taxpayer's qualified research expenses in a taxable year as exceeds 50% of the average expenses for the three preceding taxable years; (2) allow such credit for the basic research expenditures of educational institutions, scientific research organizations, and certain grant organizations; (3) allow an increased 35% credit for highly innovative research expenses (defined as research expenses for the creation of a qualified new product category or product technology that represents a significant improvement over previously existing product technology); and (4) make such tax credit, as revised by this Act, permanent.

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

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

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Manufacturing Universities Act of 2014 - Authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a program to designate up to 25 institutions of higher education as U.S. manufacturing universities that are to be awarded funds over a four-year period.

Requires an institution applying for such program to submit a plan describing its engineering programs, its relationship to manufacturing industries, and its ability to positively impact local and regional economic development.

Requires NIST to recommend adaptations to certain Small Business Act programs to assist small businesses that collaborate with such universities.

Date: 2014-07-31
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Education
Directs the President to establish a primary mechanism to assist the private sector in coordinating U.S. development programs with private sector investment activities.

 Directs the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to direct their respective policy and country teams to include private sector consultation in all country, sector, and global development strategies.

Date: 2014-09-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: International affairs
Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report to Congress on the entrepreneurial impact of technology transfer at the National Laboratories. Requires such report to be based on an evaluation of quantitative performance metrics, including:

 the number of licenses granted to small businesses, the numbers of start-up businesses created, the number of cooperative research and development agreements and collaborations involving small businesses and the total number of businesses involved in those agreements and collaborations, the period of time required for the execution of a license, and the number of jobs created.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Microlab Technology Commercialization Act of 2014 - Authorizes the Secretary of Energy (DOE), in collaboration with the directors of national laboratories, to establish a program meeting specified criteria under which DOE sets up microlabs located in close proximity to national laboratories and accessible to the public in order to: (1) enhance collaboration with regional research groups, such as institutions of higher education and industry groups; and (2) accelerate technology transfer from national laboratories to the marketplace.

Date: 2014-11-17
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
National Laboratory Technology Maturation Act of 2014 - Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to establish the National Laboratory technology maturation program to make grants of up to $5 million per fiscal year to National Laboratories to increase the successful transfer of technologies licensed from National Laboratories to small businesses by providing a link between an innovative process or technology and a practical application with potential to be successful in commercial markets.

Requires grant recipients to use the funds to provide vouchers of up to $250,000 each to small businesses that hold a technology license from a National Laboratory to pay the cost of providing assistance from its scientists and engineers to assist in the development of the licensed technology and further develop related products and services until they are market-ready or sufficiently developed to attract private investment.

Requires a National Laboratory that awards a voucher to carry out such a project to: (1) establish a procedure to monitor interim progress of the project toward commercialization milestones, and (2) discontinue providing such funding or assistance if it determines that a project is not making adequate progress toward such milestones under the procedure.

Date: 2014-12-04
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Bring Jobs Home Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) grant business taxpayers a tax credit for up to 20% of insourcing expenses incurred for eliminating a business located outside the United States and  relocating it within the United States, and (2) deny a tax deduction for outsourcing expenses incurred in relocating a U.S. business outside the United States. Requires an increase in the taxpayer's employment of full-time employees in the United States in order to claim the tax credit for insourcing expenses.

Date: 7/8/2014
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
American Manufacturing Jobs for Students Act

Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education, when awarding grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) for school counseling programs, to give special consideration to coordinated efforts to significantly engage students in manufacturing careers.

 Requires such programs to provide students in grades 7-12 with: (1) information on career and educational pathways leading to jobs and career opportunities in the LEA's geographic area, particularly in the manufacturing field; and (2) opportunities to interact with employers in the LEA's geographic area, with preference given to employers in the manufacturing field.

Date: 2015-02-02
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Education
American Research and Competitiveness Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill revises and makes permanent after 2014 the research tax credit. The rate of such credit is modified to equal the sum of 20% of so much of the qualified research expenses for the taxable year as exceeds 50% of the average qualified research expenses for the three preceding taxable years, 20% of so much of the basic research payments for the taxable year as exceeds 50% of the average basic research payments for the three preceding taxable years, plus 20% of amounts paid by a business taxpayer to an energy research consortium for energy research. If a taxpayer has no qualified research expenses in any of the three preceding taxable years, the rate of the tax credit is reduced to 10% of current research expenses.

The bill also provides that in the case of an eligible small business (i.e., a corporation whose stock is not publicly traded, a partnership, or a sole proprietorship with annual gross receipts not exceeding $50 million in a three-year period), the research credit may offset alternative minimum tax liability.

(Sec. 3) The bill prohibits the entry of the budgetary effects of this Act on either PAYCO scorecard under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Get Reinvesting in Opportunities for Workers (GROW) American Jobs Act

Authorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2020 for the SelectUSA Initiative (federal assistance aimed at increasing both foreign and domestic investment in U.S. business).

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to report to Congress during such fiscal years on Initiative activities.

Date: 2015-02-13
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Manufacturing Universities Act of 2015

Authorizes the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish a program to designate up to 25 institutions of higher education as U.S. manufacturing universities that are to be awarded funds over a four-year period.

Requires an institution applying for such program to submit a plan describing its engineering programs, its relationship to manufacturing industries, and its ability to positively impact local and regional economic development.

Requires NIST to recommend adaptations to certain Small Business Act programs to assist small businesses that collaborate with such universities.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Education
Innovation, Research, and Manufacturing Act

Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax credit for increasing research activities, to: (1) increase such credit (from the sum of 20% of the excess of qualified research expenses for the taxable year over the base amount, 20% of the basic research payments, and 20% of the amounts paid by the taxpayer in carrying on any trade or business during the taxable year to an energy research consortium for energy research to the sum of 30% of each of those); (2) make such credit permanent; and (3) allow such credit to offset the employment taxes of an eligible small employer, as defined by the Small Business Act.

Date: 2015-03-23
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax exemption for private activity bond interest if the proceeds from such a bond are to be used for basic research (i.e., any original investigation for the advancement of scientific knowledge not having a specific commercial objective) at a government unit, a tax-exempt charitable organization, or a private organization that has a bona-fide contractual arrangement with a government unit or tax-exempt organization.

Date: 2015-04-15
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
21st Century Investment Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) make permanent the tax credit for increasing research activities; (2) allow an increased 25% tax credit rate for research expenses incurred in the United States; and (3) increase to 15%, through 2024, the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic manufacturing production activities for which substantially all of the research and development occurred in the United States.

Date: 2015-04-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Bridge to Manufacturing Jobs Act 

 Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to: (1) provide that themes for the competitive grant program to add capabilities to the Manufacturing Extension Partnership Program may be related to projects designed to facilitate the development and implementation of apprenticeship programs, internship programs, or student work-based learning programs to help serve the workforce needs of consortia of manufacturing companies; and (2) include among the selection criteria for grants under such program that a proposal will recruit a diverse manufacturing workforce, including through outreach to women and minorities.

Date: 2015-04-23
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Labor and employment
Promoting New Manufacturing Act

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

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

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

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Environmental protection
Manufacturing Reinvestment Account Act of 2015 

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to establish tax-exempt manufacturing reinvestment accounts (MRAs) for taxpayers engaged in a manufacturing business. Allows such manufacturers to make tax deductible cash payments into an MRA of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing gross receipts for the taxable year or $500,000. Permits expenditures from an MRA for expenses for property to be used in the manufacturing business and expenses for employee job training and workforce development. Imposes a 10% tax on amounts in an MRA that are not distributed within 7 years. Terminates the tax deduction for payments to an MRA 10 years after the enactment of this Act.

Date: 2015-06-02
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Rebuilding American Manufacturing Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow taxpayers engaged in domestic manufacturing in the United States a tax deduction equal to 50.5% (43% for C corporations) of the lesser of their domestic manufacturing income or their taxable income for the taxable year (thus effectively reducing their income tax rate to approximately 20%). Limits the amount of such deduction to 25% of such taxpayer's qualifying domestic investment (defined as the sum of the taxpayer's W-2 wages and certain allowable tax deductions, excluding any amounts not properly allocable to the taxpayer's domestic manufacturing gross receipts).

Date: 2015-07-08
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act

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

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

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

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

Date: 2015-07-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Energy
Qualifying Renewable Chemical Production or Investment Tax Credit Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business-related tax credit for the production of renewable chemicals. The bill defines "renewable chemical" as any chemical that: (1) is produced in the United States from renewable biomass; (2) is sold or used for the production of chemical products, polymers, plastics, or formulated products or as chemicals, polymers, plastics, or formulated products; (3) has a biobased content of 95% or higher; (4) is the product of, or reliant upon, biological or thermal conversion of renewable biomass; (5) is not sold or used for the production of any food, feed, or fuel; and (6) is not a combination of certain specified renewable chemicals.

The bill also allows a tax credit for investment in renewable chemical production facilities.

The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a program to allocate renewable chemical tax credit amounts to eligible taxpayers and imposes an aggregate limit on the amount of credits that may be allocated to not more than $500 million during the 5-year period after enactment of this Act.

Date: 2015-07-29
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Scale-Up Manufacturing Investment Company Act of 2015

This bill amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to require the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a scale-up manufacturing investment company (SUMIC) program under which it shall provide leverage to participating investment funds (PIFs) to support debt and equity investments in qualifying manufacturing projects of specified small and emerging manufacturers.

Within 60 days after SBA approves and issues a license to operate as a PIF under SUMIC, it may provide up to $1 of leverage for every $1 of private capital raised by the PIF.

The maximum amount of outstanding leverage made available in any given fiscal year:

 to any PIF may not exceed $500 million, and to all PIFs in aggregate may not exceed $1 billion. The private capital of a PIF must be at least $250 million.

Any national bank, or any member bank of the Federal Reserve System or nonmember insured bank, to the extent permitted under state law, may invest in any one or more PIFs, or in any entity established to invest solely in PIFs. In no event must the total amount of such investments exceed 5% of the bank's capital and surplus.

The SBA must charge a leverage fee of between 3% and 5.5% of the face amount of the leverage issued.

Each PIF shall have authority to borrow money and issue debentures and preferred securities, subject to SBA limitations and regulations. Of the SBA leverage provided to a PIF: (1) at least 70% must be issued as debentures, and (2) up to 30% may be issued as preferred securities. The Federal Financing Bank may acquire such a debenture.

A PIF must use its SBA leverage to make debt and equity investments in small and emerging manufacturers to carry out qualifying manufacturing projects.

The SBA shall issue policy directives to provide for enhanced outreach efforts to increase investments by PIFs in small businesses owned and controlled by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals and by women, veterans, and individuals with disabilities.

The SBA may establish a SUMIC Credit Council.

Date: 2015-09-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Manufacturing Economic Recovery Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) a manufacturing recovery tax credit for investment in manufacturing real and tangible personal property used in the United States, including an increased credit for manufacturing property located in an economically disadvantaged area or an extremely economically disadvantaged area; (2) an additional investment tax credit for manufacturing property; and (3) a permanent work opportunity tax credit for hiring a full-time employee in a manufacturing facility located in the United States (manufacturing recovery employee), including an increased credit for hiring individuals receiving unemployment compensation.

Date: 2015-09-28
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Innovate America Act

 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED), in coordination with the Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF), to award grants, on a competitive basis, to state educational agencies to establish or expand the number of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science (STEM) secondary schools in the United States from approximately 100 to approximately 200.

In coordination with the NSF, ED shall:

 develop a database identifying existing STEM secondary schools, and study how to improve retention rates of students in STEM programs at institutions of higher education. The President must ensure that at least 15% of all federal funds available each fiscal year for undergraduate research opportunities at 2-year and 4-year degree-granting institutions of higher education are used to fund research opportunities for postsecondary students.

The NSF Partnerships for Innovation Program shall administer a Technology Commercialization Awards Pilot Program through which promising technology advances derived from NSF research grants must be eligible for funding.

The National Science Foundation Authorization Act of 2002 is amended to extend the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program to cover specifically informatics and computer science.

The Department of Commerce must establish a manufacturing assistance program for small and medium-sized domestic manufacturers to promote the manufacturing of goods in the United States and enable them to be competitive in global markets.

The Under Secretary for International Trade of Commerce shall report to Congress on the global competitiveness of 20 U.S. industries that export the most goods or services and the domestic and foreign regulatory and policy barriers to increasing their exports.

This bill also requires:

 the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to devise a strategy to reduce overall government printing costs over a 10-year period, each federal department and agency to issue guidance on the appropriate use of award and incentive fees in their programs, and return to the Treasury of any funds intended to be awarded as incentive fees to contractors that are not paid owing to contractor inability to meet established criteria in this Act.

Date: 2015-11-05
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Education
American Manufacturing Workforce Act of 2015

 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow, through 2021, tax credits for: (1) up to $1,000 of the expenses for tuition, fees, and course materials paid or incurred for the training of a worker to develop or improve skills for a manufacturing position; and (2) up to 20% of the first $1,000 of education or training expenses for manufacturing under the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 or a curriculum approved by the Employment and Training Administration of the Department of Labor for individuals employed in manufacturing positions.

The bill also: (1) establishes the Presidential Award for Business Leadership in Manufacturing Job Training to recognize companies and other organizations for extraordinary efforts in assisting their employees and members to develop or improve manufacturing skills and training and increase productivity; and (2) directs Labor to periodically collect and disseminate best practices for manufacturing job training.

Date: 2015-12-02
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation
Make It In America Manufacturing Communities Act 

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

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

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

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

Date: 2016-02-09
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Aeronautics Innovation Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that development of high-risk, precompetitive aerospace technology for use in commercial and military aircraft is a fundamental National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) role.

NASA shall establish the following programs to demonstrate innovative advances in aeronautics and aviation:

 a low-boom supersonic aircraft program, three subsonic flight programs, and an unmannned aircraft (drone) operations program. NASA shall establish a pilot program to allow it to experiment with the crowdsourcing of early stage experimental aerospace vehicle design work to increase the speed, range, safety, and affordability of supersonic or hypersonic aircraft.

The bill expresses the sense of Congress that hypersonic technologies and weapons will play an increasingly important role in our national security.

The John Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007, as amended, is further amended to revise the responsibilities of the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Technology Office on Hypersonics in carrying out the DOD program on hypersonics to include developing a well-defined path for hypersonic technologies to transition to operational capabilities for the warfighter.

The bill revises requirements for the Joint Technology Office roadmap for DOD hypersonics programs.

DOD shall appoint an individual recognized in the field of hypersonics to serve as Director of the Joint Technology Office.

The Office of Science and Technology Policy, through the National Science and Technology Council, shall ensure that federal hypersonics research, development, testing, and evaluation activities are coordinated pursuant to a disciplined investment plan.

The Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the Office of Naval Research, and the appropriate Department of the Army science and technology entities may make grants to research institutions for research and development of hypersonics technology and related education and training.

NASA shall establish a 21st Century Aeronautics Capabilities Initiative to ensure that it possesses the infrastructure capabilities necessary to conduct proposed flight research demonstration projects.

Date: 2016-06-14
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
American Parks American Products Act

The bill instructs: (1) the Department of the Interior to ensure that all items offered for sale in any gift shop or visitor's center in a unit of the National Park System are produced in the United States, and (2) the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to similarly ensure that all items offered for sale in any NARA gift shop are produced in the United States.

Date: 2016-09-15
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Chief Manufacturing Officer Act

This bill expresses the sense of Congress that a well-designed national manufacturing strategy would benefit the U.S. economy.

The President shall appoint a United States Chief Manufacturing Officer whose primary duty is to develop the national manufacturing strategy using the criteria set forth in this bill.

The bill amends the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 to designate the United States Chief Manufacturing Officer as the chair of the Committee on Technology under the National Science and Technology Council.

Date: 2016-09-22
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
MadeInAmerica.gov Act

This bill requires the Department of Commerce to create and maintain a MadeInAmerica.gov website within two years.

The website shall: (1) publish a list of all products made in America and all companies that only make products made in America, (2) publish contact information, and (3) be searchable by product and company.

Commerce shall: (1) only publish such products, companies, contact information, and order page information requested by a company; (2) create a form interested companies may complete in order to satisfy such requirement; and (3) make the form publicly available in a conspicuous location on the homepage of MadeInAmerica.gov.

The bill imposes penalties against any company found to have submitted false information in order to secure product or company inclusion on the website.

Date: 2016-12-20
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Commerce
Startup Act

 Amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to adjust to conditional permanent resident status up to 50,000 aliens who have earned a master's or doctorate degree in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field (STEM field) and permit such an alien to remain in the United States: (1) for up to one year after the expiration of the alien's student visa, if the alien is searching for STEM field employment; and (2) indefinitely if the alien remains actively engaged in a STEM field.

Removes a STEM alien's conditional status after five years of maintaining eligibility during the entire five-year period.

Authorizes the Secretary to issue conditional immigrant visas to up to 75,000 qualified alien entrepreneurs. Removes such conditional basis after four years of maintaining qualified entrepreneur status.

Eliminates the per-country numerical limitation for employment-based visas.

Increases the per country numerical limitation for family based immigrants from 7% to 15% of the total number of family-sponsored visas.

Amends the Chinese Student Protection Act of 1992 to eliminate the provision requiring the reduction of annual People's Republic of China immigrant visas to offset status adjustments under such Act.

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide a permanent full tax exclusion on gain from the sale or exchange of qualified small business stock held for more than five years, (2) repeal the minimum tax preference and the 28% capital gains rate on such stock, and (3) provide a limited tax credit for certain startup small businesses.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to use certain federal agency extramural budget funds to award grants to institutions of higher education for initiatives to improve commercialization and transfer of technology.

 Requires the head of any federal or independent regulatory agency, before issuing a notice of rule making in connection with the issuance of a proposed major rule, to complete a review that, among other things, analyzes the problem that the rule intends to address, and identifies and analyzes the rule's expected impact on state, local, and tribal governments, as well as on the ability of new businesses to form and expand. Requires a cost-benefit analysis before rule issuance.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to regularly compile: (1) information from each of the states and the District of Columbia on laws that affect the formation and growth of new businesses, and (2) quantitative and qualitative information on U.S. businesses that are not more than one year old.

Date: 2015-01-16
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Economics and public finance
Innovators Job Creation Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a qualified small business to elect to use a portion of its tax credit for increasing research expenditures as an offset against its payroll tax liability under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act.

Defines "qualified small business" as a corporation, a partnership, or a person other than a tax-exempt organization that had gross receipts of less than $5 million for the taxable year and that did not have gross receipts for any period preceding the five-taxable-year period ending with such taxable year.

Limits: (1) the number of years a taxpayer may elect to offset payroll taxes under this Act to five, and (2) the annual amount of such offset to $250,000.

Allows an offset of research tax credit amounts against alternative minimum tax liability. 

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Macroeconomics (Industrial Policy)
Subject: Taxation