zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Fracturing Responsibility and Awareness of Chemicals Act or the FRAC Act 

This bill repeals the exemption for hydraulic fracturing operations relating to oil and natural gas production activities under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.

The bill amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to allow the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to prescribe regulations that authorize a state to seek primary enforcement responsibility for hydraulic fracturing operations for oil and natural gas without seeking to assume primary enforcement responsibility for other types of underground injection control wells.

The chemicals intended for use in underground injections must be disclosed before the hydraulic fracturing operations commence. The chemicals actually used must also be disclosed at the end of the operations. The disclosure must be made to the state or, if the EPA has primary enforcement responsibility, to the EPA. The state or the EPA must ensure the accuracy and completeness of the disclosed information and make it available to the public.

When a medical emergency exists and the proprietary chemical formula of a chemical used in such hydraulic fracturing is necessary for medical diagnosis, treatment, or emergency response, hydraulic fracturing operations must disclose the formula or the specific chemical identity of a trade secret chemical to the state, the EPA, a first responder, or a health care practitioner upon request, regardless of the existence of a written statement of need or a confidentiality agreement. Hydraulic fracturing operations may require the execution of the statement and agreement as soon as practicable. First responders or health care practitioners may share any information disclosed with other persons if the information is medically necessary, but such personnel may not make the information publicly available.

Date: 2015-03-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Fracturing Regulations are Effective in State Hands Act

 This bill gives states the sole authority to promulgate or enforce any regulation, guidance, or permit requirement regarding hydraulic fracturing on or under any land within their boundaries. Hydraulic fracturing or fracking is a process to extract underground resources such as oil or gas from a geologic formation by injecting water, a propping agent (e.g., sand), and chemical additives into a well under enough pressure to fracture the geological formation.

Hydraulic fracturing on federal land must comply with the law of the state in which the land is located.

Date: 2015-03-19
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

LNG and LPG Excise Tax Equalization Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to equalize the excise tax on liquefied petroleum gas and liquefied natural gas by establishing a rate of 18.3 cents per energy equivalent of a gallon of gasoline for liquefied petroleum gas and 24.3 cents per energy equivalent of a gallon of diesel for liquefied natural gas.

(Sec. 3) The bill also increases from 30% to 35% the rate of the continuous levy on payments made after 180 days after the enactment date of this Act to Medicare providers and suppliers for unpaid taxes.

Date: 2015-04-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to make permanent the suspension of the taxable income limitation on percentage depletion for oil and natural gas produced from marginal properties.

Date: 2015-04-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Seismic Moratorium Act

This bill prohibits conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil or gas exploration and development in any area located within a specified exclusive economic zone located off the coastline of Florida.

This moratorium shall only be terminated if the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (of the Department of Commerce) determines that the reasonably foreseeable impacts of such activities are minimal to individuals or populations of marine mammals, sea turtles, or fish.

These geological or geophysical activities are described in the final programmatic environmental impact statement of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (of the Department of the Interior) entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas," completed February 2014.

Date: 2015-04-30
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Pipeline Modernization and Consumer Protection Act

 Requires each operator of a gas pipeline facility, in accordance with an integrity management program, if applicable, to accelerate the repair, rehabilitation, and replacement of gas piping or equipment that is leaking or may pose high risk of leaking.

Requires each state regulatory authority and each nonregulated gas utility, in complying with such requirements, to:

 develop prioritized timelines to repair or replace all leaking or high-risk piping or equipment, and require use of best available technology to detect gas leaks. Directs the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to issue non-binding best practices guidelines for identifying and classifying high-risk pipeline infrastructure and leaks for repair or replacement.

Directs the Administrator and the heads of other applicable federal agencies to work jointly to establish and publish forms that adopt a standard definition and methodology for calculating and reporting information on the causes of unaccounted-for gas.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Pipeline Revolving Fund and Job Creation Act

 Directs the Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration to offer to enter into agreements to make capitalization grants, including letters of credit, to eligible states for the repair or replacement of natural gas distribution pipelines.

Requires grant funds to be deposited into state revolving loan funds to provide loans or loan guarantees to: (1) facilitate compliance with an intended use plan, or (2) repair or replace those pipelines that have been identified as leak-prone.

Prohibits the use of funds from loans or loan guarantees made by a state to repair or replace natural gas distribution pipelines unless all of the iron, steel, plastic, and manufactured goods used in the repair or replacement are produced in the United States (Buy America).

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Oil and Gas Production and Distribution Reform Act of 2015

This bill requires the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to: (1) identify, as soon as practicable after an application for federal authorization relating to oil and gas production and distribution is submitted, each federal, state, or local governmental entity that may consider an aspect of that application; and (2) invite each identified agency to cooperate or participate in the review process for the application.

The governmental entity delegated to review an aspect of the application must make a final decision on the aspect of the federal authorization under its consideration within 90 days after FERC issues its final environmental document (unless federal law establishes a different schedule).

 When deciding a federal authorization, an agency must defer to the scope of environmental review that FERC determines appropriate.

Each agency considering an application for federal authorization shall take certain actions as well as identify and, according to specified procedures, try to resolve issues that may delay or prevent granting of the authorization.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to require that civil penalties for violations of the Act be assessed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in accordance with the guidelines which it apply regarding civil penalties for violations under the Federal Power Act (under which a court may review de novo the law and the facts involved).

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
This bill requires the Department of the Interior, upon state request, to establish a program under which the Director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with a state to create consistent rules and processes for measurement of oil and gas production activities, inspection of meters or other measurement methodologies, and other operational activities.

 To be eligible for this program, a state must administer oil and gas programs sufficient to fulfill BLM oversight and enforcement responsibilities.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Strategic Petroleum Reserve Modernization Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Energy to:

 evaluate the international obligations that gave rise to the establishment and maintenance of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR); analyze changes in energy security infrastructure since the establishment of the SPR, including changes in the distribution infrastructure and the integrity of the salt caverns associated with the SPR; estimate the costs of completing deferred maintenance for the SPR; estimate the costs of life extension spending for SPR infrastructure nearing the end of its design life; and evaluate the size of the SPR as of the date of the study, based upon current and projected oil supply and demand.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
This bill amends the Natural Gas Act with respect to liquid natural gas (LNG) terminals to prohibit the Department of Energy, as of the date the total quantity of natural gas cumulatively exported by fully permitted LNG terminals is at least equal to 8 billion cubic feet per day, from either taking into consideration or approving any proposal submitted by an LNG terminal to:

 initiate the export of natural gas to a foreign country from an LNG terminal that does not export natural gas as of the date of the proposal's submission, or increase the quantity of natural gas exported to a foreign country by an LNG terminal that does export natural gas as of the date of the proposal's submission.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Regional Gas Consumer Protection Act

This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, before approving or disapproving an application for the siting, construction, expansion, or operation of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, to consider: (1) regional constraints in the U.S. natural gas supply, and (2) whether the application includes provisions of benefit to the regional consumers that would be affected by the exportation of natural gas.

Date: 2015-05-07
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Fuel Loss Abatement and Royalty Enhancement Act or the FLARE Act

This bill requires the Department of the Interior to issue regulations to: (1) prevent or minimize the venting and flaring of gas in oil and gas production operations on federal land onshore and offshore in the United States, and (2) promote the capture and beneficial use or reinjection of gas in such operations.

Such regulations shall also treat gas that is flared or vented in operations under a lease as production for which a royalty is required to be paid to the United States.

The Government Accountability Office shall assess such venting and flaring and estimate the volume of gas vented or flared in such operations each year.

Date: 2015-05-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Alaska Outer Continental Shelf Lease Sale Act 

This bill requires the Department of the Interior to conduct oil and gas lease sales in the Cook Inlet Planning Area, and in the portion of the Beaufort Planning Area located within three nautical miles of the seaward boundary of Alaska.

Oil and gas leases under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act shall have an initial 20-year lease period (extendable for an additional 20 years) if they are located in the portion of the Beaufort Planning Area or Chukchi Planning Area beyond three nautical miles of the seaward boundary of the State of Alaska.

The bill establishes, for FY2016-FY2026, a scheme for revenue allocation between the Treasury and the state of Alaska for specified purposes, including workforce development relating to oil and gas infrastructure and, for FY2027 and beyond, certain related activities of coastal political subdivisions.

Interior must also include in any leasing program at least three lease sales in each of the Beaufort Planning Area and the Chukchi Planning Area.

The North Slope Science Initiative under the Energy Policy Act of 2005 shall now include the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas.

Interior must enter into cooperative agreements with the Northwest Arctic Borough and the NANA Regional Corporation to coordinate efforts, share resources, and fund projects.

Date: 2015-05-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
United States Exploration on Idle Tracts Act or the USE IT Act

This bill directs the Department of the Interior to issue regulations to establish a specified graduated annual production incentive fee with respect to federal onshore and offshore lands subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring.

Amounts received for the fee shall be reserved for expenditures on inspection, enforcement, and permitting relating to oil and gas.

Date: 2015-05-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Deficit Reduction Through Fair Oil Royalties Act

This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from issuing new oil or natural gas production leases in the Gulf of Mexico under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act unless they have been renegotiated to require royalty payments if the price of oil and natural gas is greater than or equal to specified price thresholds.

Rentals or royalties received by the United States under covered leases must be deposited in the Treasury and used for federal budget deficit reduction or, if there is no federal budget deficit, federal debt reduction.

Interior must agree to a lessee's request to amend a lease to incorporate price thresholds applicable to royalty suspension requirements that are equal to or less than certain statutory price thresholds if the lease was issued for any Central and Western Gulf of Mexico tract on or after January 1, 1996, through November 28, 2000.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Oil Spill Deterrent Act 

This bill amends: (1) the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 to increase from $5,000 to $100,000 the civil penalty for failure to take corrective action pertaining to drilling violations on federal land, and (2) the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to increase from $20,000 to $250,000 the civil penalty for failure to take corrective action pertaining to drilling violations on the Outer Continental Shelf.

 Both Acts authorize the Department of the Interior to increase such penalties after notice and an opportunity for public comment.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
American Crude Oil Export Equality Act 

Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to repeal the authority of the President to restrict exports of:

 coal, petroleum products, natural gas, or petrochemical feedstocks; and materials or equipment which he determines necessary for either exploration, production, refining, or transportation of energy supplies, or for construction or maintenance of energy facilities within the United States. Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to repeal limitations on exports of oil.

Amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to repeal limitations on export of Outer Continental Shelf oil or gas on the lands within its purview.

Declares without force or effect:

 the limitation placed upon crude oil exports by the Export Administration Act of 1979, and a specified regulation relating to crude oil (but retains its full force and effect with respect to crude oil exports from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve [SPR]). Requires a license from the Bureau of Industry and Security of the Department of Commerce for export to a country of crude oil only if:

 the country is subject to sanctions or trade restrictions imposed by the United States, the President or Congress has designated the country as subject to exclusion for reasons of national security, or the export concerns the withdrawal of crude oil from the SPR. Authorizes the President to ban crude oil exports from the United States during a national emergency for a maximum period of one year (renewable for additional one-year periods) if certain circumstances exist.

Directs the Governmental Accountability Office to conduct annual reviews of:

 energy production in the United States; and the effects, if any, of crude oil exports from the United States on consumers, independent refiners, and shipbuilding and ship repair yards.

Date: 2015-05-19
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Focused Reduction of Effluence and Stormwater runoff through Hydrofracking Environmental Regulation Act of 2015 or the FRESHER Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act) to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to require a permit under the national pollutant discharge elimination system for discharges of stormwater runoff from: (1) mining operations; (2) oil and gas operations; or (3) transmission facilities for collecting and conveying precipitation runoff that are not contaminated by contact with any overburden, raw material, intermediate products, finished product, byproduct, or waste products located on the site of the operations.

The Department of the Interior must study stormwater runoff associated with oil or gas operations, including an analysis of: (1) measurable contamination, (2) groundwater resources, and (3) the susceptibility of aquifers to contamination from stormwater runoff associated with the operations.

Date: 2015-06-11
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Petroleum Coke Transparency and Public Health Protection Act

This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to submit to Congress and publish on the HHS website a report containing the results of a study concerning petroleum coke that includes: (1) an analysis of the public health and environmental impacts of the production, transportation, storage, and use of petroleum coke; (2) an assessment of potential approaches and best practices for storing, transporting, and managing petroleum coke; and (3) a quantitative analysis of current and projected domestic petroleum coke production and utilization locations.

The Environmental Protection Agency is required to promulgate rules concerning the storage and transportation of petroleum coke that ensure the protection of public and ecological health based upon the findings of such study.

Date: 2015-07-14
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Health
Underground Gas Storage Facility Safety Act of 2015

This bill revises federal pipeline safety requirements to authorize states to enforce a state requirement for the safe construction and operation of underground natural gas storage wellbores if:

 the state authority has consulted with the Department of Transportation (DOT) about the requirement, and DOT does not object to the requirement within 30 days after consultation is initiated.

Date: 2015-07-15
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015 

This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change.

The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing or renewing a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.

Date: 2015-07-16
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to limit or repeal certain tax benefits for major integrated oil companies (defined as companies with annual gross receipts over $1 billion and an average daily worldwide production of crude oil of at least 500,000 barrels or certain successors in interest of such companies), including: (1) the foreign tax credit for companies that are dual capacity taxpayers; (2) the tax deduction for income attributable to the production, refining, processing, transportation, or distribution of oil, natural gas, or primary products thereof; (3) the tax deduction for intangible drilling and development costs; (4) the percentage depletion allowance for oil and gas wells; and (5) the tax deduction for qualified tertiary injectant expenses.

Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal royalty relief (suspension of royalties) for: (1) natural gas production from deep wells in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico; and (2) deep water oil and gas production in the Western and Central Planning Area of the Gulf (including the portion of the Eastern Planning Area encompassing whole lease blocks lying west of 87 degrees, 30 minutes west longitude).

Dedicates any increased revenue generated by this Act to the reduction of a federal budget deficit or the federal debt.

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

Date: 2015-07-30
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Pipeline Improvement and Preventing Spills Act of 2015

This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to prescribe minimum standards to require the owner or operator of a pipeline facility to notify all owners and residents of property located within 2,000 feet of a transmission line of:

 the property's proximity to the line, and the line's specific location if it is on private residential property. DOT shall ensure that industry standards and procedures adopted as part of the federal pipeline safety regulatory program are easily available to the public free of charge.

 In identifying high-consequence areas, DOT shall consider specified features of a pipe, including its age, whether it can be inspected using the most modern instrumented internal inspection devices, whether it crosses open waters of the Great Lakes, and the type of commodity it transports.

 The Interagency Coordinating Committee on Oil Pollution Research shall:

 identify measures to respond to spills or leaks of oil in the Great Lakes; and assess their effectiveness in preventing significant or substantial harm to the public health or welfare. DOT shall:

 conduct a comprehensive water crossing survey of all intrastate and interstate hazardous liquid pipeline facilities that cross U.S. waterways in the Great Lakes Basin; and enter into a joint agreement with the National Research Council of the National Academies of Sciences to identify gaps in data and information in the Basin pipeline network, and make recommendations to prevent future leaks, ruptures, and failures that could result in damage to Basin waterways and natural resources. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended to:

 prohibit vessel transportation of crude oil and crude oil derived from oil sands on the Great Lakes; and include in the meaning of "worst-case discharge," in the case of an offshore or onshore facility, the largest foreseeable discharge in adverse weather conditions (as in current law) in which waters that may receive a discharge are covered by ice.

Date: 2015-09-24
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
This bill prohibits states, political subdivisions, and any other taxing authority from: (1) assessing natural gas pipeline property at a value that has a higher ratio to its true market value than the ratio used to assess other commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction, (2) levying or collecting a tax on such an assessment, (3) levying or collecting an ad valorem property tax on natural gas pipeline property at a rate that exceeds the rate applicable to other commercial and industrial property in the same assessment jurisdiction, or (4) imposing any other tax that discriminates against a natural gas pipeline providing transportation or storage subject to the jurisdiction of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The bill: (1) grants jurisdiction to U.S. district courts to prevent violations of this Act, and (2) sets forth criteria governing relief for claims relating to violations of this Act.

Date: 2015-10-01
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2015

This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a lease for the exploration, development, or production of oil or natural gas in any area of the outer Continental Shelf off the coast of California, Oregon, or Washington.

Date: 2015-10-07
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Keep It in the Ground Act of 2015

This bill states as U.S. policy that: (1) federal land and waters should be managed for the benefit of the people of the United States to avoid the most dangerous impacts of climate change and to promote a rapid transition to a clean energy economy; and (2) the government should pursue management of federal land and waters for the benefit of the people of the United States by not issuing any new lease or renewing any nonproducing lease for coal, oil, or natural gas in any such land or waters.

The bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing a new lease, renewing, reinstating, or extending any nonproducing lease under such Act, or issuing any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other fossil fuel in the Arctic Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or any other area of the outer Continental Shelf.

Interior shall: (1) cancel any lease issued under such Act before the date of enactment of this Act in the Beaufort Sea, Cook Inlet, or Chukchi Sea; and (2) not conduct any lease sale, enter into any new lease, reoffer for lease any land covered by an expiring lease, or renew, reinstate, or extend any nonproducing lease in existence before such date for onshore fossil fuels, including coal, oil, tar sands, oil shale, and gas on land subject to the Mineral Leasing Act.

Interior may exempt any provision of this Act if it determines that there is an imminent national security threat and that issuing an exemption would significantly reduce such threat, but only for as long as the threat persists.

Interior may allow a nonproducing lease to be renewed or extended if: (1) the nonproducing lease contract was signed before enactment of this Act, and (2) Interior determines that giving effect to any provision of this Act is likely to lead to a court ruling that there was a material breach of the contract. Such a renewal or extension shall be for the shortest time practicable under the terms of the contract.

Date: 2015-11-04
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Waterway LNG Parity Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the excise tax rate for the Inland Waterways Trust Fund to equal 29 cents per gallon or the per energy equivalent of a gallon of diesel in the case of liquefied natural gas, as defined by this Act.

Date: 2015-12-09
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Taxation
Atlantic Seismic Airgun Protection Act

This bill amends the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act to prohibit conducting geological or geophysical activities in support of oil or gas exploration and development on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf.

The geological and geophysical activities are described in a final programmatic environmental impact statement by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management entitled "Atlantic OCS Proposed Geological and Geophysical Activities, Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic Planning Areas."

Date: 2016-04-21
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Energy
Foreign Spill Protection Act of 2016

This bill amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to make foreign facilities that are located offshore and outside the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) liable for removal costs and damages that result from oil spills that reach (or threaten to reach) U.S. navigable waters, adjoining shorelines, or the EEZ. Specifically, the following parties may be held liable: (1) the owners or operators of the foreign facilities, including facilities located in, on, or under any land within foreign countries; and (2) the holders of a right of use and easement granted under applicable foreign law for the area in which the facility is located.

Date: 2016-05-18
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Trust Fund Act of 2016

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate: (1) the $1 billion per incident limitation on expenditures from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for cleanup of oil spills, (2) the $500 million per incident limitation on expenditures from the trust fund for natural resource damage assessments and claims in connection with oil spills, and (3) the limitation on the borrowing authority of the trust fund.

The bill also amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to direct the President to promulgate regulations to allow advance payments from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund to states and localities to prepare for and mitigate substantial threats from the discharge of oil.

Date: 2016-07-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Big Oil Bailout Prevention Unlimited Liability Act of 2016

This bill amends the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to revise requirements governing the liability of parties that are responsible for oil discharges from offshore facilities into navigable waters or adjoining shorelines. Currently, responsible parties are liable for the total of all removal costs plus $75 million. The bill: (1) removes the cap of $75 million on liability, and (2) makes the responsible parties liable for all covered damages. Covered damages includes damages for: (1) loss of natural resources, property, revenue, or profits; or (2) costs of providing increased public services during or after removal activities, such as fire protection.

Date: 2016-07-12
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Environmental protection
Alaska Rails for Resources Act of 2016 or the AR4RA Act of 2016

This bill addresses the construction of the Rails for Resources project in Alaska.

Date: 2016-07-13
Topic: Energy (Natural Gas & Oil)
Subject: Transportation and public works
Eating Disorders Awareness, Prevention, and Education Act of 2007 - Amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the use of innovative assistance funds for programs to: (1) improve identification of students with eating disorders; (2) increase awareness of such disorders among parents and students; and (3) train educators with respect to effective eating disorder prevention and assistance methods. Directs the Secretary of Education to carry out a program to broadcast public service announcements to improve public awareness, and to promote the identification and prevention, of eating disorders. Requires the National Center for Education Statistics and the National Center for Health Statistics to: (1) study the impact eating disorders have on educational advancement and achievement; (2) report on current state and local programs to educate youth on the dangers of eating disorders; and (3) recommend federal, state, and local measures that could be undertaken.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Education
Women's Health and Cancer Rights Conforming Amendments of 2007- Amends the Internal Revenue Code to require group health plans to provide coverage for post-mastectomy reconstructive surgery.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Action of 2007 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay. Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; and (2) ensure that full coverage is provided for secondary consultations by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer. Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Comprehensive Insurance Coverage of Childhood Immunization Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to require a group health plan and a health insurance issuer offering group health insurance coverage to provide comprehensive coverage for routine immunizations for each individual under 19 years of age who is a dependent of a participant or beneficiary under the plan. Requires coverage of routine immunizations without deductibles, coinsurance, or other cost-sharing in accordance with the most recent version of the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule issued by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Applies such requirement to coverage offered in the individual market. Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of Labor to ensure that: (1) such requirement has the same effect at all times; and (2) such Secretaries have a coordinated enforcement strategy.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Justice for the Unprotected Against Sexually Transmitted Infections among the Confined and Exposed Act of 2007 or the JUSTICE Act of 2007 - Requires the Attorney General to direct the Bureau of Prisons to allow community organizations to distribute sexual barrier protection devices (e.g., condoms) and to engage in sexually transmitted infection (STI) counseling and prevention education in federal correctional facilities. Prohibits a federal correctional facility from taking adverse action against a prisoner who possesses or uses a sexual barrier protection device.Expresses the sense of Congress that states should allow for the legal distribution of sexual barrier protection devices in their correctional facilities. Directs the Attorney General to: (1) conduct a survey of all educational, testing, and other programs in federal and state correctional facilities for reducing the spread of STIs; and (2) develop and implement a five-year strategy to reduce the prevalence and spread of STIs in such facilities.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Crime and law enforcement
Calling for 2-1-1 Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award a grant to each state to carry out a program for making available throughout that state the 2-1-1 telephone service for information and referral on human services. Requires a participating state to ensure that at least 50% of the resources of the program funded by the grant will be derived from other sources. Requires a state seeking a grant to carry out its activities through a lead entity to be known as a 2-1-1 Collaborative. Requires grant amounts to be used solely to make available to a state 2-1-1 telephone service for community information and referral on human services to all citizens of that state with phone access, including telephone connections between families and individuals seeking services and the service providers. Requires grant recipients to: (1) abide by the Key Standards for 2-1-1 Centers; and (2) collaborate with human service organizations to provide an exhaustive database of services with which to provide information or referral to individuals utilizing the 2-1-1 service.

Date: 2007-01-04
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2007 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to treat up to $1,000 of amounts paid annually for exercise equipment and physical exercise programs as tax deductible medical expenses.

Date: 2007-01-05
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Taxation
Healthy Places Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish an interagency working group to discuss environmental health concerns, particularly concerns disproportionately affecting disadvantaged populations. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to establish a program at the National Center of Environmental Health at CDC focused on advancing the field of health impact assessment. Requires the Director to develop guidance for the assessment of potential health effects of land use, housing, and transportation policy and plans. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Director, to: (1) establish a program to provide funding and technical assistance to state or local governments affected or potentially affected by an activity or proposed activity to prepare health impact assessments; and (2) establish and maintain a health impact assessment database. Requires the Director to establish a grant program to award grants to state or local communities for environmental health improvement activities. Requires grantees to: (1) establish a planning and prioritizing council; and (2) conduct environmental health assessment. Requires the Secretary to provide grants to public or private nonprofit institutions to conduct and coordinate research on the built environment and its influence on individual and population-based health.

Date: 2007-01-10
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Prevention, Education, and Research Act of 2007 - Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish the Tick-Borne Diseases Advisory Committee. Requires the Committee to advise the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary for Health regarding how officials can: (1) ensure interagency coordination and communication and minimize overlap regarding efforts to address tick-borne diseases; (2) identify opportunities to coordinate efforts with other federal agencies and private organizations addressing such diseases; (3) ensure interagency coordination and communication with constituency groups; (4) ensure that a broad spectrum of scientific viewpoints is represented in public heath policy decisions and that information disseminated to the public and physicians is balanced; and (5) advise relevant federal agencies on priorities related to Lyme and tick-borne diseases. Requires the Secretary, acting through the appropriate federal officials, to provide for the coordination of all federal programs and activities related to Lyme and other tick-borne diseases, including: (1) developing sensitive and accurate diagnostic tools and tests, (2) improving the efficient utilization of diagnostic testing currently available; (3) accurately determining the prevalence of such diseases; (4) evaluating the feasibility of creating a national uniform reporting system; (5) providing and promoting access to a clearinghouse of information on such diseases; (6) increasing public education related to such diseases; (7) creating a physician education program; (8) establishing epidemiological research objectives to determine the long term course of illness for Lyme disease; and (9) determining the effectiveness of different treatment modalities by establishing treatment outcome objectives

Date: 2007-01-31
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Breast Cancer Patient Protect Act of 2008 - Amends the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), the Public Health Service Act, and the Internal Revenue Code to require a group health plan or a health issuer offering group health insurance coverage that provides medical and surgical benefits to ensure that inpatient (and in the case of a lumpectomy, outpatient) coverage and radiation therapy are provided for breast cancer treatment. Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) restricting benefits for any hospital length of stay to less than 48 hours in connection with a mastectomy or breast conserving surgery or 24 hours in connection with a lymph node dissection, insofar as the attending physician, in consultation with the patient, determines such stay to be medically necessary; or (2) requiring that a provider obtain authorization from the plan or issuer for prescribing any such length of stay.Requires such a plan or issuer to: (1) provide notice (prominently in the summary of the plan) to each participant and beneficiary regarding the coverage required under this Act; (2) ensure that coverage is provided for secondary consultations (on terms and conditions that are no more restrictive than those applicable to the initial consultations) by specialists in the appropriate medical fields to confirm or refute a diagnosis of cancer; and (3) ensure that coverage is provided for such secondary consultations whether the consultation is based on a positive or negative initial diagnosis.Prohibits such a plan or issuer from: (1) penalizing or otherwise reducing or limiting the reimbursement of a provider or specialist because of care to a participant or beneficiary in accordance with this Act; (2) providing incentives for a physician or specialist to keep the length of inpatient stays below certain limits following a mastectomy, lumpectomy, or a lymph node dissection for the treatment of breast cancer or to limit referrals for secondary consultations; or (3) providing incentives for a physician or specialist to refrain from referring a participant or beneficiary for a secondary consultation that would otherwise be covered.Applies such requirements to health insurance issuers offering coverage in the individual market.Allows a health insurance issuer that provides individual health insurance coverage to nonrenew or discontinue an individual's coverage based on the intentional concealment of material facts regarding a health condition related to the condition for which coverage is being claimed. Sets forth procedures for notice and independent, external review of any proposed nonrenewal, discontinuation, or rescission of health insurance coverage.

Date: 2007-01-31
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Wellness and Prevention Act of 2007 - Authorizes the Secretary of Health and Human Services to pay up to a specified amount of the medical education loans incurred by any physician who receives board certification in preventive medicine from FY2008-FY2012. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for a wellness program tax credit for employers that develop and implement a program that: (1) conducts health risk assessments for each program participant; (2) offers annually at least two preventive health screenings; (3) offers annual counseling sessions on at least three preventive health topics; and (4) includes as participants not less than 50% of full-time employees. Provides a tax credit for qualified employees that participate in their employer's qualified wellness program.

Date: 2007-02-06
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Heart Disease Education, Analysis Research, and Treatment for Women Act or the HEART for Women Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to deny a new drug application if the application fails to include required information on clinical investigations.Directs the Secretary to require that a new drug application include any clinical data possessed by the applicant that relates to the safety and effectiveness of the drug involved by gender, age, and racial subgroup. (Currently, this is required by regulation.)Requires the Secretary to develop guidance for the staff of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure that new drug applications are adequately reviewed to determine whether they include the required clinical data.Authorizes the Secretary to place a clinical hold on an investigation under an investigational new drug application if the sponsor of the investigation fails to meet the requirements of an annual report on the status of each study in progress. Applies provisions relating to clinical data submission for new drug applications to an investigational new drug application, an application for a biologics license for a biological product, an application for premarket approval for a class III device, and an application for investigational use of a device.(Sec. 3) Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary to provide that all nonidentifiable patient safety work product reported to and among the network of patient safety databases be identified by sex.Directs that analyses of national and regional statistics of information reported to and among the network of patient safety databases take into account data that specifically relates to women and any disparities between treatment and the quality of care between males and females.(Sec. 4) Requires the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct and support research and support demonstrations to identify and evaluate clinical and organizational strategies to improve the quality of and access to care for women with heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases.(Sec. 5) Requires the Secretary to develop and distribute to females who are age 65 or older, physicians, and other appropriate health care professionals educational materials relating to the prevention diagnosis and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular diseases in women. Requires the Secretary, acting through the Bureau of Health Professions of the Health Resources and Services Administration, to conduct an education and awareness campaign for physicians and other health care professionals relating to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases in women. (Sec. 6) Expands the grant program authorizing the Secretary, acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to award grants for preventive health services to all states. (Currently, only three grants may be awarded). Authorizes appropriations for FY2009-FY2013.

Date: 2007-02-13
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health
Parental Right to Decide Protection Act - Prohibits federal funds or other assistance from being made available to any state or political subdivision to establish or implement any requirement that individuals receive vaccination for human papillomavirus (HPV).

Date: 2007-02-16
Topic: Health (Disease Prevention)
Subject: Health