United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2021
Medical Debt Relief Act of 2021 This bill modifies requirements related to the reporting of medical debt. Specifically, a consumer reporting agency is prohibited from adding medical debt information to a consumer credit report if the debt was fully paid or settled, or is less than a year old. Additionally, a debt collector must notify the consumer prior to reporting medical debt to a consumer reporting agency.
United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2021
Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act This bill provides funding through FY2031 for grant programs operated by local educational agencies to provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving students and other students who attend elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of students from low-income families. Additionally, the bill permanently reauthorizes the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2021
Strength in Diversity Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2021
Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine and report on the various health impacts of air traffic noise and pollution.
United States · United States Congress · 2 February 2021
Pre-Apprenticeship Wrap-around Support Services Fund Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Labor to award grants to eligible applicants to provide stipends to individuals enrolled in a pre-apprenticeship program. Grant recipients must prioritize the provision of stipends to individuals with a barrier to employment.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2021
West Coast Ocean Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits 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.
United States · United States Congress · 1 February 2021
Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2021 This bill establishes within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a National Center on Antiracism and Health and a law enforcement violence prevention program. Among other activities, the new center must declare racism a public health crisis, collect and analyze data, and administer research and grant programs to address racism and its impact on health and well-being. Additionally, the bill specifically directs the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, in coordination with the Department of Justice and other relevant stakeholders, to carry out the law enforcement violence prevention program by conducting research and supporting other activities pertaining to law enforcement violence and public health.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Reopen and Rebuild America's Schools Act of 2021 This bill provides support for long-term improvements to public elementary and secondary school facilities. First, the bill sets forth allocations to states and establishes a need-based grant program for local educational agencies (LEAs) to improve school facilities. Further, the bill specifies allowable uses of grant funds, including carrying out major repairs, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to disabled individuals. Additionally, the bill requires LEAs that receive funds for new construction, modernization, or renovation projects to comply with hazard-resistance building codes and performance criteria under the WaterSense program of the Environmental Protection Agency. Further, the bill requires LEAs to adopt certain green practices (environmental standards) and requires the use of iron, steel, and manufactured products that are made in the United States (Buy America). The bill restores school infrastructure tax credit bonds. The bill also sets forth reporting requirements, including annual reports on grant program projects and a report by the Government Accountability Office that requires a study of the geographic distribution of projects, the impact of projects on student and staff health and safety, and the accessibility of projects to high-poverty schools. Next, the bill extends through FY2026 the Impact Aid Construction program. Finally, the bill establishes a grant program to assist LEAs with repairing or replacing concrete foundations affected by pyrrhotite (an iron sulfide material linked to crumbling foundations).
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Comprehensive Paid Leave for Federal Employees Act This bill provides paid family and medical leave to federal employees. Currently, federal employees are entitled to 12 weeks of administrative leave for one or more of the following reasons: (1) the birth of a child, (2) the adoption or foster care of a child, (3) the care of an immediate family member with a serious health condition, (4) inability to work due to a serious health condition, and (5) exigencies relating to an immediate family member's active duty service in the Armed Forces. However, of these reasons, employees are entitled to paid administrative leave only in connection with the birth, adoption, or foster care of a child (i.e., parental leave). The bill provides 12 weeks of paid administrative leave for any of these reasons, and specifies that this leave is in addition to any annual or sick leave to which employees are entitled.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Green Bus Act of 2021 This bill requires all buses purchased or leased with Federal Transit Administration funds to be zero-emission beginning on October 1, 2029. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue an annual best practices report on zero-emission bus programs to help states and transit agencies implement zero-emission bus fleets. DOT must give preference in awarding grants under the low or no emission program to transit agencies who have completed a full fleet transition plan. The federal share of the cost of any zero-emission bus purchased or leased in accordance with this bill shall be 90%.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Emergency Water is a Human Right Act This bill creates a grant program, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services, to provide funds to states and Indian tribes to assist low-income households that pay a high proportion of household income for drinking water and wastewater services. Further, any entity receiving financial assistance under this grant program must ensure that no home energy service or public water system service is or remains disconnected or interrupted during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Climate Smart Ports Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for purchasing or installing equipment and technology to reduce pollution at ports. Specifically, the grants must be used for equipment or technology that produces zero exhaust emissions of certain pollutants and greenhouse gases or captures 100% of the exhaust emissions produced by an ocean-going vessel at berth.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
This resolution expresses the sense that it is the federal government's duty to develop and implement a Roadmap to Freedom immigration reform plan by (1) promoting full citizenship, (2) protecting and strengthening a fair process centered on family unity, (3) promoting and preserving diversity by encouraging immigration from underrepresented countries, and (4) establishing a just and humane system to uphold immigration laws.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Relaunching America's Workforce Act This bill establishes several grant programs to address employment, the workforce, and education access in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. The Department of Labor must provide grants in response to the COVID-19 national emergency to provide training and employment for dislocated, unemployed, and underemployed workers; support youth employment; establish workforce information systems improvements; provide reentry employment opportunities for justice-involved youth and young adults; and create or expand apprenticeship programs. Programs directed towards assisting Native Americans and migrant and seasonal farmworkers may be extended. The Department of Education must provide grants to expand the capacity of adult education providers to prioritize serving adults with low-literacy or numeracy levels negatively impacted by the COVID-19 national emergency, and to improve or expand career and technical education programs and programs of study to respond to state and local needs as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act This bill establishes that a foreign nongovernmental organization shall not be disqualified from receiving certain U.S. international development assistance solely because the organization provides medical services using non-U.S. government funds if the medical services are legal in both the United States and the country in which they are being provided. Such foreign organizations shall not be subject to requirements relating to their use of non-U.S. funds for advocacy or lobbying activities, other than those that apply to U.S. nongovernmental organizations. Current U.S. policy prohibits various foreign assistance from going to a foreign nongovernmental organization unless it agrees to not perform or actively promote abortions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Securing Access to Lower Taxes by ensuring Deductibility Act or the SALT Deductibility Act This bill repeals the temporary restrictions in taxable years 2018 through 2025 on the deductibility of state and local taxes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
National Office of New Americans Act This bill establishes the National Office of New Americans (NONA) within the Executive Office of the President to promote and support the integration of immigrants and refugees into the social, cultural, economic, and civic life of the United States. The NONA shall also establish the Federal Initiative on New Americans. The initiative shall establish a coordinated federal program to respond effectively to immigrant and refugee integration issues such as language learning, adult education and workforce training, health care, and naturalization.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act of 202 1 This bill makes available payroll assistance to eligible aviation employers impacted by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, aviation employers demonstrating at least a 15% decline in revenues and economic conditions that justify assistance may enter an agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury to receive up to 50% of the amount of total compensation for the 25% of its workforces most at risk of permanent reduction or furlough, excluding senior executive and highly-compensated employees. Assistance under this program is available through April 30, 2023, and Treasury must establish an application process and minimum eligibility requirements for participation in the program not later than 10 days after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
Raise the Wage Act of 2021 This bill increases the federal minimum wage for regular employees over a 5-year period, for tipped employees, and for newly hired employees who are less than 20 years old. The bill sets forth a schedule of annual increases in the federal minimum wage for individuals with disabilities. The Department of Labor shall no longer issue special certificates for the payment of subminimum wages to such individuals after the final wage increase under this bill for such individuals takes effect. Labor shall provide, upon request, technical assistance and information to employers to (1) help them transition their practices to comply with wage increases and other requirements under this bill for individuals with disabilities, and (2) ensure continuing employment opportunities for such individuals. The bill eliminates the separate minimum wage requirements for tipped, newly hired, and disabled employees. After a specified period, these employees shall be paid the same minimum wage as regular employees. Labor must publish any increase in the minimum wage in the Federal Register and on its website 60 days before it takes effect.
United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2021
This resolution expresses the gratitude of the House of Representatives to the members of the National Guard and law enforcement agencies who were deployed to the District of Columbia to ensure a safe and secure environment for the 59th inauguration.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises several programs and activities relating to newborn screening for certain conditions and genetic, endocrine, and metabolic diseases. Among its changes, the bill reauthorizes and makes mandatory the Hunter Kelly Research Program at the National Institutes of Health, and national surveillance activities conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill also aligns statutory requirements for research on non-identified newborn blood spots with federal regulations governing research on human subjects. These blood spots are collected as part of newborn screening programs, and some states make them available for biomedical and public health research. Under current regulations, research on non-identified bio-specimens such as blood spots is not considered to be research on human subjects, to which additional protections apply.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
National Apprenticeship Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the registered apprenticeship program within the Department of Labor, provides for related grant programs, and contains related provisions. The bill provides statutory authority for the Office of Apprenticeship (OA) within Labor. The OA's responsibilities include (1) supporting the development of apprenticeship models; (2) recognizing qualified state apprenticeship agencies, and operating apprenticeship offices in states without a recognized agency; (3) providing technical assistance to state agencies; (4) periodically updating requirements for each occupation in the apprenticeship program and determining whether to approve new occupations for the program; (5) promoting greater diversity in the national apprenticeship system; and (6) awarding grants provided under this bill. The bill also establishes in statute the responsibilities of state apprenticeship agencies and offices, including (1) providing technical assistance to stakeholders, (2) resolving complaints, (3) establishing state performance goals, and (4) including in its written plan a description of how its apprenticeship programs align with the skills needs of the state's employers. The OA shall enter into an agreement with the Department of Education to promote the integration and alignment of apprenticeship programs with secondary, postsecondary, and adult education. The OA shall award grants to eligible entities to (1) expand national apprenticeship system programs, including by expanding pre-apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship programs; (2) encourage employer participation; and (3) strengthen alignment between the apprenticeship system and education providers. The bill provides statutory authority for criteria for various programs, including (1) quality standards for apprenticeships, (2) requirements for apprenticeship agreements between a program sponsor and an apprentice, and (3) acceptable uses for grant funds awarded under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 January 2021
Energy Resilient Communities Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a program that awards grants to make critical energy infrastructure more resilient to climate change hazards, such as grants for developing clean energy microgrids that support critical community infrastructure or customers of electric utilities with special energy needs due to medical conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021 This bill modifies the funding rules and provides financial assistance for certain pension plans that are underfunded or insolvent. First, the bill expands the authority of, and provides funding for, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to provide special partition assistance to a multiemployer pension plan that is insolvent or at risk of insolvency. The bill expands eligibility for partition assistance, provides funding for a plan to reach a projected funded ratio of 80% over a 30-year period, and does not require a plan to repay such assistance. The bill further permits a multiemployer pension plan to elect to retain its funding zone status from the previous year for either (1) the first plan year beginning during the period from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021; or (2) the next succeeding plan year, as designated by the plan sponsor. A plan may also extend by five years the funding improvement or rehabilitation period if the plan is designated as in endangered or critical status for a plan year beginning in 2020 or 2021. A plan in critical and declining status may not suspend payment of plan benefits. Additionally, the bill adjusts the minimum funding standards for a multiemployer pension plan to account for investment losses and other losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and modifies the PBGC guarantee formula to increase the maximum potential benefits under a multiemployer pension plan. Finally, the bill makes changes with respect to single employer pension plans, including revising the amortization rules and extending and modifying the pension funding stabilization percentages.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
This joint resolution eliminates the deadline for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, which prohibits discrimination based on sex. The amendment was proposed to the states in House Joint Resolution 208 of the 92nd Congress, as agreed to in the Senate on March 22, 1972. The amendment shall be part of the Constitution whenever ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the states.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Assuring You Uniform Dietary Assistance (AYUDA) Act of 2021 This bill makes the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill modifies pay rates for federal employees in 2022. Specifically, the bill increases rates under the statutory pay systems and for prevailing rate employees by 2.2%, and increases locality pay by 1%.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
COVID-19 Student Loan Relief Extension Act This bill extends certain temporary relief related to federal student loans and expands eligibility for such relief to additional types of loans. Specifically, the bill extends the current suspension of payments due on federal student loans to 30 days after the end of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. It also extends the suspension of interest due on these loans until the economy shows specified initial signs of recovery. Further, the bill expands eligibility for temporary relief on federal student loans to include Federal Family Education Loans (FFELs) and Federal Perkins Loans that are not held by the Department of Education (ED) and certain health profession and nursing loans. (Currently, these temporary relief provisions are only applicable to certain Federal Direct Loans and FFELs that are held by ED.) Additionally, the bill makes this eligibility retroactive to March 13, 2020. Finally, ED and the Department of Health and Human Services must carry out a program, beginning on August 1, 2021, to provide at least six notices to borrowers that normal payment obligations will resume.
United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2021
Excluding Pandemic Unemployment Compensation from Income Act This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, unemployment compensation paid under provisions of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act or the CARES Act relating to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. It also disregards such compensation for purposes of determining eligibility for federally-assisted programs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2021
This bill allows the first person nominated and appointed as Secretary of Defense after 12 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time) on January 20, 2021, to be a person who is, on the date of appointment, at least four years after relief from active duty as a commissioned officer of a regular component of the Armed Forces. Under current law, an individual may not be appointed as Secretary of Defense within seven years after relief from such active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2021
Wall Street Tax Act of 2021 This bill imposes a 0.1% excise tax on certain purchases of stocks, bonds, and derivatives. The tax applies to the purchase of a security if (1) such purchase occurs on, or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States; or (2) the purchaser or seller is a U.S. person. The tax applies to transactions with respect to a derivative if (1) the derivative is traded on, or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States; or (2) any party with rights under the derivative is a U.S. person. The bill exempts from such tax (1) initial issues of securities; and (2) any note, bond, debenture, or other evidence of indebtedness which is traded on or is subject to the rules of, a qualified board or exchange located in the United States, and has a fixed maturity of not more than 100 days. The tax applies to transactions by a controlled foreign corporation and must be paid by its U.S. shareholders.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
Equal COLA Act This bill revises the formula used to calculate the cost-of-living adjustment for annuities paid under the Federal Employees Retirement System.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of Korean American Day and honors the 118th anniversary of the arrival of the first Korean immigrants to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should ensure that the U.S. Postal Service is not privatized and remains an independent establishment of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
Medicare Sequester COVID Moratorium Act This bill continues to exempt Medicare from budget sequestration orders until the end of the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2021
Officer Eugene Goodman Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman for his actions to protect the Senate chamber during the security breach at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 12 January 2021
Roadless Area Conservation Act of 2021 This bill bars the Department of Agriculture from allowing the construction of roads, the reconstruction of roads, or logging in an inventoried roadless area where those activities are prohibited by the Roadless Rule (i.e., certain federal regulations relating to roadless area management).
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
Big Cat Public Safety Act This bill revises requirements governing the trade of big cats (i.e., species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species). Specifically, it revises restrictions on the possession and exhibition of big cats, including to restrict direct contact between the public and big cats.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
This resolution expresses support for meeting key goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including achieving gender equality, ending extreme poverty, and improving public health. The resolution also states that the agenda's Sustainable Development Goals form a critical blueprint to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that all people can live in peace and prosperity by 2030.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
Federal Death Penalty Prohibition Act This bill prohibits the imposition of a death penalty sentence for a violation of federal law. A person sentenced to death before enactment of this bill must be resentenced.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
This resolution impeaches President Donald John Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. Specifically, the resolution sets forth two articles of impeachment. The first article states that President Trump abused the powers of the presidency by attempting to unlawfully overturn the results of Georgia's presidential election. The article specifies that President Trump, on a recorded call, repeatedly asked the Secretary of State of Georgia to overturn the verified results of the election and threatened consequences for a failure to do so. The second article states that President Trump abused the powers of the presidency by inciting violence and orchestrating an attempted coup. The article specifies that, on January 6, 2021, President Trump incited a crowd of supporters to attack the Capitol while Congress was in session to certify the results of the election. The article further specifies that, after those supporters had violently breached the Capitol, President Trump made a statement repeating his false claims of election fraud and expressing affection for the supporters. Both articles state that, by such conduct, President Trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding U.S. office.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
This resolution impeaches President Donald John Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. Specifically, the resolution sets forth an article of impeachment stating that President Trump incited an insurrection against the government of the United States. The article states that prior to the joint session of Congress held on January 6, 2021, to count the votes of the electoral college, President Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were fraudulent and should not be accepted by the American people or certified by state or federal officials; shortly before the joint session commenced, President Trump reiterated false claims to a crowd near the White House and willfully made statements to the crowd that encouraged and foreseeably resulted in lawless action at the Capitol; members of the crowd, incited by President Trump, unlawfully breached and vandalized the Capitol and engaged in other violent, destructive, and seditious acts, including the killing of a law enforcement officer; President Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021, followed his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the presidential election, which included a threatening phone call to the Secretary of State of Georgia on January 2, 2021; President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government; and by such conduct, President Trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold U.S. office.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
End Diaper Need Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands programs to increase access to diapers and related supplies primarily for low-income families. The Department of Health and Human Services must award demonstration grants to entities with experience in community distribution of basic necessities or other community services to meet diapering needs of eligible families with infants and toddlers. Additionally, the bill permits states to use Medicaid funds to provide medically necessary diapers and supplies to certain low-income families. These families must have a child who is over age three and diagnosed with a serious condition such as bowel or bladder incontinence. It also allows individuals to buy medically necessary diapers and supplies with funds from health savings accounts and other tax-advantaged accounts for health care expenses.
United States · United States Congress · 11 January 2021
This resolution calls upon Vice President Michael R. Pence (1) to immediately use his powers under section 4 of the Twenty-fifth Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments to declare that the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office, and (2) to transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House notice that he will be immediately assuming the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
United States · United States Congress · 4 January 2021
Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 This bill makes daylight savings time the new, permanent standard time. States with areas exempt from daylight savings time may choose the standard time for those areas.
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adam [D-WA-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_wa_9_smith_adam_200.jpg)