United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2021
Uyghur Stop Oppressive Sterilizations Act or the Uyghur SOS Act This bill expands existing visa-blocking sanctions to cover certain high-ranking foreign government officials who are responsible for coercive population control policies, such as forced abortions, with a focus on those responsible for such policies against ethnic minority groups in China. Specifically, the Department of State may not issue a visa to a foreign national who is a head of state, head of government, or cabinet-level minister and responsible for establishing or enforcing such policies if the policies are (1) imposed with the intent to destroy a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group; or (2) targeting ethnic minority groups (e.g., Uyghurs, Kazakhs, or Tibetans) or individuals peacefully expressing internationally-recognized human rights in China. (Currently, these sanctions do not apply to any foreign government officials at these higher ranks.) The State Department must make a public announcement each time sanctions are imposed under this bill. The bill also requires the State Department to provide all appropriate assistance to women who belong to an ethnic minority group in China and who have experienced sexual violence, torture, or coercive population control policies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2021
This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. DIPG is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2021
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
This resolution expresses support for Israel's efforts of self-determination and collective security against external forces, recognizes Jerusalem as the legitimate capital city of Israel, and condemns actions by Hamas against the people of Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
This resolution condemns the rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel beginning the week of May 9, 2021. It also states that the United States must continue to invest in and support Israel's security and sovereignty.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
This bill waives certain eligibility requirements for hospitals participating in the 340B drug discount program (i.e., a program that allows entities to receive covered outpatient drugs at reduced prices from manufacturers) during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, the bill waives the required minimum proportion of low-income patients served for hospitals that began participating in the program during or prior to the COVID-19 emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
Save Local Business Act This bill provides that a person may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee under federal labor law only if such person directly, actually, and immediately (and not in a limited and routine manner) exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. Such control may by demonstrated by hiring and discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2021
Student Loan Marriage Penalty Elimination Act of 2021 This bill allows married couples filing a joint tax return to apply the $2,500 limitation on the tax deduction for student loan interest separately to each spouse.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2021
Combatting Racist Training in the Military Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Armed Forces and academic institutions of the Department of Defense from promoting specified anti-American and racist theories (e.g., that any race is inherently superior or inferior to any other race). Specifically, the bill prohibits including anti-American and racist theories or materials in curricula, reading lists, seminars, workshops, trainings, or other educational or professional settings in a manner that could appear as sponsorship, approval, or endorsement; contracting with, hiring, or otherwise engaging speakers, consultants, diversity trainers, and other persons for the purpose of advocating anti-American and racist theories; compelling members of the Armed Forces to affirm or profess belief in anti-American and racist theories; and segregating members of the Armed Forces by race in any setting, including educational and training sessions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2021
Protect and Serve Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly assaulting a law enforcement officer and causing serious bodily injury (or attempting to do so) in circumstances that affect interstate commerce. It imposes criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both—on a violator.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2021
Get Americans Back To Work Act This bill makes an individual ineligible for federal pandemic unemployment compensation (FPUC) after June 30, 2021. It also reduces the amount of FPUC to $150.00 for weeks of unemployment ending after May 31, 2021, and ending on or before June 30, 2021. Under current law, an individual is eligible for FPUC for weeks of employment ending on or before September 6, 2021 in the amount of $300.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2021
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2021 or the PHIT Act of 2021 This bill allows a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for a joint return or a head of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses per year. The bill defines qualified sports and fitness expenses as amounts paid exclusively for participating in a physical activity, including (1) fitness facility memberships, (2) physical exercise or activity programs, or (3) equipment for a physical exercise or activity program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 May 2021
Repealing Illegal Freedom and Liberty Excises Act or the RIFLE Act This bill repeals the excise tax on the transfer of firearms. The bill shall not be construed as placing any regulated firearms under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2021
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2021
Securing a Strong Retirement Act of 2021 This bill makes various changes with respect to employer-sponsored retirement plans, including providing for the automatic enrollment of employees in certain plans and increasing the age at which participants are required to begin receiving mandatory distributions.
United States · United States Congress · 4 May 2021
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
United States · United States Congress · 30 April 2021
Putting Americans First Act This bill prohibits the termination of U.S. sanctions against Iran unless and until the President certifies that all U.S. citizens imprisoned in Iran have been released into U.S. custody.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2021
This resolution recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of law enforcement. It also condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police.
United States · United States Congress · 26 April 2021
Abortion Providers Loan Elimination Act This bill makes abortion providers ineligible to receive a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program, which was established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19. This prohibition shall not apply to hospitals or entities that exclusively provide abortions (1) where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest, or (2) where the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. The Inspector General of the Small Business Administration must report on the number of paycheck protection loans made to the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and to other abortion providers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2021
DHS Blue Campaign Enhancement Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to expand its Blue Campaign, which coordinates DHS actions to identify and prevent human trafficking. The bill requires DHS to (1) provide web-based training for law enforcement and corrections personnel, and (2) establish an advisory board for the campaign.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2021
This resolution states that the United Nations Security Council should immediately impose an arms embargo against the military of Burma (Myanmar) and hold it accountable for its ongoing violations of human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021 This bill establishes and modifies several programs and requirements to address prescription drug prices. The bill modifies provisions under Medicare and Medicaid relating to prescription drug coverage and price transparency. Among other changes, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish certain information, as reported by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), relating to generic dispensing rates, drug discounts and rebates, and payments between PBMs, health plans, and pharmacies; caps annual out-of-pocket spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit; allows prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to offer additional plans in a region; requires pass-through pricing models, and prohibits spread-pricing, for payment arrangements with PBMs under Medicaid; and allows states to include in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program covered outpatient drugs that are provided as part of physician or outpatient hospital services. The bill also generally modifies other provisions relating to the regulation and costs of generic and brand-name drugs. Among other changes, the bill prohibits the manufacturer of a brand-name, generic, or biosimilar drug from entering into certain agreements to resolve or settle a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product; permanently allows high deductible health plans to waive deductibles for insulin and associated products; and establishes the position of Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Maximum Pressure Act This bill expands sanctions and economic penalties on Iran. It also restricts the President from unilaterally lifting or waiving the sanctions or penalties and increases congressional oversight of them. Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions. Additionally, it modifies existing sanctions, including by (1) providing statutory authority for executive orders imposing sanctions; (2) applying sanctions to additional sectors of Iran's economy; and (3) broadening sanctionable conduct to cover, for example, assisting Iran with the acquisition of ballistic missiles and the complicity of Iranian officials in human rights violations in specified countries. The bill also requires reporting on licenses that authorize activities subject to sanctions. The bill prohibits U.S. representatives at the International Monetary Fund from voting to allow Iran's access to special drawing rights (a currency support tool) and places restrictions on financial transactions with Iran. The restrictions include requiring domestic financial institutions to implement special measures with respect to foreign financial institutions that conduct significant transactions connected to the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (a European mechanism that bypasses U.S. sanctions when carrying out trade with Iran). The Department of State must maintain the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' designation as a terrorist organization and must designate Ansharallah (or Houthis), which operates in Syria, as a foreign terrorist organization. The bill also requires reports on U.S. sanctions concerning Iran, the status of Iran's nuclear weapons program, and other matters.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to take certain actions promoting the normalization of relations between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. Specifically, the State Department must develop a strategy on expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords (the term used to refer collectively to agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain marking the public normalization of relations between the two Arab countries and Israel). The strategy must include a description of how the U.S. government will encourage further normalization of relations with Israel. In addition, the State Department must report on options for U.S. international efforts to promote the strengthening of ties between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. The State Department must also report on the status of the normalization of relations with Israel, including information on (1) laws that punish individuals for people-to-people relations with Israelis (i.e., anti-normalization laws), and (2) evidence of steps taken by Arab governments toward permitting or encouraging normalized relations between their citizens or residents and Israeli citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Finish the Wall Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities related to the construction of a barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other border-related issues. DHS must resume all such construction activities that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021. DHS must also expend all funds appropriated or explicitly obligated since October 1, 2016, for construction of this barrier system. DHS may not cancel contracts for activities related to such construction entered into on or before January 20, 2021. Furthermore, within 14 days of this bill's enactment, DHS must certify to Congress that U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities that process adults taken into custody at the border are fully compliant with certain laws related to the collection of DNA. (Among other things, these laws allow for the collection of DNA samples from non-U.S. persons detained under U.S. authority.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2021
American Workforce Empowerment Act This bill allows tax-preferred college savings plans (529 plans) to fund certain postsecondary certificate programs and apprenticeship programs.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2021
Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture National Historical Park Act This bill provides for the establishment of the Cahokia Mounds Mississippian Culture National Historical Park in Collinsville, Illinois; Monroe, Madison, and St. Clair Counties, Illinois; and St. Louis City County, Missouri, as a unit of the National Park System. The Department of the Interior may acquire lands and interests within the boundary of the park by donation, purchase, or exchange, except that land owned by such states or their political subdivisions may only be acquired by donation. Interior may enter into cooperative agreements with such states and their political subdivisions, colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, and individuals to (1) mark, interpret, and restore nationally significant historic or cultural and natural resources related to the life of the Mississippi culture within the park, if the agreement provides for reasonable public access; and (2) conduct research related to Mississippi culture.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2021
Withstanding Attempts to Encroach on our Resources Act of 2021 or the WATER Act This bill specifies which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for the definition of waters of the United States , commonly known as WOTUS, included in the 2020 Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States." The 2020 rule replaced a 2015 rule that included a more expansive definition of WOTUS.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2021
Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Eradicate Crossing of Illegal Tunnels Act of 2021 or the EXIT Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take various actions to facilitate the search for and remediation of unlawful border crossing tunnels on private land. Specifically, DHS may waive federal, state, or local environmental permits and reviews as necessary to search for or remediate such tunnels. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may enter into indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts with two or more sources to facilitate such border tunnel activities. (Indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts provide for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Fire Fighters and EMS Employer-Employee Cooperation Act This bill requires the Federal Labor Relations Authority to determine whether a state substantially provides fire and emergency medical services (EMS) personnel the right to form and join a labor organization; recognition by fire and EMS employers of the employees' labor organization, agreement to bargain with the organization, and reduction of any agreements to writing in a contract or memorandum of understanding; the right to bargain over hours, wages, and terms and conditions of employment; and arbitration or other mechanisms to resolve an impasse in collective bargaining negotiations. The bill makes the authority responsible for (1) determining the appropriateness of units for labor representation; (2) supervising elections; (3) conducting hearings and resolving complaints of unfair labor practices; and (4) protecting the right of employees to form, join, or assist any labor organization, or to refrain from doing so. An employer, fire and EMS personnel, or labor organization may not engage in a lockout, sickout, work slowdown, strike, or any other organized job action that will measurably disrupt the delivery of emergency services and is designed to compel an employer, fire and EMS personnel, or labor organization to agree to the terms of a proposed contract.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Accelerate Long-term Investment Growth Now Act or the ALIGN Act This bill makes permanent the expensing of certain new business equipment. Expensing allows the deduction of the full amount of an expense item in the same taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2021 This bill provides federal workers' compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as a result of their service. Specifically, the bill provides that (1) heart disease, lung disease, and specified cancers of federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least 5 years are presumed to be proximately caused by such employment if the employee is diagnosed with the disease within 10 years of employment; and (2) the disability or death of the employee due to such disease is presumed to result from personal injury sustained in the performance of duty. These presumptions also apply to fire protection employees (regardless of the length of employment) who contract any communicable disease at the center of a designated pandemic or any chronic infectious disease that the Department of Labor determines is related to job-related hazards. An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker, who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishment of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
This resolution states that the Chinese government is responsible for ongoing abuses against the Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups and that these abuses constitute genocide and crimes against humanity. The resolution also condemns such genocide and crimes against humanity and calls on the President to take certain actions to put an end to these atrocities.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) clean water is a national priority, and (2) the 2020 final rule titled The Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States" should not be withdrawn or vacated.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2021
No Taxpayer Funding for the U.N. Population Fund This bill prohibits the use of funds to provide contributions directly or indirectly to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The UNFPA is a United Nations agency that supports access to sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, maternal health care, and sexuality education.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2021
Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act This bill requires the Department of State to report on the curriculum used in schools in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority or located in Gaza and controlled by any other entity. Among other topics, the report must address (1) whether the materials used encourage violence or intolerance toward other nations or ethnic groups, (2) the steps the Palestinian Authority is taking to reform such materials, and (3) whether U.S. foreign assistance is used to fund the dissemination of the offending materials. The State Department must make such reports publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2021
Opioid Prescription Verification Act of 2021 This bill modifies overdose prevention activities carried out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Specifically, HHS must update pharmacist training materials to include information about how to verify the identity of individuals who pick up prescribed medications. In addition, the CDC may give preference, in awarding grants for overdose prevention, to states that maintain a prescription drug monitoring program that mandates the collection of specified information, and require dispensers of certain potentially addictive drugs to verify the identity of individuals who pick up prescribed medications.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2021
Voluntary Protection Program Act This bill provides statutory authority for the voluntary protection program within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Under the program, workplaces that implement comprehensive safety and health management systems are exempt from certain paperwork and inspection requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2021
Debt Bondage Repair Act This bill prohibits a consumer reporting agency from reporting adverse credit information about a consumer that is the result of severe human trafficking or sex trafficking. A court of competent jurisdiction must determine that the consumer is a victim of trafficking.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2021
Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act of 2021 This bill increases the rehabilitation tax credit and modifies certain requirements for the credit. The bill increases the rate of the credit for qualified rehabilitation expenditures in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019, and before January 1, 2027, after which the rate reverts to 20%. The bill increases the rate of the credit to 30% for certain small projects whose qualified rehabilitation expenditures do not exceed $2.5 million. The bill also expands the types of buildings eligible for rehabilitation by decreasing the rehabilitation threshold from 100% to 50% of project expenses. It also eliminates the basis adjustment requirement for the credit and modifies rules relating to tax-exempt use property eligible for the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2021
Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act of 2021 or the 911 SAVES Act This bill requires the Office of Management and Budget, by 30 days after the bill's enactment, to categorize public safety telecommunicators as a protective service occupation under the Standard Occupational Classification System.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Financial Exploitation Prevention Act of 2021 This bill allows for the delay of the redemption of a security issued by an open-end investment management company if the company or transfer agent reasonably believes the redemption involves the financial exploitation of an individual age 65 or older or an individual age 18 or older who is unable to protect his or her own interests. Open-end investment management companies offer securities in pooled investment vehicles such as mutual funds. Additionally, the Securities and Exchange Commission must make legislative and regulatory recommendations to address the financial exploitation of such adults.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Flexible Financing for Rural America Act This bill allows rural utility service providers to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a request to adjust the interest rate or modify the terms of certain loans. The request shall include a report summarizing how the adjustment or modification will assist the borrower in providing critical utility services to a rural community. Specifically, on receipt of a request, USDA or the Department of the Treasury (in the case of a loan owned by the Federal Financing Bank) must adjust the interest rate on the loan to match certain interest rates for obligations of comparable maturity to the term remaining on the loan (or a higher rate requested by the borrower), and make modifications to the loan terms as necessary to address changes in the financial position of the borrower due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and to promote the financial sustainability of the borrower. In carrying out the adjustments or modifications, USDA or Treasury shall not impose or collect any fee from, or impose any penalty on, a borrower. The bill also provides funding to implement the adjustments and modifications and for the liquidation of residual intragovernmental amounts owed by the Federal Financing Bank in connection with certain loans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree or, if unavailable, to a member of his family, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Stopping Overdoses of Fentanyl Analogues Act This bill adds five fentanyl analogues and the entire category of fentanyl-related substances to schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Wagner, Ann [R-MO-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/695fc654ddd5f76cbbad2f67_200.jpg)