United States · United States Congress · 14 December 2021
Advanced Aviation Infrastructure Modernization Act or the AAIM Act This bill establishes a pilot grant program to support advanced air mobility (AAM) infrastructure. AAM infrastructure refers to an air transportation system that transports individuals and property between points in the United States in both controlled and uncontrolled airspace using certain aircraft, including remotely piloted, autonomous, or vertical take-off and landing aircraft. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must award planning grants for AAM infrastructure to (1) state, local, or tribal governments; (2) airport sponsors; (3) transit agencies; (4) port authorities; (5) metropolitan planning organizations; or (6) consortia of such entities. Entities that receive these grants must develop a comprehensive plan for AAM infrastructure, including vertiports (sites that support the landing, takeoff, loading, and other operations of vertical take-off and landing aircraft). Topics covered in the plan must address matters such as identifying locations for AAM infrastructure and available sources of funding. DOT must brief Congress about the plans it receives. The briefing must include an evaluation of the planned or proposed locations for vertiports and a description of best practices or lessons learned through the review of comprehensive plans. If the Federal Aviation Administration certifies at least two aircraft models designed to provide AAM transportation and other requirements are met, DOT may award construction grants to entities that submitted comprehensive plans. Recipients may use grant funds for design, environmental studies, and other capital costs related to the construction of a public-use vertiport or associated infrastructure. Grants may not be awarded after September 30, 2023.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
No Foreign Adversaries Residing in our Communities Act or the No FARC Act This bill bars any alien who is a present or former member of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (also known as FARC) from being admitted into the United States or receiving a visa. The President may waive this prohibition on a case-by-case basis only by certifying to Congress that the waiver is in the U.S. national interest.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Land and Water Conservation Fund Water Amendments Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to provide financial assistance for water quality improvement projects from amounts made available under the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Interior shall only provide such financial assistance to projects that seek to improve water quality by improving, restoring, remediating, or developing natural hydrological systems, such as wetlands and living shorelines. To be eligible for assistance, a state's comprehensive statewide outdoor recreation plan shall identify any body of water within the state for which a water quality control plan has been developed pursuant to the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and any proposed water quality project to be conducted with respect to such body of water.
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Taiwan Preclearance Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress on various issues, including (1) a plan for establishing a U.S. Customs and Border Protection preclearance facility in the Indo-Pacific region; (2) an analysis of the feasibility and advisability of establishing a preclearance facility in Taiwan; and (3) an assessment of the impact that a preclearance facility will have on trade, tourism, and the security partnership between Taiwan and the United States. (Preclearance facilities are stations in designated foreign airports that inspect travelers prior to boarding U.S.-bound flights.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 December 2021
Border Agents Stay Employed Act or the BASE Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to require any U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer or employee to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2021
Preventing Animal Abuse and Waste Act of 2021 or the PAAW Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from conducting or supporting research that causes significant pain or distress to a dog. The bill also requires reporting about the use of dogs in research studies. First, the National Institutes of Health must report on ongoing or prospective research conducted or supported by NIAID that causes significant pain or distress to a dog and the amount of funds obligated for such research. Second, NIAID must report on efforts to phase out the use of dogs in the research it conducts or supports.
United States · United States Congress · 3 December 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that, by cooperating with the Chinese Communist Party, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) failed to adhere to its own human rights commitments and protect the free speech of Olympic athletes. The resolution also expresses that, in an effort to regain lost public confidence, the IOC should call on the Chinese Communist Party to (1) open an independent and transparent investigation into the allegations of Peng Shuai; (2) publicly commit to holding sexual violence abusers accountable; (3) cease all censorship of reporting and discussions of Peng's case; and (4) allow Peng to leave China if she so desires, and not retaliate against her family members who remain in China.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Protect American Taxpayer Dollars from Illegal Immigration Act This bill prohibits expending federal funds for legal settlements to individuals who violated certain laws relating to the proper time and place to enter the United States, if the settlement pertains to claims based solely on the lawful detention of such an individual as part of a family unit after the individual's entry into the United States at the southern border after January 20, 2017.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Public Safety Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program. Additionally, the bill requires a certain amount of funds made available under the COPS grant program to be used for the hiring and retention of law enforcement officers.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Crucial Communism Teaching Act This bill directs the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation to develop a civic education curriculum and oral history resources for high school students to promote understanding of certain political ideologies (e.g., communism and totalitarianism) that conflict with principles of U.S. democracy.
United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2021
Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act of 2021 or the HELP Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2035 the special duty-free rules for Haiti. It also extends through December 19, 2035, the duty-free treatment provided for apparel articles assembled in Haiti and imported from Haiti or the Dominican Republic.
United States · United States Congress · 1 December 2021
This bill revises enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including by directing inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA.
United States · United States Congress · 19 November 2021
Parents Bill of Rights Act This bill outlines various rights of parents and guardians regarding the elementary or secondary school education of their children. Among other requirements, the bill (1) directs local educational agencies to publicly post the curriculum for each elementary and secondary school grade level; and (2) requires schools to notify parents and guardians of their rights, including the right to review the school's curriculum and budget.
United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2021
Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Berell Ferencz in recognition of his service to the United States and the international community during the post-World War II Nuremberg trials and his lifelong advocacy for international criminal justice and the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
This resolution recognizes the two-year anniversary of the November 2019 massacre by Iran. The resolution also condemns the human rights atrocities committed against Iranians by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Finally, the resolution urges the Department of State to restore the recognized death toll of the November 2019 massacre to 1,500.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021 This bill prohibits using federal funds to establish any diplomatic facility in Jerusalem other than the U.S. Embassy to Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2021
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor emergency temporary standard for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in employment settings. Under the standard issued on November 5, 2021, employers with 100 or more employees must require their onsite employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
United States · United States Congress · 9 November 2021
Supply Chain Emergency Response Act This bill directs the Maritime Administration to establish a program to provide grants to certain owners of cargo vessels to cover toll costs associated with rerouting cargo vessels from ports along the western seaboard of the United States through the Panama Canal to ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the United States. To receive a grant, an owner of a cargo vessel shall submit documentation that such owner intends to reroute a cargo vessel and has the corresponding docking agreements. The bill allows states and localities to use COVID-19 relief funds for costs related to rerouting cargo vessels. Any marine terminal operator who is operating a port located along the western seaboard of the United States may not collect port fees from a recipient of a grant who has rerouted a cargo vessel from such port due to the inability of such port to receive such vessel. Any individual who is a member of the Chinese Communist Party or any company owned, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party may not receive a grant under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 5 November 2021
This resolution recognizes the service and sacrifices of the Transportation Security Administration's (TSA's) employees and officers on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the TSA and the role its employees and officers play in keeping our nation secure.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2021
This resolution condemns the Biden administration for (1) incentivizing illegal immigration by compensating illegal migrants who cross the southern border illegally, and (2) stopping construction on the southern border wall and failing to enforce Migrant Protection Protocols.
United States · United States Congress · 3 November 2021
Supplying America Needs Truckers Aged 18 Act or the SANTA 18 Act This bill exempts drivers who transport goods from a port of entry and another place within the same state from age restrictions and other requirements that apply to federal commercial driver's licenses.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2021
National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization and Reform Act of 2021 This bill generally revises the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and reauthorizes the program through FY2026. The bill addresses NFIP coverage, cost, and availability, including by generally prohibiting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from raising certain premiums, surcharges, and fees more than 9% a year for five years; revising flood insurance coverage limits; establishing a means-tested program to provide financial assistance to low income households through policy discounts; and revising standards and certification requirements for flood insurance rate maps. The bill also revises administrative provisions of the NFIP, including by allowing for the continuous operation of the NFIP during a lapse in appropriations, and prohibiting the Department of the Treasury from charging FEMA interest for NFIP debt for five years. The bill sets forth requirements for Write Your Own companies related to reimbursements, agent commissions, and penalties for underpayment of claims. (A Write Your Own company writes and services federal standard flood insurance policies in its own name.) The bill establishes state or tribal government revolving funds for flood mitigation activities and also provides for loans, grants, and other incentives regarding mitigation.
United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2021
NFIP Risk Rating 2.0 Delay Act of 2021 This bill freezes premium rates for flood insurance provided through the National Flood Insurance Program through September 30, 2022.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2021
Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by unNaturalized Emigrants Act or the BE GONE Act This bill expands, for immigration purposes, the definition of aggravated felony to include sexual abuse, sexual assault, and aggravated sexual violence. (Under current law, a conviction for an aggravated felony is grounds for deportation and may bar an individual from other immigration-related benefits.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2021
Patient Advocate Tracker Act This bill requires the Office of Patient Advocacy within the Veterans Health Administration to establish an information technology system that allows veterans or their representatives to electronically file a complaint with a patient advocate and review the status of a filed complaint.
United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2021
This resolution honors the life and legacy of General Colin L. Powell and expresses sympathy to his family. Additionally, the resolution commends General Colin L. Powell for his accomplishments in the government and Armed Forces.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2021
Original National Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Further, it expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of and support programs to end domestic violence.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2021
State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act This bill allows states, tribes, territories, and localities to use certain COVID-19 relief funds for new categories of spending, including for natural disasters and infrastructure projects. It also makes changes to expenditure deadlines and other aspects of this funding. Specifically, recipients may use funds for emergency relief from natural disasters and associated negative economic impacts of natural disasters. In addition, recipients may use a portion of their COVID-19 relief funds for designated infrastructure projects, such as nationally significant freight and highway projects. Furthermore, the bill allows recipients to expend COVID-19 relief funds on these types of infrastructure projects until September 30, 2026. Under current law, recipients must expend the funds by December 31, 2024. Other changes in the bill include (1) modifying eligibility and allocation requirements for funding set aside for counties and Indian tribes that are near public lands, (2) allowing Indian tribes an additional year to expend their COVID-19 relief funds, and (3) establishing a process for government entities to decline COVID-19 relief funds and requiring any declined funds to be used to reduce the federal deficit.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2021
Preserving Recreation, Oceans, Tourism, Environment, and Coastal Towns in Florida Act or the PROTECT Florida Act This bill prohibits oil and gas exploration and leasing on the Outer Continental Shelf in certain areas off the coast of the Gulf of Mexico and Florida. Specifically, the bill extends the moratorium until June 30, 2032, on oil and gas exploration, preleasing or leasing in certain areas of the Gulf of Mexico. Additionally, the bill establishes a moratorium until June 30, 2029, on oil and gas exploration, preleasing or leasing, or any related activity (including seismic testing) in the (1) Straits of Florida Planning Area, and (2) the area in the South Atlantic Planning Area that is south of the northernmost lateral seaward administrative boundary of Florida.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2021
Clean Water Allotment Modernization Act of 2021 This bill revises the formula the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) uses to determine how to distribute funds from the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (SRF) program. Under the program, the EPA allocates funding to states for water quality infrastructure projects, such as wastewater systems and stormwater management projects. In FY2022-FY2026, the EPA must provide an initial allotment to each state that is equal to the amount the state received in FY2023. The EPA must also provide an additional allotment to each state that is based on its share of the U.S. population. In FY2027 and each subsequent fiscal year, the EPA must use an updated allotment formula, which is based on the needs of states as identified in the most recently available clean watersheds needs survey. Beginning in FY2022, the formula must also provide allotments for Indian tribes and territories. In addition, the formula must provide an allotment for EPA's oversight of SRF projects to ensure they use American iron and steel.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus Act or the DEMOCRACIA Act This bill provides for asset- and visa-blocking sanctions for conduct relating to Cuba. It also establishes an interagency task force to facilitate access to uncensored internet in Cuba. The President must sanction foreign persons that provide financial support to Cuban government sectors involved in human rights abuses or terrorism (e.g., the defense sector). This includes foreign persons that (1) are military contractors or mercenaries operating on behalf of the Cuban government, or (2) violate laws restricting trade with Cuba. Specified transactions, including remittances to immediate family members (subject to some limitations) and payments related to U.S. military and diplomatic sites, are not subject to these sanctions. The President must also sanction (1) foreign persons complicit or engaged in human rights abuses or corruption, (2) foreign persons supporting such conduct, and (3) specified Cuban government officials and their affiliates. The bill provides humanitarian exceptions to these sanctions, for example, donating food or agricultural commodities to organizations or individuals unaffiliated with the Cuban government. The President may not license sanctionable conduct, and U.S. persons seeking to engage in a permitted transaction must submit a written request to the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the Department of the Treasury. The President may waive the sanctions in the interest of U.S. national security. To terminate the sanctions, the President must certify that the Cuban government has legalized all political activities and taken other steps to promote political rights and freedoms. Congress must then enact a joint resolution approving the termination.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act This bill prohibits the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting research that involves testing on vertebrate animals in China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or other countries determined to be a foreign adversary.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
Preserving Employment Visas Act This bill reclaims unused employment-based immigrant visas from FY2020 and FY2021 and makes such unused visas available in FY2022, for the purposes of calculating the total number of employment-based immigrant visas available each fiscal year. If, at the end of FY2022, there are still unused FY2020 and FY2021 visas, these unused visas shall be available in subsequent fiscal years until they are all used.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
This resolution requests the President and directs the Department of State to transmit to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the adoption of this resolution, copies of both classified and unclassified documents that refer or relate to certain information on the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, including reactions, concerns, or objections expressed by certain allies and partners; any agreement reached with the Taliban related to the evacuation of specified individuals; and numbers of specified individuals in contact with the State Department to request evacuation assistance from Afghanistan, from July 30, 2021, to the present.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2021 or the PAST Act of 2021 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Protecting Financial Privacy Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a federal agency from creating, implementing, or administering a program that requires financial institutions or individuals to report on the balances of, transactions involving, or transfers into and out of financial accounts. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on September 1, 2021, or to the Bank Secrecy Act (laws that require financial institutions and other entities to report on certain financial transactions to prevent money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and other criminal activity). This prohibition does apply, however, to regulations issued under the Bank Secrecy Act after September 1, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2021
Protecting Rural Telehealth Access Act This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill permanently (1) removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary), (2) allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services, (3) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), and (4) expands coverage to include audio-only services for evaluation and management and behavioral health services.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2021
Preventing the Recognition of Terrorist States Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions related to the Taliban and addresses other related issues. The President must impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly provide significant support to the Taliban or senior Taliban members. The bill also repeals an exception to existing sanctions against certain entities related to energy, shipping, and shipbuilding in Iran. Specifically, the bill repeals a provision authorizing the President to exempt certain entities involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan from such sanctions. No federal department or agency may take any action that states or implies recognition of the Taliban's claim of sovereignty over Afghanistan. The bill also bars the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Defense from using federal funds to prepare or implement any policy that extends diplomatic recognition to the Taliban-controlled government in Afghanistan. The State Department must designate (1) the government of Afghanistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, and (2) the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization. Furthermore, USAID must take appropriate steps to ensure that certain foreign assistance provided in or for certain countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, is not going to or through any individual or entity involved in terrorist activity. The bill also prohibits using certain federal funds to provide direct assistance to any country where the duly elected head of government has been deposed in a coup or decree in which the military played a decisive role.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Reese's Law This bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish product safety standards with respect to batteries that pose an ingestion hazard (e.g., button cell or coin batteries). Specifically, consumer products with these batteries must include (1) a warning label instructing consumers to keep the batteries out of the reach of children, and (2) a battery compartment that prevents access to the batteries by children who are six years of age or younger. Additionally, such batteries, if sold separately or included separately with a product, must comply with federal child-resistant packaging regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Re-using Equipment for Environmental Fortification Act or the REEF Act This bill requires the Department of the Navy to notify Congress of the pending retirement of vessels that are viable candidates for artificial reefing (intentionally sinking a vessel to promote marine life). Specifically, the Navy must provide such notice not later than 90 days before the viable candidate's retirement from the Naval Vessel Register.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
Make the Migrant Protection Protocols Mandatory Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to remove certain aliens from the United States while such an alien's application for admission is pending. Specifically, if an alien arrived by land from a foreign country bordering the United States and the alien is not clearly and beyond a doubt entitled to admission into the United States, DOJ must return that alien to that bordering foreign country while the alien's application for admission is pending. (Currently, DOJ may choose to detain such an alien or return the alien to the bordering foreign country while the application for admission is pending.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act This bill designates the memorial and museum that is being constructed on an approximately 26-acre area on the POW-MIA Memorial Parkway in Jacksonville, Florida, as the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum. The director of the memorial and museum shall submit a report to Congress that includes a budget for the memorial and museum.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act of 2021 or the AFTER Act of 2021 This bill requires federal research facilities to facilitate the adoption or nonlaboratory placement of certain warm-blooded animals (e.g., dogs, cats, monkeys, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits) with animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters, or individuals. In order to be adopted or placed, the animals must (1) no longer be needed for research; (2) be suitable for release; (3) not be birds, rats, or mice.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
9/11 Memorial and Museum Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to award to the official organization that operates the National September 11 Memorial & Museum a one-time grant to be used solely for the purposes of the operation, security, and maintenance of the memorial and museum. As a condition on receipt of the grant, the organization must provide for free admission to all facilities and museums associated with the memorial and museum for active and retired members of the Armed Forces, individuals who were registered first responders to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and family members of victims of such attacks; provide for dedicated free admission hours for the general public at least once a week; and allow for annual federal audits of its financial statements.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the service that working dogs provide to society. The designs of the coins minted under this bill shall be emblematic of the contributions of working dogs to society, including in detection, military service, therapy and assistance. Treasury may issue coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2023. All sales of coins shall include a surcharge, which shall be paid to America's VetDogs for general expenses associated with the fulfillment of its mission.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2021
Prohibiting Assistance to the Taliban Act This bill prohibits using federal funds for foreign assistance to the Taliban, either directly or indirectly.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 27 August 2021
This bill designates the memorial, memorial garden, and K9 memorial of the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida, as the official national memorial, memorial garden, and K9 memorial, respectively, of Navy SEALs and their predecessors.
![Official portrait of Rep. Gimenez, Carlos A. [R-FL-28]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/g000593_200.jpg)