United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on October 1, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2021 or the Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure the number of Vet Centers in certain states is increased by at least one additional center if the VA determines the state meets specified requirements. The VA must also establish a community-based outpatient clinic in each state that does not share a land border with another state, is located at least 2,000 miles from the contiguous United States, and contains no such clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
This bill designates the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in Forest City, North Carolina, as the Corporal Jerry K. Crump VA Clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Blocking Joseph Robinette Biden's Overreaching Vaccine Mandates Act This bill restricts implementation and enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services may not require, as a condition of participation in the programs, that providers mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees, or otherwise penalize participating providers that do not mandate such vaccination. The bill also prohibits the use of federal funds to implement or enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole L. Gee, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss, and their fellow members of the Armed Forces served the country with honor and distinction and the United States honors those members of the Armed Forces and their families.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2021
Permanently Preserving America's Investment in Manufacturing Act This bill makes permanent the allowance for depreciation, amortization, or depletion for purposes of determining the income limitation on the tax deduction for business interest.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2021
Intergenerational Financial Obligations Reform Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Government Accountability Office to provide various reports that include a fiscal gap analysis and a generational accounting analysis. Under the bill, the fiscal gap generally refers to the sum of (1) the total amount of Treasury liabilities outstanding on the last day of the budget year, and (2) the discounted present value of the projected difference between federal spending and revenues during the period of the budget year and at least the next 75 fiscal years (excluding spending for net interest and principal payments on Treasury liabilities). A generational accounting analysis addresses the fiscal impact that projected federal spending and tax burdens will have on various generations of individuals.
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
National Commission on United States Involvement in Afghanistan Act of 2021 This bill establishes the independent National Commission on United States Involvement in Afghanistan. The commission shall assess and report on issues related to U.S. involvement in Afghanistan since 2001, specifically (1) U.S. strategic goals and interests and whether such goals were achieved, (2) U.S. assessments of the situation and whether those assessments were accurately communicated to policymakers and the public, (3) efforts by the United States and its allies to withdraw from Afghanistan, (4) U.S. efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens and Afghan allies, and (5) recommendations for corrective measures for future foreign policy endeavors. The commission terminates 60 days after submitting its final report to Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
Teleabortion Prevention Act of 2021 This bill restricts the use of telehealth for chemical abortions (also known as medication abortions). Specifically, it requires a provider who dispenses or prescribes medication for a chemical abortion to physically examine the patient, be physically present at the location of the chemical abortion, and schedule a follow-up visit. The bill provides an exception for a chemical abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, illness, injury, or condition. The bill establishes criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both—for a provider who does not comply with the requirements. A patient who undergoes a chemical abortion may not be prosecuted.
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 · 24 August 2021
This resolution condemns the President's failure to heed military and intelligence advisors about the speed and nature of the Taliban offense in Afghanistan and urges the President to commit to maintaining the evacuation operation as long as necessary to evacuate any U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or Afghan partner who requests evacuation assistance .
United States · United States Congress · 23 August 2021
Open Schools Responsibly Act This bill limits civil liability for elementary and secondary schools and institutions of higher education relating to any harm arising from exposure to, or infection by, COVID-19 suffered by a student, employee, or visitor. Specifically, a school or institution shall not be liable for such harm if the school or institution was in compliance with applicable state requirements. However, a school or institution may be liable for acts or omissions that constitute willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed.
United States · United States Congress · 23 August 2021
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to report daily on the efforts to evacuate U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents from Afghanistan until the President certifies to Congress that all such individuals who sought evacuation have been evacuated. Until such certification is submitted, DOD may not use FY2021 funds for activity which would have the effect of reducing the total number of service members deployed to Afghanistan, except in specified circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 20 August 2021
Beaches Environmental Assessment and Coastal Health Act of 2021 or the BEACH Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and expands a program that awards grants to state and local governments to monitor the water quality at beaches and notify the public when water is not safe for recreational activities. The bill expands the program to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to award grants for researching and identifying specific sources of contamination at certain coastal recreation waters and taking actions to mitigate those sources.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives opposes adverse punishment or discharge that is not honorable for service members whose discharge results from choosing not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Veterans' Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish in its National Surgery Office an interdisciplinary clinical pathway for all stages of prostate cancer. Clinical pathways are health care management tools designed around research and evidence-based practices that provide direction for the care and treatment of a specific condition. The clinical pathway must include specified elements, such as a diagnosis pathway and a treatment pathway. The VA must consult with and incorporate feedback from (1) veterans who have received prostate cancer care at its medical facilities, and (2) experts in multidisciplinary cancer care and clinical research. Additionally, the VA must publish the clinical pathway on a public VA website and annually update the pathway as needed based on medical literature and evidence-based guidelines. The bill also requires the VA to submit a plan to establish a prostate cancer program using the comprehensive prostate cancer clinical pathway.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Uyghur Policy Act of 2021 This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State. The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may, subject to appropriations, make certain funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups. The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of minority groups in Xinjiang. The State Department must ensure that Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers. It must also ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service is assigned to U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in China.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Countering Communist China Act This bill addresses issues related to China, tax incentives, and other topics. The bill imposes visa- and property-blocking sanctions on certain entities and individuals that (1) are involved in acts of malign disinformation on behalf of a foreign government or political party, or (2) have engaged in a pattern of significant infringement of intellectual property belonging to a U.S. entity or individual. It also authorizes sanctions on developers and owners of software that makes unauthorized transmissions of user data to servers that are located in China and are accessible by China's government. The bill also provides tax incentives for relocating pharmaceutical, medical supply, or medical device manufacturing to the United States, including by allowing accelerated depreciation of nonresidential real property acquired in connection with such relocation; eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures scheduled to begin in 2022, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred; prohibits an institution of higher education from receiving certain federal funds if the institution has a contractual partnership with an entity controlled by China's government or organized under China's laws; modifies presumptions and evidentiary standards in administrative patent validity challenges; bars China from asserting sovereign immunity in certain instances; requires U.S. representatives to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to take certain actions, such as opposing any increase to the weight given to China's currency when determining the value of IMF Special Drawing Rights; and permanently rescinds unobligated funds previously made available for certain economic relief programs related to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
End Misleading Cultural Exchanges Act This bill bars a federal employee from accepting certain assistance, such as a grant, from China's government to facilitate that federal employee's participation in a cultural exchange program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Social Security Disability Insurance Return to Work Act This bill makes various changes to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), with a particular focus on returning individuals who receive SSDI to employment. Among other changes, the bill limits the amount of time an individual with a disability for which medical improvement is likely or expected may receive SSDI benefits, and it requires the Social Security Administration to establish a process to allow such individuals who return to employment before their benefits expire and whose earnings exceed a specified limit to receive an adjusted SSDI benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Creating Opportunities to Advance Shoreline Treatments Act or the COAST Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to expand the use of allotted resources for flood control on stream banks and shorelines to include erosion control. Additionally, these resources may be used to prevent damage to areas such as nonhighway roadways, public recreational assets, public lands, and parks.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Military Spouse Tax Act This bill provides that a spouse of a service member may retain their personal residence or domicile for purposes of taxation. The bill authorizes a service member and the spouse of the member to elect to use the following locations for purposes of taxation: the residence or domicile of the member, the residence or domicile of the spouse, or the permanent duty station of the member.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Transition for Success Act This bill allows members of the reserve components of the Armed Forces to participate in the Department of Defense's Skillbridge program, which provides job training to service members who are transitioning into civilian life.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Say No to Indoctrination Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to teach or advance concepts that separate individuals based on race, color, or national origin; assign characteristics to individuals based on race, color, or national origin; or imply that the United States is an inherently racist country.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Guaranteeing Healthcare Access to Personnel Who Served Act This bill addresses the administration and provision of health care to veterans through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and non-VA providers. First, the bill provides statutory authority for the eligibility thresholds for when a veteran must receive non-VA care under the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP) for primary care, mental health care, noninstitutional extended care services, specialty care, or specialty services. Additionally, the bill establishes access to care standards for non-VA care under the VCCP, meaning a veteran's appointment must be within specified distances and time frames. Among other requirements, the VA must also implement an 18-month pilot program to allow certain veterans to use a website or mobile application to request, schedule, and confirm medical appointments with VCCP providers; ensure that VCCP third party administrators and credentials verification organizations comply with specified requirements to help ensure that certain health care providers are excluded from providing non-VA health care services; develop a strategic plan to ensure the effectiveness of the telehealth technologies and modalities delivered by the VA; and establish an online health care education portal for veterans. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on (1) the VA program under which third parties provide transportation for veterans who are seeking VA services or benefits, (2) VA telehealth services, and (3) the VA's Foreign Medical Program. Finally, the Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply to the voluntary collection of information during research conducted by the Veterans Health Administration.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act of 2021 This bill requires the President to report on the estimated total funds held in domestic and international financial institutions by certain Iranian leaders, and it requires the Department of the Treasury to brief Congress on any illicit or corrupt means employed to acquire or use such funds.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the award of federal funds to an institution of higher education (IHE) that hosts or is affiliated with a school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to its students or to employees of the IHE or the site. An IHE that hosts or is affiliated with a site must, in order to remain eligible for federal funds, annually certify that the site does not provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2021
Entrepreneurs Need Timely Replenishment (for) Eating Establishments Act or the ENTRÉE Act This bill provides FY2021 supplemental appropriations for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and modifies requirements related to administration of the fund. The fund was established in response to COVID-19 to make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors for covering specified costs such as payroll, operational expenses, and paid sick leave. The bill correspondingly rescinds unobligated amounts previously made available for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds. Further, the bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to (1) review and process grant applications in the order in which they are received; (2) impose requirements on applicants that reduce waste, fraud, and abuse; and (3) submit and report monthly on an oversight and audit plan outlining the SBA's policies, procedures, and activities with respect to these grants.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act This bill renames the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) program, reauthorizes the program through FY2027, and makes changes relating to work requirements for beneficiaries. States providing aid under the program shall create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary. States shall impose work requirements on all work-eligible beneficiaries and shall reduce benefits for noncompliance. (Currently, individual plans are optional under TANF, and states have discretion as to whether to reduce benefits for noncompliant individuals.) States providing aid shall meet annual performance targets related to the number of beneficiaries who exit the program and find unsubsidized employment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall reduce grants to states that fail to meet such targets. States shall provide data related to beneficiary employment and wages to HHS, which shall be publicly available. The bill modifies certain limitations that restrict the use of funds for case management and other purposes and requires states to spend at least 25% of funds from various grants on core activities. Certain existing laws relating to monitoring and recovering improper benefits payments shall apply to the JOBS program. The bill eliminates programs providing (1) supplemental grants for population increases, (2) bonuses for high performance states, (3) welfare-to-work grants, and (4) contingency funds for state welfare programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
Facilitating Innovative Nuclear Diagnostics Act of 2021 This bill establishes separate payment requirements for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals under the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services. The bill's requirements apply to diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that have an average daily cost of $500 or more in 2022 and as adjusted based on a specified fee schedule factor in each year thereafter.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provides essential protection for our country from foreign and domestic threats and that defunding DHS would be detrimental to our national security.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act This bill makes the America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available, without charge, to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and Gold Star Families. The pass covers the entrance fee and standard amenity recreation fee for all federal recreational lands and waters.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on how direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising negatively impacts drug costs to consumers.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2021
Student Veterans Counseling Centers Eligibility Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish counseling, including counseling through a Vet Center, to veterans or members of the Armed Forces who are pursuing a course of education using specified Department of Defense or VA educational assistance benefits.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2021
Rebuilding Communities After Disasters Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to increase the loan limits for the disaster loan program and to communicate certain information about the program following disasters. Specifically, the bill raises from $40,000 to $75,000 the loan amount for repair or replacement of household and personal effects and from $200,000 to $400,000 the loan amount for repair or replacement of a primary residence. Further, the bill requires the SBA to communicate through radio, television, print, and web-based outlets all relevant information needed by disaster loan applicants if a disaster is declared or the SBA declares eligibility for additional disaster assistance. (Currently, the SBA is only required to endeavor to communicate such information.) The SBA must submit a report on the disaster loan program that includes information such as the number and dollar value of program loans and the average estimated dollar value of damage sustained by borrowers.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Minor League Baseball Relief Act This bill establishes a program for the relief of certain minor league baseball clubs and independent professional baseball clubs that experienced large business losses. The bill provides funding for the Small Business Administration to make grants to such clubs that experienced decreases in gross revenue in 2020 of at least 75%, as measured against revenues in 2019 (or, if revenues were negatively affected by a natural disaster or weather disruption in 2019, by the average of revenues over the prior three-year period). The source of funding for the grants shall be funds appropriated under enacted COVID-19 relief legislation that have not been obligated and are no longer being used to carry out activities authorized under those laws. Grant amounts provided to any club may not exceed $10 million.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct or support gain-of-function research involving potential pandemic pathogens by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or other foreign adversaries. Gain-of-function research is any research that is anticipated to confer an attribute on a pathogen to enhance its pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals. If the Department of State finds that an entity has used funds for prohibited research, the entity may not receive any federal funding for a period of five years.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Campus Free Speech Restoration Act This bill addresses expressive activities (e.g., peacefully assembling, distributing literature, or carrying signs) on college campuses. First, the bill generally prohibits a public institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student-aid programs from restricting noncommercial expressive activities on campus. Further, the bill prohibits a public IHE from receiving federal funds if the Department of Education determines that the public IHE (1) maintains a policy that infringes upon the expressive rights of students; or (2) maintains or enforces time, place, or manner restrictions on expressive activities, except in limited circumstances. In addition, the bill prohibits retaliation against an individual because the individual reported or complained about restrictions on expressive activities or participated in an investigation or hearing. The bill also requires a private IHE that receives federal funds to provide students with its policies related to expressive rights. The bill also establishes a framework for investigating complaints and for IHEs to regain eligibility for federal funds.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
America Stands with Israel Act This bill authorizes the President to introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities or to direct immediate transfer of defense articles or services to ensure the survival of Israel and its people from an existing or imminent threat.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance Act of 2021 or the PASTEUR Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into subscription contracts for critical-need antimicrobial drugs, provides $11 billion in appropriations for activities under the bill, and contains other related provisions. A manufacturer of a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimicrobial drug may apply to HHS to have the drug designated as a critical-need antimicrobial, and HHS may enter into a subscription contract for such a critical-need antimicrobial. The bill imposes certain requirements related to such contracts, including a mechanism to lower payments under the contract in certain instances to limit the manufacturer's revenue from the drug. Furthermore, HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shall award grants to support efforts to encourage the appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs and efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. The CDC shall also track and assess data relating to antibacterial resistance and human antibiotic use and make such data publicly available. HHS shall also establish a Committee on Critical Need Antimicrobials. The committee shall develop a list of prioritized infections for which new antimicrobial drug development is needed, among other duties. Within six years of the bill's enactment, the Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress a study on the bill's effectiveness in developing priority antimicrobial drugs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2021
Senior Citizens' Freedom to Work Act of 2021 This bill eliminates provisions that reduce Social Security retirement benefits for certain beneficiaries who have outside income. Currently, benefits are reduced for beneficiaries who are younger than full retirement age if they earn more than $18,960 in outside income in a year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2021
H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021 This bill modifies the H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) nonimmigrant visa program, including by exempting certain workers from an annual numerical limit on such visas and requiring civil penalties for program violations. Under this bill, if a worker seeking a H-2B visa has been counted toward the 66,000 annual cap on such visas in one of the three preceding fiscal years, that worker shall not be counted against the cap again. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must impose a civil monetary penalty on an employer for (1) failing to meet requirements related to an H-2B visa petition, or (2) making a willful misrepresentation of material fact in such a petition. DHS must also ensure the establishment of an electronic platform (1) for employers to submit and request approval of an H-2B petition, and (2) to act as a single point of access for applicants and the relevant government agencies. The Department of Labor must maintain a publicly available online database of all job orders by H-2B employers. Furthermore, Labor may take certain actions to enforce program requirements, such as imposing penalties and seeking injunctions. The bill provides statutory authority for the current practice of limiting the program to workers who are nationals of countries approved by DHS. DHS may make exceptions to this limitation in individual cases if it is in the U.S. interest to do so. DHS shall select approved countries based on various factors, such as the rate of overstay by H-2B visa holders from each country.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2021
Compensation for Americans Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to negotiate with China to secure compensation for China's distortion of information related to the spread of COVID-19. The bill also contains other China-related provisions, such as those imposing sanctions on certain Chinese individuals and entities. As part of such negotiations, the President shall (1) freeze Chinese assets subject to U.S. jurisdiction; (2) suspend the required review of any proposed acquisition of a U.S. entity by a Chinese entity; (3) impose sanctions on Chinese entities in certain industries, such as artificial intelligence and pharmaceuticals; (4) impose sanctions on various individuals, including Chinese government officials and Chinese citizens responsible for stealing intellectual property from U.S. entities; and (5) prohibit using federal funds to procure goods manufactured or sourced from a Chinese company, if such goods pose a supply chain risk to U.S. national security. The President may terminate such prohibitions and sanctions if China and the United States come to an agreement regarding compensation related to COVID-19. The Department of the Treasury shall establish a public repository with information about entities that are owned, financed, or controlled by the Chinese government. Other provisions in this bill include (1) imposing export controls on telecommunications equipment that would help China carry out censorship or surveillance, (2) banning researchers affiliated with China's military from obtaining visas, and (3) requiring U.S. World Bank representatives to end China's eligibility for World Bank assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2021
This bill expands tax-exempt governmental pension plans to include plans maintained by a tax-exempt public safety agency all of whose employees are emergency response providers performing firefighting services or out-of-hospital emergency medical services.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Trade Related Intellectual Property Protection Act or the TRIPP Act This bill requires the President to oppose any waiver of obligations under the TRIPS Agreement (i.e., the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) held by members of the World Trade Organization unless there is an express, statutory authorization for such a waiver.