United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
Anti-BDS Labeling Act This bill provides statutory authority for the continuation of U.S. policy related to country of origin marking for imported goods that are produced in the West Bank or Gaza. Currently, such goods must carry specified markings that indicate their origin. Further, the bill prohibits the use of any funds made available to the Department of State or to U.S. Customs and Border Protection to rescind or change this policy.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
U.S.-Israel Military Technology Cooperation Act This bill modifies the required actions of the United States-Israel Defense Acquisition Advisory Group and requires the establishment of the United States-Israel Operations-Technology Working Group to address such operations and technology matters required of the group.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2021
Taliban Recognition Prevention Act This bill requires the Department of State to instruct U.S. representatives to international organizations to advocate that such organizations not recognize the Taliban-controlled government of Afghanistan.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
Counter-Kleptocracy Act This bill addresses prevention and elimination of corruption globally. The Department of State must (1) annually rank, using specified standards, foreign countries based on their efforts to eliminate corruption; and (2) designate an anti-corruption contact in the diplomatic mission of any country that does not meet the standards. The State Department must also evaluate whether to sanction foreign persons engaged in significant corruption (1) in countries that make de minimis or no efforts to meet the standards, or (2) connected to a designated Russian pipeline project. The President may temporarily sanction foreign persons engaging in public corruption activities (e.g. bribery). The bill makes it a federal crime for foreign officials to demand or accept bribes to influence the performance of an official act or otherwise confer an improper advantage. Officials who engage in this conduct are subject to a fine, a prison term, or both. Funds recovered by prosecuting this crime shall be deposited into a new fund in the Treasury for anti-corruption initiatives. The Department of Justice must make publicly available an accounting of property relating to foreign government corruption that is forfeited to the United States. The bill addresses issues concerning U.S. visas, including related to (1) abuse of investor visas by corrupt foreign officials or criminals, and (2) foreign individuals denied admission to the United States because of adverse foreign policy consequences. The bill also prohibits extraditions based solely on, and otherwise addresses, International Criminal Police Organization communications.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2021
This resolution opposes the enactment of any federal law that voids state laws that prohibit employers from requiring workers to join a union as a condition of employment.
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 · 20 August 2021
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act This bill specifically includes pharmacy services as part of covered home infusion therapy under Medicare, and specifies that certain payment components still apply regardless of whether or not a qualified supplier is physically present in the beneficiary's home. The bill also allows nurses and physician assistants to establish and review the plan of care for home infusion therapy.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Hizballah in Latin America Accountability Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean. Specifically, the President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in significant transactions with, or provided material support to, Hizballah in a Latin American or Caribbean country. The Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of State, must report on illicit activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean. This report must include (1) an estimate of how much of Hizbollah's budget derives from such activities, (2) an assessment of interagency efforts and progress in countering such activities, and (3) an identification of financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean known to be operating on behalf of or with ties to Hizballah. The Department of Homeland Security must seek to improve (1) data sharing among trade transparency units with respect to operations against malign actors among Latin American and Caribbean countries, and (2) cooperation with federal agencies with respect to trade transparency units.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Guarantee Oversight and Litigation on Doping Act or the GOLD Act This bill expands federal enforcement for criminal offenses related to international doping fraud conspiracies. Specifically, the bill makes the offenses predicate offenses (i.e., underlying offenses) for prosecutions under the federal money laundering statute and the federal racketeering statute.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Havana Syndrome Attacks Response Act This bill requires the President to sanction foreign persons and governments for carrying out clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury. Specifically, the President must impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that has directed or carried out such an attack. If the President determines a foreign government carried out such an attack, the President must notify Congress and sanction that country by terminating any foreign assistance (except for humanitarian aid or food or agricultural commodities or products) and arms transactions, restricting commercial exports, and denying access to U.S. credit or other financial assistance. The President must remove these sanctions after 12 months, provided that (1) the country's government gives reliable assurances that it will not conduct future attacks, and (2) the executive branch does not have persuasive information indicating an attack occurred in the preceding six months. The bill also requires a congressional briefing and report about suspected clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury, including hypotheses concerning the identity of the perpetrators and the technical methods used to carry out the attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Foreign Americium Disposal and Storage Act or the FADS Act This bill authorizes the collection, storage, and safe disposal of certain foreign-origin, proliferation-attractive fissile materials or radiological materials (or similar foreign-origin materials) at the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, which is the United States' only repository for the disposal of transuranic nuclear waste.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Nuclear Security Enterprise Infrastructure Improvement Act of 2021 This bill increases the minor construction threshold, associated design threshold, and the notification requirement related to national security projects of the Department of Energy.
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
Transnational Repression Accountability and Prevention Act of 2021 or the TRAP Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. cooperation with International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) communications. Specifically, no U.S. agency or department may extradite an individual based solely on an INTERPOL notice. In addition, the Department of Justice and the Department of State must take certain actions to support reforms to increase transparency of INTERPOL, including with respect to its communications. The bill also requires reports on countries that abuse INTERPOL communications for political motives and other unlawful purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the individuals responsible for the July 1999 murders of U.S. citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi in Serbia should be brought to justice and that the United States should devote sufficient resources to fully assist and monitor Serbia's efforts to investigate and prosecute such individuals.
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 · 27 July 2021
The Post-Widows Tax Repeal SBP Open Enrollment for Service-Disabled Veterans Act This bill establishes an open enrollment period for the Survivor Benefit Plan for a member or former member of the uniformed services who, on the day before the first day of the enrollment period, discontinued participation in the Survivor Benefit Plan (due to spousal eligibility for dependency and indemnity compensation), and is entitled to retired pay, or would be entitled to retired pay but for the fact the individual is under 60 years of age.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
This resolution applauds and expresses support for the continued cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah's terrorist activities. It also urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Cambodia Democracy Act of 2021 This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on individuals responsible for acts to undermine democracy in Cambodia, including acts that constituted serious human rights violations. The sanctions shall be directed at senior Cambodian government, military, or security forces officials responsible for such actions, as well as entities controlled or owned by such individuals. The sanctions shall include blocking assets and restricting the entry of sanctioned individuals into the United States, and shall not apply to the importation of goods. The President may waive the sanctions with respect to a person or entity if it is in the national interest of the United States. The President may suspend the sanctions if Cambodia makes meaningful progress toward ending government efforts to undermine democracy or committing human rights violations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
This resolution condemns acts of violence against Afghan women and girls and any effort to limit the ability of women and girls to participate in the civic affairs of Afghanistan. It also urges the President to ensure that Afghan women, youth, and other marginalized groups are meaningfully participating and engaging in all peace talks.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that government entities should consider using a portion of proceeds from litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors for drug take-back programs.
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
City and State Diplomacy Act This bill establishes within the Department of State the Office of City and State Diplomacy, which shall coordinate federal support for engagement by state and municipal governments with foreign governments. The head of the office shall be the Ambassador-at-Large for City and State Diplomacy, who shall be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
No Frivolous Application for Short-Barreled Shotguns Act or the NFA SBS Act This bill removes certain short-barreled shotguns from the definition of firearms for purposes of the National Firearms Act. It also eliminates the prohibition on the sale or transportation of such shotguns in interstate commerce and treats persons who acquire or possess a short-barreled shotgun as meeting the registration or licensing requirements for such shotguns where such requirements are determined by reference to the National Firearms Act. The bill preempts state or local laws that impose a tax or recordkeeping requirements on short-barreled shotguns. The Department of Justice must destroy records relating to the registration of shotguns described by this bill within one year after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
War Crimes Rewards Expansion Act This bill expands the Department of State's rewards program to authorize rewards for providing information leading to the arrest, conviction, or transfer of a foreign national accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, or genocide as such crimes are defined under the law of an international criminal tribunal, the applicable country, or the United States. Currently, rewards are authorized for information leading to the arrest, conviction, or transfer of a foreign national accused of such crimes only as defined under the statutes of the relevant tribunal.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2021 This bill provides for temporary protected status (TPS) for qualifying Hong Kong residents and contains other immigration-related provisions. Hong Kong shall be treated as a TPS-designated territory for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment. (Qualifying nationals of a TPS-designated territory or country may not be removed from the United States and shall have employment authorization while the designation is in effect.) Furthermore, Hong Kong shall be treated as separate from China for the purposes of various numerical limitations on immigrant visas. (In the treaty that transferred sovereignty of Hong Kong to China, China pledged that Hong Kong "will enjoy a high degree of autonomy.") The bill also establishes Priority Hong Kong Resident status for qualified individuals. To obtain such status, an individual must meet certain requirements, such as having resided in Hong Kong for at least ten years as of the day of this bill's enactment and not having citizenship in any jurisdiction other than China, Hong Kong, or Macau. For seeking refugee status or asylum, a Priority Hong Kong Resident may establish a well-founded fear of persecution based on various factors, such as fear based on the individual's significant role in certain protests against China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of State may provide special immigrant status to an eligible Priority Hong Kong Resident with a bachelor's or graduate degree if DHS determines that doing so would provide a significant benefit to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2021
The bill directs the Joint Committee on the Library to remove the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court Chamber of the Capitol and to obtain a bust of Clarence Thomas with which to replace it.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
Disaster Reforestation Act This bill sets forth a special rule for the tax deduction for casualty losses of uncut timber (including pre-merchantable timber). It provides that in losses of any uncut timber from fire, storm, insects, invasive species, drought, or other casualty, or from theft, the basis for determining the amount of the deduction for such loss shall not be less than the excess of the value of such timber determined immediately before such loss was sustained, over the salvage value of such timber. To be eligible for the casualty loss deduction, the uncut timber subject to the loss must be reforested not later than the close of the five-year period beginning on the date of the loss.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the murder of Alireza Fazeli Monfared should be investigated and prosecuted and that the practice of honor killings in Iran is a violation of internationally recognized human rights. Further, it urges the Department of State to rebuke Iran for this practice and to condemn Iranian human rights abuses against vulnerable populations, including abuses based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender expression.
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 · 17 June 2021
Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings Act or the MINDS Act This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State to integrate mental health and psychosocial support activities across all U.S. foreign assistance programs, with a particular focus on children and other vulnerable populations. To facilitate this integration, the bill makes organizational changes at the USAID. It authorizes the USAID to appoint a coordinator to oversee and direct mental health and psychosocial support activities. The coordinator must ensure that these activities focus on children, adult caretakers and families, displaced populations, and other vulnerable groups. In addition, the bill establishes a working group comprised of representatives from every USAID bureau and the Department of State to coordinate interagency efforts related to, promote best practices for, and ensure sustainability and continuity of mental health and psychosocial support activities. The USAID and the State Department must brief Congress about the amount of foreign assistance spending on mental health and psychosocial support activities and related matters.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Representation for Exceptional Military Families Act This bill establishes the Exceptional Family Member Program Advisory Council in the Department of Defense to provide recommendations on how to improve the Exceptional Family Member Program. The program provides assistance, services, and support to military family members who have special needs.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2021
World Deserves To Know Act This bill requires sanctions on certain members of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and officials of Chinese health agencies. It also addresses related issues. The President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign person who is a CCP official and who is knowingly responsible for or complicit in (1) the disappearances of whistleblowers and citizen journalists in China relating to COVID-19, or (2) limiting free speech and academic freedom in China relating to COVID-19. The President must also impose such sanctions on specified individuals who have leadership positions in China's Center for Disease Control and Prevention and China's National Health Commission (NHC). The authority to impose such sanctions shall end when the President certifies to Congress that an independent and unimpeded investigation into the potential origin of COVID-19 from the Wuhan Institute of Virology has taken place. The bill also bars federal funds and certain federal student assistance from going to institutions of higher education that enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC. Federal funding to the National Academy of Sciences may not be used to enter into a contract with any element or China-based affiliate of the NHC. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress a review of all funds that the National Institutes of Health have made available to the NHC since FY2010. This report must also be publicly available.
United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2021
This resolution reaffirms the commitment of the United States to the NATO alliance and states that the alliance allows the United States to better protect its shared economic and security interests throughout the world. The resolution also (1) commends the U.S. forces and allies that participated in the Defender-Europe 2021 exercise; and (2) urges allies in the strongest possible terms to recommit to NATO's founding principles by strengthening democratic institutions, respecting individual liberty, and reinforcing the rule of law.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2021
This resolution condemns Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, and Representative Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts for certain comments regarding Israel. It also expresses that Representative Ocasio-Cortez, Representative Tlaib, Representative Omar, and Representative Pressley each be censured.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Restaurant Revitalization Fund Replenishment Act of 2021 This bill provides an additional $60 billion in FY2021 for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which was established to support restaurants and other food and beverage purveyors in response to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of PCOS Awareness Month. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is caused by a hormone imbalance. Symptoms can include infertility, weight gain, excess hair growth, and acne.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
South Asian Heart Health Awareness and Research Act of 2021 This bill establishes, or authorizes to be established, programs that support heart-disease research and awareness among communities disproportionately affected by heart disease, including the South Asian population of the United States. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must award grants to states for awareness initiatives, educational materials, and research catalogs regarding the prevalence of heart disease, including the association of type 2 diabetes, with respect to the South Asian population and other at-risk populations.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Servicemember Safety and Security Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense to instruct each military department to review its policies and procedures for reporting members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Military installations must update the policies and procedures related to absent or missing service members with a focus on force protection, enhanced security for members living on base, and prioritizing the reporting of missing service members to local and federal law enforcement at the earliest reasonable time. The commander of each military installation must establish a protocol for sharing information with local and federal law enforcement agencies about service members who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Each military installation must submit the established protocol to the relevant installation command.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Essential Caregivers Act of 2021 This bill requires skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, intermediate care facilities for the intellectually disabled, and nearby inpatient rehabilitation facilities to establish an essential caregivers program during a public health emergency. Under the program, facilities must allow each resident to select up to two essential caregivers to provide daily living assistance, emotional support, or companionship during the emergency. Facilities must afford such caregivers 12 hours of access to residents each day (or unlimited access for end-of-life care), and caregivers must agree to follow facility protocols for staff safety. Facilities may deny access to caregivers who violate protocols, subject to certain notification requirements; the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish an appeals process relating to such decisions and may take specified enforcement actions against facilities that violate the bill's requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Reopening to address Every COmplete Record request for Devoted Servicemembers Act of 2021 or the RECORDS Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to take specified steps to address record request backlogs. Specifically, the office must take actions to ensure that (1) the number of individuals employed by the National Personnel Records Center is equal to or exceeds the number of such individuals employed on March 2, 2020, and (2) the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person is equal to or exceeds the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person on that date. The office shall submit to specified congressional committees a report that provides a comprehensive plan to address the record request backlog of the National Personnel Records Center and improve the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at the center, identifies measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals, and describes strategies to prevent future record request backlogs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Lymphedema Treatment Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage of lymphedema compression treatment items. Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of (1) standard and custom fitted gradient compression garments that are prescribed by a physician or other specified health care professional to treat lymphedema, and (2) other devices determined to be effective in the prevention or treatment of lymphedema.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Organ Donation Clarification Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain payments and pilot programs relating to organ donation do not violate the National Organ Transplant Act, which prohibits the exchange of valuable consideration for human organs. Specifically, it excludes additional types of reimbursements and payments related to organ donation from the definition of valuable consideration , such as costs for (1) dependent care; (2) certain medical expenses for up to 10 years after a donation; (3) paperwork or legal services; and (4) term life insurance policies, subject to some limitations. In addition, the federal government, states, or local governments may carry out pilot programs to evaluate the effects of removing disincentives or providing noncash benefits on the availability of organs for transplant, provided these programs meet ethical and other conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
This resolution calls on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day to honor the men and women who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.