United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Basic Assistance for Students In College Act or the BASIC Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award planning and implementation grants to institutions of higher education in order to identify and meet the basic needs of students, including food, housing, transportation, and health care. ED must also implement an agreement to (1) share data with other federal agencies in order to identify students who may be eligible for certain federal benefits; and (2) coordinate efforts to enroll those students in federal benefits programs, including Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Protecting our Students in Schools Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of corporal punishment in schools that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to take specified actions (e.g., withholding funds and issuing cease-and-desist orders) for schools that allow school personnel, law enforcement officers, or school security guards to subject students to corporal punishment. The bill also establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to corporal punishment. Each state educational agency (SEA) that receives federal funding must submit specified information to ED, including a school climate report that describes the SEA's policies and procedures related to exclusionary and aversive discipline practices in schools. Additionally, the bill authorizes ED to award three-year grants to SEAs and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports to address student behavior and reduce exclusionary and aversive discipline practices. ED must promulgate regulations as necessary to ensure compliance with the bill. The Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior must ensure that the schools they operate or fund also comply with these regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2021 This bill modifies eligibility for, and other components of, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, including by (1) increasing applicable income and resource limits used to determine SSI eligibility, (2) equalizing treatment of married couples when both spouses receive SSI as compared to two unmarried individuals, and (3) eliminating the penalty on SSI applicants or recipients who transfer resources to another individual for less than fair market value.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act of 2021 This bill establishes a variety of requirements to reduce carbon emissions and protect oceans, coastal habitats, marine mammals, and fish populations from climate change and other threats.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2021 or the GLOBE Act of 2021 This bill contains provisions related to (1) the protection of LGBTQI individuals globally; and (2) immigration protections for vulnerable individuals. The bill establishes (1) an interagency group to respond to urgent threats to LGBTQI people in foreign countries, and (2) a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Peoples in the Department of State. The President shall impose visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violating the human rights of individuals based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. The State Department shall establish the Global Equality Fund to provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations working to advance and protect human rights. The U.S. Agency for International Development shall establish the LGBTQI Global Development Partnership to work with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to support LGBTQI rights. The bill removes prohibitions against providing foreign assistance to nongovernmental organizations that offer certain medical services (e.g., abortion-related services) using non-U.S. government funds. The bill contains several immigration-related provisions, such as those establishing that persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity may form the basis of an asylum request, allowing certain applicants to file asylum claims more than a year after their arrival in the United States, including a permanent partnership between two partners as a marriage for immigration law purposes, providing for free counsel in certain immigration proceedings, and granting U.S. citizenship to a child born abroad through assistive reproductive technology from a U.S. citizen who is the child's nonbiological parent.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Women's Health Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits governmental restrictions on the provision of, and access to, abortion services. Specifically, governments may not limit a provider's ability to prescribe certain drugs, offer abortion services via telemedicine, or immediately provide abortion services when the provider determines a delay risks the patient's health. Furthermore, governments may not require a provider to perform unnecessary medical procedures, provide medically inaccurate information, comply with credentialing or other conditions that do not apply to providers whose services are medically comparable to abortions, or carry out all services connected to an abortion. In addition, governments may not (1) require patients to make medically unnecessary in-person visits before receiving abortion services or disclose their reasons for obtaining such services, or (2) prohibit abortion services before fetal viability or after fetal viability when a provider determines the pregnancy risks the patient's life or health. The bill also prohibits other governmental measures that are similar to the bill's specified restrictions or that otherwise single out and impede access to abortion services, unless a government demonstrates that the measure significantly advances the safety of abortion services or health of patients and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations. The bill applies to restrictions imposed both prior and subsequent to the bill's enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Stronger Communities through Better Transit Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation to establish a grant program to support operating projects for public transportation (e.g., service expansion) and related capital improvements, particularly in underserved communities and areas of persistent poverty.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Katherine's Law for Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2021 This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover, without cost sharing, screenings for the detection of lung cancer for certain high-risk individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Medical Nutrition Equity Act of 2021 This bill expands coverage under Medicare, Medicaid, other specified federal health care programs, and private health insurance to include foods, vitamins, and individual amino acids that are medically necessary for the management of certain digestive and metabolic disorders and conditions.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
State-Based Universal Health Care Act of 20 21 This bill establishes the option for states, or groups of states, to apply to waive certain federal health insurance requirements and provide residents with health insurance benefits plans through a state-administered program. Such programs must cover 95% of the residents in the state within five years and plan benefits must be at least as comprehensive and affordable as the coverage under the equivalent federal program. State programs are supported with funds from the federal programs the state programs replace, which may include Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program, the Federal Employee Health Benefits program, certain federal tax credits, and premium-assistance funds, among others. The bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to appoint an Independent Assessment Panel for Comprehensive Care to review and recommend whether to approve state applications. Each approved state program must be independently reviewed every five years to evaluate changes in health benefits access, quality, and coverage, including whether the state has met the 95% coverage requirement. The federal government must pay all health insurance costs for American Indians and Alaska Natives who enroll in a plan through a state insurance program.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
FAIR Leave Act or the Fair Access for Individuals to Receive Leave Act This bill repeals the limit on the aggregate number of workweeks of family and medical leave that spouses employed by the same employer may be entitled to during any 12-month period. The current limit is 12 aggregate workweeks.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Americans Giving Care to Elders (AGE) Act of 2021 This bill allows a tax credit for a portion of a taxpayer's expenses for eldercare. The credit applies to expenses to care for certain relatives or members of the taxpayer's household who have attained the age of 60 and require assistance with activities of daily living. Eldercare expense include amounts paid for: medical care, lodging away from home, adult day services, personal care, respite care, assistive technologies and devices (including remote health monitoring), environmental modifications (including home modifications), and counseling or training for a caregiver. The amount of eldercare expenses incurred during any year that may be taken into account for the credit may not exceed $6,000.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2021
This bill designates the medical center of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in San Diego, California, as the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that the VA should designate a prominent physical space within the Jennifer Moreno Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center to honor Kathleen Mae Bruyere.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2021
Armed Forces Transgender Dependent Protection Act This bill expands the policy of the Office of Special Needs within the Department of Defense to address transgender dependents. Specifically, the bill codifies the definition of a medical or educational special need to include gender dysphoria. Under the bill, the policy of the office must prohibit the assignment of a military family with special needs to a permanent duty location where the law restricts medically necessary treatment for a medical or educational special need. A member who is serving at a location when such a law is established may elect to be reassigned.
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
Eviction Prevention Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to provide grants to state and local governments to make legal counsel available to eligible tenants undergoing eviction proceedings. An eligible tenant is an individual whose income is less than 125% of the federal poverty level. The bill also requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a national database of evictions. The Government Accountability Office must report on the national status of legal representation of tenants in eviction proceedings, including the effects of access to representation on case outcomes.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Connecting Opportunities through Mobility Metrics and Unlocking Transportation Efficiencies Act or the COMMUTE Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to establish an accessibility data pilot program. The purpose of the pilot program is to develop or procure an accessibility data set and make such data available for states and metropolitan or rural planning organizations to improve their transportation planning by measuring the level of access to important destinations such as jobs, health care facilities, child care services, educational and workforce training facilities, affordable housing, and food sources; disaggregating the level of access by multiple transportation modes by a variety of population categories, including minority populations; assessing the change in accessibility that would result from new transportation investments; and providing data necessary to prioritize transportation investments that will improve access by all modes of travel.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act This bill establishes requirements for certain commercial online platforms (e.g., social media sites) that withhold or promote content through algorithms and related computational processes that use personal information. The platforms must make disclosures about their collection and use of personal information and their content moderation practices; retain specified records that describe how the algorithms use personal information and assess whether the algorithms produce disparate outcomes based on race and other demographic factors in terms of access to housing, employment, financial services, and related matters; employ algorithms safely and effectively; and allow users to access and transfer their personal information. If a platform uses algorithms to publish or sell advertising, it must maintain a library of the advertisements. The Federal Trade Commission must also adopt rules concerning deceptive advertising. A platform's chief executive officer or other senior officer must certify compliance with disclosure requirements. Additionally, platforms may not (1) employ algorithms or other design features that result in discrimination or similar harms based on demographic or biometric factors, or (2) process information such that it impairs voting rights. Further, users of a platform may not violate civil rights laws using the platform's algorithms. The bill prohibits waivers or other methods that limit rights under the bill; provides whistleblower protections for individuals who report violations; and authorizes enforcement by specified federal agencies, states, and private individuals. The bill also provides funding for an interagency task force to study the discriminatory use of personal information by platforms' algorithms.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Army Security Agency Monument Act This bill directs the Department of the Army to place in Arlington National Cemetery a monument honoring Army Security Agency veterans if the National Army Security Agency Association agrees to certain requirements, including that the association pay the monument's site preparation, construction, and maintenance costs.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Army Rangers Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Increasing Access to Mental Health in Schools Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish a grant program and a student loan forgiveness program to increase the number of school-based mental health services providers in elementary and secondary schools. First, ED must award grants to partnerships between educational agencies and graduate institutions to increase the number of school-based mental health services providers employed by low-income local educational agencies (LEAs). Grant funds may be used for specified purposes, including to provide student loan forgiveness and tuition credits and to support recruitment, hiring, and training. In addition, ED must establish a program to provide student loan forgiveness for individuals who (1) are not, and have never been, participants in the grant program established by the bill; and (2) have been employed by low-income LEAs for five or more consecutive school years as mental health services providers.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Computer Science for All Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education must award grants to states, local educational agencies, and eligible tribal schools to serve as models for national replication of computer science education expansion efforts. Grant recipients must use these funds for certain activities, including training teachers to teach computer science and expanding access to high-quality learning materials and online options.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Veteran Education Empowerment Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and otherwise revises a Department of Education (ED) grant program for student veteran centers. Specifically, ED must make grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) or consortia of IHEs to establish, maintain, improve, or operate a student veteran center. A student veteran center is a dedicated space on a campus that provides students who are veterans or members of the Armed Forces with (1) a lounge or meeting space for themselves, their spouses or partners, their children, and veterans in the community; and (2) a centralized office for student veteran services that serves as a single point of contact to coordinate comprehensive support services for student veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State to include in its annual reports on human rights in countries receiving U.S. development and security assistance a discussion of the status of reproductive rights in each country. This must include whether a country has adopted and enforced policies to (1) promote access to contraception and accurate, nondiscriminatory family planning and sexual health information; (2) provide services to ensure safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth; (3) expand or restrict access to safe abortion services; and (4) prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases. For each country, the reports shall also contain (1) data concerning pregnancy-related injuries and deaths; and (2) a description of the nature and extent of discrimination and violence against women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals in health care settings and the relevant government's response to such actions.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Keeping Our Promise Act This bill authorizes issuing visas to certain individuals who were previously refused a diversity immigrant visa or admission into the United States because of certain executive orders or the COVID-19 public health emergency. (Diversity immigrant visas are available to eligible immigrants from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States.) Specifically, this bill applies to individuals who were refused such a visa solely due to certain executive orders from 2017 to 2020, including orders which suspended the entry of individuals from certain countries. The bill also applies to diversity visa applicants who, because of the COVID-19 emergency, were (1) unable to receive a visa interview despite requesting one, or (2) unable to be admitted into the United States despite being approved for a visa. The Department of State must notify each individual covered under this bill of the individual's visa eligibility. To retain eligibility, an individual must respond to the State Department's notice within one year of the notice. An individual may also lose eligibility if the State Department determines that the applicant fails to meet certain requirements. The bill also relaxes certain annual numerical limits for individuals obtaining a visa under this bill. An individual who was a child when initially selected for a visa shall be treated as a child for the purposes of a visa application under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill modifies the Conrad 30 Waiver program, which incentivizes qualified foreign physicians to serve in underserved communities. It also extends statutory authority for the program for three years from this bill's enactment. Aliens coming to the United States under a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to receive medical training typically must leave the country and reside for two years abroad before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. The Conrad program waives this requirement for individuals who meet certain qualifications, including serving for a number of years at a health care facility in an underserved area. The bill increases the number of waivers that a state may obtain each fiscal year from 30 to 35 if a certain number of waivers were used the previous year, and provides for further adjustments depending on demand. An alien physician may be employed at an academic medical center to meet the Conrad program's employment requirements if the alien's work is in the public interest, even if the medical center is not in an underserved area. Employment contracts for alien physicians under the Conrad program shall contain certain information, such as the maximum number of on-call hours per week the physician shall have to work. Certain alien physicians (along with the physician's spouse and children) shall be exempt from the direct annual numerical limits on immigration, including those physicians that have met certain requirements related to visas for physicians to serve in underserved areas.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2021 This bill establishes grants to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order laws at the state and local levels, extends federal firearms restrictions to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders, and expands related data collection. Extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, generally allow certain individuals (e.g., law enforcement officers or family members) to petition a court for a temporary order that prohibits an at-risk individual from purchasing and possessing firearms. Among its provisions, the bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to establish a grant program to help states, local governments, Indian tribes, and other entities implement extreme risk protection order laws; extends federal restrictions on the receipt, possession, shipment, and transportation of firearms and ammunition to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders; and requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to compile (and later destroy) records from federal, tribal, and state courts and other agencies that identify individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
National Center for the Advancement of Aviation Act of 202 1 This bill establishes the National Center for the Advancement of Aviation to serve as a national independent forum to facilitate collaboration and cooperation between aviation and aerospace stakeholders to support and promote civil and military aviation and aerospace. The center must perform the following duties support the development of aviation and aerospace education curricula; support the professional development of educators using such curricula; promote aviation and aerospace employment opportunities; support Armed Forces personnel seeking to transition to a career in civil aviation or an aerospace-related field through outreach, training, apprenticeships, or other means; serve as a central repository for publicly available economic data, safety data, and research efforts related to the aviation and aerospace sectors; and serve as a forum, through symposiums, conferences, and other means as appropriate, for cross-disciplinary collaboration among aviation and aerospace stakeholders. Additionally, the center may issue grants to organizations that have experience in, and knowledge of, creating, developing, and delivering or updating (1) high school aviation curricula; or (2) aviation curricula used at institutions of higher education, secondary educations institutions, or by technical training and vocational schools.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Global Respect Act This bill imposes visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for or complicit in violating the human rights of individuals due to actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. The President shall report and periodically update a list of foreign persons responsible for such human rights violations and apply sanctions accordingly. The Department of State shall designate at least one senior officer who shall be responsible for tracking violence and discrimination against individuals based on actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics in foreign countries.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities to facilitate patients' access to investigational drugs that diagnose or treat ALS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Build Local, Hire Local Act This bill imposes various requirements on certain federally assisted infrastructure projects. The bill also creates infrastructure-related grant programs and establishes the Buy America Bureau. Such federally assisted infrastructure projects must (1) employ a certain percentage of local workers to the maximum extent practicable; and (2) prioritize hiring certain individuals, such as veterans and those facing barriers to employment. A certain percentage of funds for these projects must be used for contracts with small businesses that have fewer than 10 employees. When applying for a contract, grant, or loan related to a project, the applying entity must disclose whether there are any rulings, such as a civil judgment, finding that the entity has violated certain federal labor and occupational safety laws in the last three years. In addition, the Department of Transportation must award grants to entities in disadvantaged and underserved communities for infrastructure projects that create connected, economically prosperous, and environmentally healthy communities. Further, the Department of Labor must provide grants to workforce development boards and industry partnerships for job training programs to train certain groups, such as individuals with barriers to employment, for jobs in targeted infrastructure industries. The bill also establishes the Buy America Bureau within the Department of Commerce to oversee project compliance with existing laws that require the use of U.S.-made materials in certain federally funded projects.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Trees for Residential Energy and Economic Savings Act of 2021 or the TREES Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a grant program for states, local governments, Indian tribes, and other entities to facilitate tree planting projects that reduce residential energy consumption. Under the program, DOE may award grants to facilitate the planting of at least 300,000 trees annually in residential neighborhoods.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Safe Gun Storage Act of 20 21 This bill requires safety standards for firearm locks and safes. Under such standards, firearm locks must be reasonably designed to (1) prevent the firearm from discharging while the lock is activated, and (2) prevent unauthorized access to the firearm. Further, firearm safes must be reasonably designed to (1) secure firearms, and (2) prevent unauthorized access to the safe through physical manipulation or damage.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Young Americans Financial Literacy Act This bill requires the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to award competitive grants to eligible institutions for the establishment of financial literacy education programs for young people and families. An eligible institution is a partnership among two or more of the following an institution of higher education; a state or local government agency specializing in financial education; a nonprofit agency, organization, or association; a financial institution; or another small organization. Authorized grant funded activities shall include developing and implementing comprehensive, research based, financial-literacy education programs for young people; designing instructional materials; developing and supporting the delivery of professional development programs in financial literacy education; improving access to, and dissemination of, financial literacy information for young people and families; developing educational programs to reduce student loan default rates; conducting ongoing research and evaluation of financial literacy education programs; and measuring the effectiveness of authorized activities. The grant program shall terminate after FY2025.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Keeping All Students Safe Act This bill prohibits the use of seclusion and limits the use of physical restraint in schools and Head Start programs that receive federal funding. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of seclusion, which is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. The term does not include a time out, which may involve separating the student from others in a non-locked setting. The bill prohibits the use of mechanical or chemical restraints or physical restraints that restrict breathing or are life threatening. The bill outlines the requirements for the use of physical restraint, including that the student's behavior must pose an imminent danger of serious physical injury to the student or other individual. Each state must ensure that a sufficient number of program personnel are trained and certified by a state-approved crisis intervention training program. Additionally, each program must establish procedures to follow after an incident involving physical restraint. Further, the bill establishes enforcement provisions, including a private right of action for a student who has been subjected to unlawful seclusion or restraint. The Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services must withhold payments from a program for unlawful seclusion or restraint. Finally, the bill requires each state educational agency (SEA) to establish, implement, and enforce policies and procedures required by the bill. It also creates a grant program to assist SEAs with these activities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Stop Child Hunger Act of 2021 This bill establishes a permanent program and provides funds for electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to cover meals for children during extended school closures. Specifically, the Department of Agriculture must establish a program to provide EBT cards to cover meals for children who are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program when a school is closed, operating remotely, or a combination of both for a period of five days or more. Cards may be used to purchase food from approved retailers under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of Congress that legislation and policies that address poverty, low wages, and related issues should be prioritized. Among other priorities, the resolution commits to updating the poverty measure; raising the minimum wage; expanding unemployment insurance; ensuring that all workers receive paid family and medical leave; implementing a federal jobs guarantee; guaranteeing safe and quality housing, a right to water, high-quality public education, and quality health care for all; enacting relief from household and personal debt that cannot be paid; ensuring that state, local, and tribal governments are adequately funded; expanding and protecting the right to vote; eliminating persistent racial inequities; protecting the constitutional rights of assembly and free speech; enacting comprehensive and just immigration reform; ensuring all the rights of Native and Indigenous peoples and tribal nations; transforming the economy into a green renewable energy economy; demilitarizing U.S. foreign policy, borders, and policing; enacting fair taxes on corporations and the wealthy; using deficit spending to meet pressing needs; and encouraging states and cities to enact policies that follow the direction provided by this resolution.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment providing that the rights protected by the Constitution are the rights of natural persons only. Artificial entities, such as corporations, shall have no rights under the Constitution and are subject to regulation. The amendment requires federal, state, and local government to (1) regulate, limit, or prohibit election contributions and expenditures, including a candidate's own contributions and expenditures; and (2) require that any permissible contributions and expenditures be publicly disclosed. The judiciary is prohibited from construing the spending of money to influence elections to be speech under the First Amendment, and the amendment shall not be construed to abridge the freedom of the press.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Furthering Underutilized Technologies and Unleashing Responsible Expenditures for Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act or the FUTURE Western Water Infrastructure and Drought Resiliency Act This bill addresses water-related resources and infrastructure. Among other provisions, the bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the California Bay-Delta program, the Water Availability and Use Science Program, and a water desalination program; reauthorizes through FY2028 the Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation Mitigation program; creates various grants for water projects and expands the allowable uses of grants for water recycling and reuse projects; establishes a funding source for certain water resources development projects in western states; expands the tax exclusion for energy conservation subsidies provided by public utilities to include certain subsidies for water conservation or efficiency measures and stormwater management measures; establishes prizes for water technology applications; requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to use specified funds for water control manual updates for forecast-informed water operations projects; and allows certain funding to be used for the remediation of land formerly used to cultivate marijuana. The Department of the Interior must, within 10 years, make certain streamgages operational. (Streamgages are fixed structures at streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs that measure water level and related streamflow.) The bill establishes programs related to ecosystem protection and restoration, including programs to (1) incentivize farmers to keep fields flooded during appropriate periods for waterbird habitat creation and maintenance, and (2) prepare drought plans to sustain critically important fisheries.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Sustainable Skies Act This bill allows a business-related tax credit through 2031 for each gallon of sustainable aviation fuel used by a taxpayer in the production of a qualified mixture (i.e., a mixture of sustainable aviation fuel and kerosene that is sold for use in certain U.S. aircraft). The bill generally defines sustainable aviation fuel as liquid fuel that consists of synthesized hydrocarbons, meets certain recognized international standards, is derived from biomass, waste streams, renewable energy sources, or gaseous carbon oxides, is not derived from palm fatty acid distillates, and achieves at least a 50% life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction in comparison with petroleum-based jet fuel. To be eligible for such credit, a taxpayer must meet certification requirements showing that the sustainable aviation fuel conforms with one of the life cycle greenhouse gas emissions reduction tests set forth in this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Social Media Disclosure And Transparency of Advertisements Act of 2021 or the Social Media DATA Act This bill requires consumer-facing websites and mobile applications with a large number of users to maintain advertisement libraries and make them available to academic researchers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Each library must include, among other things, a digital copy of the advertisement content, a description of the target audience, and the number of views generated from the advertisement. The FTC and state attorneys general are authorized to enforce these requirements, and the FTC must use information from the advertisement libraries to enforce other laws within its jurisdiction. Additionally, the bill establishes a working group to address social media research access and make policy recommendations with respect to the information an interactive computer service (e.g., a social media company) should make available to academic researchers.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or the MOMMA's Act This bill establishes various programs and requirements to reduce maternal mortality. It also increases federal tobacco taxes and equalizes the tax treatment of different tobacco products. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must provide technical assistance and best practices for collecting data, standardizing reporting, and preventing maternal mortality. The CDC must consult with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on this assistance. The bill also provides statutory authority for CDC grants for state-based collaboratives to improve care immediately before and after birth and to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, and a HRSA program to improve the quality and safety of maternity care. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish regional centers through health professional schools and training programs to educate health care providers about implicit bias and culturally competent care. In addition, the bill expands eligibility for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other benefits for pregnant and postpartum individuals. Specifically, it extends postpartum eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP for one year; provides coverage for oral health services for pregnant and postpartum individuals under Medicaid and CHIP; and extends postpartum eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children for two years. HHS must also take steps to publicize the benefits available to pregnant and postpartum individuals under Medicaid and CHIP, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide guidance on Medicaid coverage for doula services.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Peace on the Korean Peninsula Act This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress on various issues relating to North Korea. Specifically, the State Department must report to Congress a review of the restrictions on travel by U.S. nationals to North Korea, including whether such restrictions should be adjusted to allow travel to North Korea to attend a commemoration of a relative. The State Department must also report to Congress a clear roadmap for achieving permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Diversifying by Investing in Educators and Students to Improve Outcomes For Youth Act or the Diversify Act This bill revises the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program. The TEACH program awards grants to undergraduate and graduate students who commit to teaching in a high-need field and in an elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. First, the bill raises the maximum amount for TEACH grants. Second, the bill allows TEACH grants to cover the full cost of attendance. Currently, these grants may be used only for tuition, fees, and on-campus housing. The bill allows teaching in a high-need early childhood education program to count toward service requirements for the program. Next, the bill eliminates the process for converting a TEACH grant to a loan if a recipient does not complete the requirements of the program. Further, the bill prohibits the Department of Education (ED) from instituting or creating a monetary penalty for failure or refusal to complete the service requirement. In addition, the bill requires ED to send an electronic certificate to grant recipients who have completed their service requirement. The bill also exempts the TEACH program from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Opportunity To Address College Hunger Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that receive grants to operate work-study programs to notify a student receiving work-study assistance that the student may be eligible for participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The Department of Education must provide guidance to states and IHEs on how to identify and communicate with students who are potentially eligible for SNAP.
![Official portrait of Rep. DeSaulnier, Mark [D-CA-10]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/115_rp_ca_11_desaulnier_mark_200.jpg)