United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2021
Stop Wall Street Looting Act This bill generally revises provisions related to the regulation of private equity funds. Among other things, the bill increases financial and legal liability for these funds in the event of certain violations of law, gives employee compensation higher priority in bankruptcies, and generally prohibits the payment of dividends for two years from an acquired asset firm to a private equity fund. The bill modifies the tax treatment of carried interest—compensation that is typically received by a partner of a private equity fund and is based on a share of the fund's profits. (Under current law, carried interest is taxed as investment income rather than at ordinary income tax rates.) Among other things, the bill treats as ordinary income the net capital gain with respect to a private equity fund.
United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2021
Reimagining Asylum Processing Act of 2021 This bill modifies the processing of asylum seekers, including by establishing humanitarian processing centers along the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security must establish at least five humanitarian processing centers to process adult asylum seekers who arrive at the southern border and did not arrive as part of a family unit with minor children. The bill imposes certain requirements on these processing centers, including by (1) requiring a rest period of at least 72 hours from the asylum seeker's arrival before an asylum officer may conduct an interview to determine whether there is a credible fear of persecution, (2) limiting an asylum seeker's detention at a processing center to no longer than 15 days, (3) requiring the processing center to provide legal counsel and interpreters, and (4) requiring that appropriate nongovernmental organizations are authorized to monitor the processing centers for human rights abuses. The bill also changes the processing of asylum seekers generally, including by (1) removing provisions requiring the mandatory detention of an asylum seeker after the credible fear interview; (2) prohibiting the use of information obtained from the interview for immigration enforcement; and (3) requiring an asylum officer conducting the interview to consider whether an asylum seeker is eligible for other forms of relief, such as special immigrant juvenile status.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
College Student Hunger Act of 20 21 This bill expands the eligibility of students at institutions of higher education to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP eligibility for students is expanded to include certain low-income students who (1) are employed a minimum of 10 hours per week (currently 20 hours) during the regular school year, (2) are eligible for a federal Pell Grant, (3) have an expected family contribution equal to zero, or (4) are independent. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Education to provide notification to certain students regarding their eligibility for SNAP benefits, the Inspector General of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct an audit of the operations of the Food and Nutrition Service to examine the procedures and outreach practices used by the service to provide to states information about the eligibility of students at institutions of higher education for participation in the program, USDA to update its state outreach plan guidance, and USDA to implement projects to decrease student hunger at institutions of higher education and to reduce barriers to college students fully utilizing SNAP benefits at these institutions.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
PrEP Assistance Program Act This bill establishes a grant program to provide pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and related services to individuals at no cost. PrEP is medication given to individuals at risk of HIV to reduce their likelihood of contracting the virus. The Department of Health and Human Services must award the grants to state, tribal, and local governments; certain health clinics; and community-based organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Arts Education for All Act This bill expands arts education and programming for children in early education, K-12 students, and juveniles and adults in the criminal justice system. Specifically, the bill allows Child Care and Development Block Grant funding to be used for additional activities, including arts programming. Additionally, the bill addresses arts programming in elementary and secondary schools by directing each state educational agency to include information on arts programming in its state plan, including how it will integrate arts education instruction into the curriculum and increase the number of arts teachers in schools; requiring state report cards to include information on arts courses; requiring local educational agency (LEA) plans to describe how the LEA will encourage the use of arts education to improve student achievement; and allowing certain funds to be used for professional development for arts teachers. The bill directs the National Center for Education Research to carry out research on the use of arts and arts education in elementary and secondary schools, including in low-performing schools. Further, the National Center for Education Statistics must compile data on arts education. The National Assessment of Educational Progress must include a specified arts assessment. The bill requires a state's juvenile justice and delinquency plan to describe how the state will coordinate services and activities for juvenile justice and delinquency prevention with arts agencies and arts organizations. Additionally, grants for adult offender reentry demonstration projects may be used for facilitating arts education.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Fair Adjudications for Immigrants Act This bill narrows the scope of certain crime-based grounds for barring or removing an alien from the United States. (Generally, a conviction for certain crimes, such as a crime that carries a term of incarceration of a certain length, may constitute grounds for denying an individual certain immigration benefits.) The bill redefines the term conviction to exclude convictions that have been dismissed, expunged, deferred, annulled, invalidated, withheld, vacated, or pardoned. The term must also exclude adjudications where a court issued a recommendation against removal, an order of probation without entry of judgment, or a similar disposition. In addition, any reference to a term of imprisonment or sentence must, unless otherwise provided (1) only consider the period of incarceration ordered by a court, and (2) exclude any suspended portion of a sentence. Currently, for immigration purposes, a term of incarceration includes any part of the sentence that was suspended. These provisions pertaining to the definition of conviction and terms of imprisonment shall apply to convictions and judgments entered either before or after this bill's enactment. Furthermore, certain crime-based grounds for barring or removing an alien shall not apply if the sentencing court issues a recommendation that the alien not be removed on the basis of the conviction.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
This bill requires online marketplaces (e.g., Amazon) to collect and verify certain contact and financial information from third-party sellers whose transactions and related revenues exceed specified thresholds. Subject to certain exceptions, online marketplaces must clearly and conspicuously disclose the contact information of certain high-volume third-party sellers to consumers and must also provide consumers with methods to report suspicious activity on the marketplace. The bill provides the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general with the authority to enforce these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2021 or the PAST Act of 2021 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Gun Suicide Prevention Act This bill prohibits manufacturers and retailers from selling firearms unless the firearm includes a label with the toll-free telephone number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2021
School Shooting Safety and Preparedness Act This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to publish an annual report on indicators of school crime and safety. The report must collect specified information, including the number of school shootings that have taken place nationwide and the number of those that were mass shootings; the number of people killed or injured in each school shooting; the age, gender, race, ethnicity, and nationality of each victim; the motivation of the shooter; how the shooting was stopped; the number and type of firearms and ammunition used in each shooting; and the response time of law enforcement. ED must direct the National Center for Education Statistics to collect and publish specified data on school shootings. The center must collect information on the existence or absence of specified measures at the time of the shooting, including physical and other types of security measures, a communication plan with local law enforcement, a response plan that includes coordination with local agencies, and an active shooter response plan.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
ESP Family Leave Act This bill allows education support professionals to meet the hours of service requirements for family and medical leave if they have worked a number of hours equal to not less than 60% of the total monthly hours expected for their job descriptions and duties, as assigned for the previous school year. Education support professionals are employees within a public school or public institution of higher education which may include specified staff, such as paraeducators, administrative support staff, custodians, skilled trade workers, and nursing support staff. The Department of Labor may provide a method for calculating such leave for these professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2021
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2021 This bill addresses harassment at institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment on the basis of a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and a sex stereotype), disability, or religion. In addition, the Department of Education may award grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; or (3) educate and train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Reduce Financial Barriers to Immigration and Citizenship Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from charging fees for certain immigration applications (or petitions), requires DHS to provide fee waivers to certain applicants, and addresses related issues. DHS may not impose fees for certain applications for or related to (1) asylum or refugee status, (2) special immigrant juvenile status, (3) U or T non-immigrant visas (victims of certain crimes such as human trafficking), (4) the Violence Against Women Act, (5) special immigrant status for Afghan or Iraqi nationals employed by the U.S. government, or (6) immigration-related fee waivers. DHS must also waive immigration-related application fees for an applicant who receives a means-tested benefit or meets certain conditions related to financial hardship. However, DHS is not required to provide fee waivers for applications for certain employment-based immigration benefits. Receipt of a fee waiver may not be used as a factor (1) for determining whether an alien should be considered a public charge, or (2) when considering an affidavit of support filed by a sponsor. The bill also requires all collected immigration-related adjudication fees to be used only to fund the adjudication and administration of immigration benefits and naturalization.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections. Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons, prohibits self-pardons by the President, suspends the statute of limitations for federal offenses committed by a sitting President or Vice President, prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, and sets forth provisions regarding Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction and enforcement authority. To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas, imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, requires DOJ to maintain a log of specified communications between it and the White House, requires cause for removal of inspectors general, increases whistleblower protections, requires a candidate for President or Vice President to submit to the Federal Election Commission a copy of the individual's income tax returns for the 10 most recent taxable years, and establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities. To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts, requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
This resolution condemns and denounces the actions of the Customs and Border Patrol agents who confronted Haitian migrants on horseback using their reins as lashes.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Keeping Renters Safe Act of 2021 This bill expressly authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to place a moratorium on residential evictions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The bill also requires HHS to implement a moratorium nationwide to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This moratorium must remain in effect for at least 60 days following the termination of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Current law authorizes HHS to take measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. As part of the COVID-19 response, HHS delegated this authority to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which then issued (and extended) several orders banning residential evictions. Whether these orders exceed the CDC's statutory and constitutional authority has been the subject of multiple legal challenges; the Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the most recent order on August 26, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established for the review of discharge characterizations related to sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask, Don't Tell or a similar policy). DOD must also provide for specified relief for former members of the Armed Forces who were impacted by the discharge characterizations and ensure that DOD oral historians review related facts and receive testimony from affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2021
Gun Safety Board and Research Act This bill establishes a gun safety board in the Department of Health and Human Services. The board must (1) conduct original research about firearm violence reduction; (2) publish policy recommendations for and findings about the efficacy of federal, state, and local actions to reduce firearm violence; and (3) establish a grant program to support original research on firearm violence reduction and education for the public about the effects of and ways to mitigate firearm violence.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2021
Extend Unemployment Assistance Act of 2021 This bill extends pandemic unemployment compensation provisions set to expire on September 6, 2021, until February 1, 2022. Extended provisions include benefits to covered individuals who are not eligible for regular unemployment compensation or traditional extended benefits, the $300 weekly benefit increase, waiting week benefits, and federal reimbursement of short-time compensation. The bill also increases the maximum duration of compensation from 79 weeks to 100 weeks.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Gun Trafficker Detection Act This bill requires gun owners to report the theft or loss of a firearm to law enforcement. It imposes civil monetary penalties on a violator.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act of 2021 or the AFTER Act of 2021 This bill requires federal research facilities to facilitate the adoption or nonlaboratory placement of certain warm-blooded animals (e.g., dogs, cats, monkeys, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits) with animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters, or individuals. In order to be adopted or placed, the animals must (1) no longer be needed for research; (2) be suitable for release; (3) not be birds, rats, or mice.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Fossil Free Finance Act This bill requires large bank holding companies to develop and implement emission reduction plans. Such a plan must include strategies for a company to equitably reduce and eventually eliminate financed greenhouse gas emissions by January 1, 2050, and to discontinue specified fossil fuel projects and financing. The bill also prohibits the use of carbon offsets in such a plan, sets forth technological requirements for reductions, and requires the prioritization of specified social impacts. Plans must be submitted to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System for approval every two years.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2021 or the LIFT the BAR Act of 2021 This bill repeals certain limits on the eligibility of noncitizens who lawfully reside in the United States for federal means-tested programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grants, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and certain nutrition and housing programs.
United States · United States Congress · 7 September 2021
Expediting Assistance to Renters and Landlords Act of 2021 This bill modifies the Department of the Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program by extending time limits on payments, allowing landlords to seek rents and arrears from the program without renter consent, and allowing renters to prove eligibility through attestation. The program provides grants to state and local governments to assist eligible households in paying rent and utility costs and other expenses related to housing incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill extends the availability of program assistance from 18 to 24 months for eligible households. The bill also relaxes requirements for proof of eligibility by requiring only that households attest that they meet eligibility requirements instead of requiring proof of eligibility. It also allows for direct payment of funds to eligible households where the landlord refuses direct payment. Additionally, the bill allows a landlord to apply for program funds without the consent of a renter if the landlord agrees to certain terms, including a 120-day bar on evicting the renter for nonpayment. This bill also expands the stable housing services available under the program to additional low-income households. Further, the bill requires Treasury and state and local governments to increase outreach to renters and landlords and allows for coordination with public entities to provide application assistance services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2021
Welcoming Evacuees Coming from Overseas to Mitigate Effects of Displacement Act of 2021 or the WELCOMED Act of 2021 This bill makes certain individuals from Afghanistan eligible for any benefit that is available to a refugee, such as resettlement assistance. Specifically, this bill shall apply to a national of Afghanistan (or an individual with no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) who is temporarily paroled into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit during the four-year period beginning on July 1, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2021
Securing the Rights our Veterans Earned Act or the SERVE Act This bill provides eligibility for specified Department of Veterans Affairs benefits to former members of the Armed Forces who were separated or discharged (honorably or otherwise) by reason of sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 3 September 2021
Improving Medicare Coverage Act This bill temporarily expands eligibility for Medicare. It also temporarily establishes a premium and cost-sharing assistance program for low-income beneficiaries. Specifically, the bill lowers the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 60. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish procedures to provide for automatic enrollment of qualifying individuals. Enrollment must be completed within 11 months of the bill's enactment. The bill also establishes a program under Medicare to assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries with premiums, coinsurance, deductibles, and other costs. Currently, such assistance is provided through Medicare Savings Programs, which are administered by state Medicaid programs. The bill also establishes a related special enrollment period under Medicare, expands eligibility for assistance to beneficiaries with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line, and provides for joint eligibility determinations with respect to the bill's program and the low-income subsidy program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The bill's provisions generally take effect six months after the bill's enactment and terminate five years later.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act This bill expands and otherwise modifies the allowable uses of New Access Point grant funds. These grants help health centers establish new delivery sites to provide comprehensive primary care to medically underserved populations. Specifically, health centers may use funds to construct or renovate buildings or to set up mobile medical clinics. In addition, a mobile clinic may qualify for grant funding as a new delivery site regardless of whether it is associated with a permanent, full-time site.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes the Community Services Block Grant program through FY2031 and otherwise modifies the program. The program supports various antipoverty activities, primarily through formula-based allotments to states, Indian tribes, and territories. In particular, the bill makes changes to the program's administration and leadership; performance measurement; and allotments to states and territories. The bill also expands eligibility for services and activities funded by the program to 200% of the federal poverty line (FPL). Under current law, eligibility is generally set at the FPL.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
Military Justice Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to take specified actions to further detect and address racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in the military justice system. Specifically, DOD must require each military department to record the race, ethnicity, and gender of the victim and the accused for each investigation of an offense under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ); record the race ethnicity, and gender of each individual against whom non-judicial punishment is imposed under the UCMJ and set forth information separately for each type of non-judicial punishment imposed; record the race, ethnicity, and gender of each individual convicted in a court-martial and set forth such information separately by the type of court-martial, the offense involved, and the case outcome; and publish specified data in the annual military justice reports. Not later than 30 days after the date on which the annual military justice reports for FY2022 have been submitted, DOD must brief Congress on its strategy to detect and address racial, ethnic, and gender disparities in the military justice system. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must report on its findings regarding racial disparities in the military justice system, any steps being taken by DOD to address such disparities, and the status of implementation by each military department of recommendations set forth in the GAO report titled Military Justice: DOD and the Coast Guard Need to Improve Their Capabilities to Assess Racial and Gender Disparities (GAO-19-344).
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2021
Afghan and Iraqi Allies Resettlement Improvement Act This bill addresses the settlement of Afghan and Iraqi special immigrant visa (SIV) holders. (Generally, SIV holders are individuals who received visas due to their work with the U.S. Armed Forces in Iraq or Afghanistan.) The Department of Health and Human Services must survey long-term outcomes, such as employment, housing, and educational attainment, of SIV holders as part of its annual survey of refugees. The Department of State must implement additional ways to deliver information in certain languages (i.e., Dari, Pashto, or Urdu) to prospective SIV holders about resettlement in the United States to assist with their adjustment process. The State Department and the Department of Defense must jointly establish a temporary program to offer SIV holders employment as translators, interpreters, and cultural awareness instructors.
United States · United States Congress · 23 August 2021
Preventing Presidential Election Interference Act This bill expands the prohibition on engaging in election interference and increases criminal penalties for violations. In particular, the bill prohibits the President and Vice President from using their authority to interfere with or affect an election.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that policies concerning medication abortions should be grounded in science, be based on a review of medical evidence, and ensure equitable access for patients.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 2021
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself; or 3 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years and the state administers the elections. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Frank Harrison, Elizabeth Peratrovich, and Miguel Trujillo Native American Voting Rights Act of 2021 This bill addresses the voting rights of Native American and Alaska Native voters and voting access on tribal lands. The bill includes provisions expanding the types of facilities that can be used as voter registration agencies; increasing polling site accessibility, including by expanding early in-person voting and providing ballot drop boxes; providing enforcement power to citizens and attorneys general; requiring approval for actions like moving a polling place; validating certain tribal identification for voting or registering to vote; permitting voters to designate another individual to return a ballot on their behalf; and expanding requirements for bilingual voting accessibility. In addition, the bill establishes a Native American voting task force grant program for the purpose of increasing voter outreach, education, registration, turnout, and accessibility for Native American communities. The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to study and report on (1) the prevalence of nontraditional or nonexistent mailing addresses among Indians, members of tribes, and individuals residing on Indian lands; and (2) the alternatives for removing barriers to voter registration, receipt of voter information and materials, and receipt of ballots.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Fiscal Analysis by Income and Race Scoring Act or the FAIR Scoring Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) cost estimates for legislation to include a distributional analysis by race and income if the legislation will have a gross budgetary effect of at least 0.1% of gross domestic product in any fiscal year during the 10-year budget window. CBO's analysis must show the transfers that would result by race and income level, and the effects must be shown both in dollars and as a percent change in after-tax-and-transfer-income. The bill also requires CBO to report to Congress on methods for conducting such a distributional analysis by gender.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Open App Markets Act This bill establishes rules related to the operation of an app store by a covered company (i.e., the owner or controller of an app store with more than 50 million U.S. users). An app is a software application or electronic service that may be run or directed by a user on a computer or mobile device. An app store is a publicly available website, software application, or other electronic service that distributes apps from third-party developers to users. The bill prohibits a covered company from (1) requiring developers to use an in-app payment system owned or controlled by the company as a condition of distribution or accessibility, (2) requiring that pricing or conditions of sale be equal to or more favorable on its app store than another app store, or (3) taking punitive action against a developer for using or offering different pricing terms or conditions of sale through another in-app payment system or on another app store. A covered company may not interfere with legitimate business communications between developers and users, use non-public business information from a third-party app to compete with the app, or unreasonably prefer or rank its own apps (or those of its business partners) over other apps. The bill provides for enforcement of its provisions by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, as well as through suits brought by developers that are injured by reason of anything forbidden under the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Right to Vote Act This bill addresses the right to vote in federal elections. Specifically, the bill declares that every citizen of legal voting age shall have the right to vote in federal elections that is free from any burden on the time, place, or manner of voting. In addition, the bill prohibits federal, state, and local governments from substantially impairing the ability to vote in federal elections unless the government action furthers an important and particularized governmental interest. Further, the bill specifies that a government may not diminish the ability to vote in federal elections unless the action uses the least restrictive means to achieve such an interest. A violation of rights created by the bill may be challenged in district court, and a prevailing plaintiff may receive attorney fees. The bill outlines judicial review standards for challenges to voting practices.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Bringing Enhanced Treatments and Therapies to ESRD Recipients Kidney Care Act or the BETTER Kidney Care Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a demonstration program for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Under the program, renal dialysis facilities, kidney disease specialists, physician practices, and other health care practitioners may form an organization that partners with certain health care entities to provide integrated care to beneficiaries with ESRD. Such care must include all covered Medicare benefits as well as transition services for transplantations, palliative care, and hospice. Each organization must have a minimum number or percentage of participating beneficiaries (350 or 60% of beneficiaries served at the organization's facilities) and must also comply with certain fiscal, governance, and quality of care requirements. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must study certain data that is reported to the CMS regarding pediatric dialysis care, as well as the effects of race-based corrections to a specified kidney function test on referrals of ESRD patients for transplant evaluations.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
9/11 Responder and Survivor Health Funding Correction Act This bill increases funding for and otherwise modifies a federal program that provides medical monitoring and treatment to responders and survivors who suffer from health conditions related to the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center. Among the changes, the bill allows certain health care providers other than physicians to determine whether an individual's health condition is related to the attacks, and it establishes a research program to study the impacts of the attacks on health and educational outcomes of individuals who were 21 years of age or younger when the attacks occurred.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion for Disasters Act or the REAADI for Disasters Act This bill establishes programs and requirements to assist individuals with disabilities and older adults (age 50 or older) with disaster preparedness. Among other provisions, the bill requires the establishment of an advisory committee that includes disabled individuals and older adults to oversee the use of funds made available by this bill; allows states to contract with Centers for Independent Living to provide services and support to disabled individuals in preparing for hazards; requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to carry out projects of national significance that, among other things, create opportunities for disabled individuals and older adults to directly contribute to disaster preparedness, recovery, and mitigation; modifies and expands the membership of the National Advisory Committee on Individuals with Disabilities and Disasters to ensure that it represents the diversity of the disabled and older adult communities; and establishes the Disability and Disaster Preparedness Advisory Commission to review settlement agreements involving potential violations of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Government Accountability Office must study the compliance of federal agencies with such enactments in expending funds to support disabled individuals and older adults in responding to, recovering from, and mitigating disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
National Firearms Amendments Act of 2021 This bill includes within the definition of firearm under the National Firearms Act a semiautomatic rifle or shotgun that has the capacity to accept a detachable ammunition feeding device.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Beyond the Box for Higher Education Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Education to issue guidance and recommendations for institutions of higher education to remove criminal and juvenile justice questions from their admission applications.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Maintaining Access to Essential Services Act of 2021 This bill establishes several loan programs to assist households with paying utility bills for drinking water, wastewater, stormwater management, energy (e.g., electricity, natural gas, or propane), and internet services during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the programs, the utilities may apply for loans that are equal to the amount of the payment shortfall from their customers during the emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women and its impact on women, families, and the nation, and reaffirms Congress' support for ensuring equal pay and closing the gender wage gap.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act of 2021 or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act of 2021 This bill addresses dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking incidents on college campuses, including by expanding requirements governing the disclosure of such incidents and efforts to prevent them. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to make available an online survey tool regarding student experiences with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. ED must publish a biennial report that includes campus-level data for each institution of higher education (IHE). The bill permits ED to impose civil penalties on IHEs that have violated a law under the jurisdiction of its Office for Civil Rights. In addition, the bill directs ED, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice to create a task force on sex-based harassment and violence in education.
![Official portrait of Rep. Jones, Mondaire [D-NY-17]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/j000306_200.jpg)