United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Migratory Bird Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the incidental taking (e.g., capturing or killing) of migratory birds by commercial activities unless the activity is authorized under a permit or is identified as posing de minimis risk to migratory birds. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) must regulate such incidental taking, including by (1) issuing general permits for certain industries, (2) creating a mitigation fee for any incidental taking of migratory birds, and (3) identifying categories of de minimis risk activities that are exempt from liability for the taking of migratory birds. In addition, the USFWS must establish and maintain a research program (1) to evaluate the impacts of commercial activities on birds, (2) to evaluate the effectiveness of best management practices and technologies to avoid or minimize such impacts, and (3) to develop new or improved best management practices and technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Alternatives to Opioids in the Emergency Department Reauthorization Act of 2021 or the ALTO Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 a grant program for developing and implementing alternatives to opioids for pain management in hospitals and emergency departments.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2021 This bill modifies the tax deduction for the expenses of performing artists (including commissions paid to managers or agents) to provide for a phaseout of such deduction for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 ($200,000 for joint return filers). The $100,000 phaseout threshold is adjusted for inflation annually for taxable years beginning after 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
New York-New Jersey Watershed Protection Act This bill requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to establish the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Program, a nonregulatory program, to coordinate restoration and protection activities among government entities and conservation partners throughout the watershed. The bill also establishes the New York-New Jersey Watershed Restoration Grant Program, a voluntary grant and technical assistance program, to provide competitive matching grants to certain entities to implement restoration and protection activities for the watershed.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
This bill repeals the limitation on the amount of distilled spirits excise tax covered over (paid) to the treasuries of the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The bill requires certain amounts of the excise tax paid to the treasury of Puerto Rico to be transferred to the Puerto Rico Conservation Trust Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
United States Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act of 2021 This bill establishes restrictions on businesses that relocate call centers or redirect customer service calls to locations outside the United States. Specifically, a business must notify the Department of Labor that it intends to move its customer service call center overseas and Labor must maintain a publicly available list of such businesses. Subject to narrow exceptions, a business appearing on such list is ineligible to receive federal grants or guaranteed loans for five years after the business is added to the list. Further, agencies must condition the awarding of government contracts on the requirement that any call center activity pursuant to the contract must be performed in the United States. Additionally, the bill requires call center employees to disclose their physical location at the beginning of each call initiated or received, unless all employees of the business participating in the communication are located in the United States, among other exceptions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2021
This resolution supports the designation of a Muslim-American Heritage Month. The resolution also honors the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative to advance societal well-being, national security, sustainability, and economic productivity and competitiveness. Among other activities, the initiative must include sustained support for research centers, individual investigators, technologies, and training. The initiative shall include outreach to primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions about initiative opportunities, and shall encourage the development of research collaborations between research-intensive universities and such institutions. The OSTP shall designate an interagency committee to coordinate initiative activities as appropriate. The interagency committee shall submit triennial reports to Congress through FY2028 in support of the initiative. The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a review of, and make recommendations with respect to, the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development. The NSF, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Health and Human Services shall carry out related activities as part of the initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits federal agencies and private businesses from publicly posting the personally identifiable information (e.g., home addresses) of federal judges and their immediate family members. It also (1) requires information to be removed upon written request from the federal judge concerned, (2) prohibits data brokers from purchasing or selling such information, and (3) establishes programs to protect such information at the state and local level and to enhance security for judges.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
End Double Taxation of Successful Consumer Claims Act This bill allows a deduction from gross income (above-the-line deduction) for attorney fees and court costs in connection with a claim of a consumer protection violation.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
Pathways to Health Careers Act This bill provides funding for, reauthorizes through FY2026, and makes a variety of changes to certain grants administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that provide education and training to low-income individuals for health care occupations, including by establishing a new competitive grant for projects designed to train low-income individuals in allied health professions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act This bill modifies the methodology and application of Medicare Advantage nursing and allied health education payments for hospitals. Specifically, for 2010-2019, the bill eliminates the annual cap on total payments and excludes any resulting increase from factoring into calculations for graduate medical education payments for such hospitals. (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently issued guidance providing for the recalculation and correction of certain payments to account for the annual payment cap.)
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
Semiquincentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue $25.00 gold coins, $2.50 silver coins, 25 cent clad coins, and proof silver $2.50 coins in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the United States. The designs of the coins shall be emblematic of the semiquincentennial anniversary of the establishment of the United States of America and celebrate 250 years of our nation. On each coin there shall be a designation of the value of the coin; an inscription of the years 1776-2026; and inscriptions of the words Liberty , In God We Trust , United States of America , and E Pluribus Unum . Treasury may issue coins under this bill only during the period beginning on January 1, 2026, and ending on December 31, 2026. All sales of coins issued shall include a surcharge as prescribed by this bill. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the America 250 Foundation to fund the restoration, rehabilitation, and interpretation of units of the U.S. National Park System and its related areas, as a legacy of the semiquincentennial commemoration.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2021
Payment Choice Act of 2021 This bill requires retail businesses to accept cash as a form of payment for sales in amounts less than $2,000, and it prohibits them from charging cash-paying customers a higher price compared to customers not paying with cash. Such businesses are those engaged in the business of selling or offering goods or services at retail to the public that accept in-person payments at a physical location. The bill provides for enforcement through preventative relief and civil penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2021
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the designation of a Slavery Remembrance Day and condemns slavery and its progenies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of states that may participate in two-year Medicaid demonstration programs that improve access to community mental health services. It also provides for additional grants to certified community behavioral health clinics.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Coverage includes (1) routine dental cleanings and exams, basic and major dental services, emergency dental care, and dentures; (2) routine eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses; and (3) routine hearing exams, hearing aids, and exams for hearing aids. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act This bill establishes and provides funding for the COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Program Fund. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must use the funds to set up at least 10 centers of excellence at academic medical centers to address issues associated with COVID-19 and future pandemic preparedness and response efforts. In addition, HHS must establish an advisory committee comprised of representatives from relevant federal agencies, each center of excellence, and national organizations that work with populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and other health disparities. The committee must facilitate collaboration, information-sharing, and dissemination of best practices relating to COVID-19 and future pandemic responses.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
Patient Parity Protection Act of 2021 This bill allows certain off-campus departments of providers to be included in the Medicare prospective payment system for hospital outpatient department services. Providers must attest that the department was previously considered on-campus or otherwise met applicable requirements, but is now off-campus due to the provider's forced relocation to meet patient needs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2021
Health Opportunities to Promote Equity Act or the HOPE Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services, when awarding grants to train low-income individuals to work in certain health care occupations, to make certain efforts to ensure the geographic diversity of grant recipients.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
Section 331 Obligation Clarification Act This bill specifies that certain service obligations owed by the licensee of a commercial television broadcast station apply regardless of the broadcast frequency used by the licensee. Specifically, the bill provides that a licensee making a change from a very high frequency (VHF) broadcast station to an ultrahigh frequency (UHF) broadcast station must ensure the change does not affect its obligation to provide service to its customers. The bill also requires such a licensee to (1) broadcast at least 14 hours of common local programming per week, (2) include a substantial amount of particularized local content, and (3) maintain a studio in the station's community. The bill further provides for the reallocation of a station to a community where there is no VHF or UHF station. The Government Accountability Office must examine and report on the process used by the Federal Communications Commission for renewing broadcast television licenses to determine if that process meets specified obligations. In particular, the GAO must review how the process relates to television broadcast stations with specific obligations to serve the needs of their local communities.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
This resolution expresses support for (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBTQ Equality Day on June 26 to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on that day in 2003, 2013, and 2015. The resolution also acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
Tax-Free Pell Grant Act This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, any amount received as a federal Pell Grant. It also expands the definition of qualified tuition and related expenses under the American Opportunity and Lifetime Learning tax credit to include computer or peripheral equipment (up to a maximum of $1,000), child and dependent care expenses, and course materials.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Break the Cycle of Violence Act This bill establishes federal grant programs and related entities to support violence intervention initiatives. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for coordinated community violence intervention initiatives in communities disproportionately impacted by homicides and community violence. HHS must also establish several related entities, including an Office of Community Violence Intervention to administer programs and activities related to violence intervention; the Community Violence Intervention Advisory Committee to advise and assist the office and HHS; and the National Community Violence Response Center to provide training and technical assistance, coordinate research, and develop data collection policies. Additionally, the bill directs the Department of Labor to award grants for job training and workforce programs in communities disproportionately affected by gun violence to connect youth ages 16 to 24 to in-demand occupations.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Better Care Better Jobs Act This bill establishes programs and provides funds for state Medicaid programs to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS), such as home health care, personal care, case management, and rehabilitative services. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award planning grants, develop quality measures, and provide technical assistance to states regarding specified HCBS improvements, particularly with respect to access, utilization, and the associated workforce. The bill also increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for HCBS in states that develop plans and meet specified benchmarks for improvements. The bill also makes permanent (1) the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program (a grant program to help states increase the use of HCBS for long-term care and decrease the use of institutional care), and (2) certain provisions regarding Medicaid eligibility that protect against spousal impoverishment for recipients of HCBS.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 20 21 This bill prohibits commercial conversion therapy, which is a practice or treatment designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or otherwise change behaviors, thoughts, or expressions related to gender or sexual attraction. This prohibition does not apply to treatment that assists an individual undergoing a gender transition or facilitates identity exploration and development.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Know Your Social Security Act This bill requires the Social Security Administration to provide Social Security account statements by mail to each individual who is 25 or older and who is eligible for, but not currently receiving, Social Security retirement benefits. Individuals may choose to receive their account statements electronically.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Promotion and Expansion of Private Employee Ownership Act of 2021 This bill expands tax incentives and federal assistance for employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) that are sponsored by S corporations. The bill provides additional tax incentives for ESOPs by (1) extending to all domestic corporations, including S corporations, provisions allowing deferral of tax on gain from the sale of employer securities to an ESOP; and (2) allowing a tax deduction for 50% of the interest received by a bank on loans to S corporation-sponsored ESOPs for the purchase of employer securities. The Department of the Treasury must establish the S Corporation Employee Ownership Assistance Office to foster increased employee ownership of S corporations. The bill defines an ESOP business concern for purposes of the Small Business Act as a business concern that was eligible for a loan, preference, or other program under such Act before more than 49% of the business concern was acquired by an ESOP.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Lead-Free America Bonds Act of 2021 This bill allows issuers of qualified lead drinking water service line bonds a credit for interest payments under such bonds. The bill defines qualified lead drinking water service line bond as any bond issue (other than a private activity bond) if 100% of the available project proceeds of such issue are used to replace lead components of one or more eligible public water systems that are not lead free.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2021
Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements and procedures for the Department of the Treasury to transfer ownership of certain matured, unredeemed savings bonds and related records to states.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2021
Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act This bill modifies the process and policy related to the disposition of charges and convening of courts-martial for certain sexual assault cases and other specified offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Among other elements, the bill provides that the determinations on the preferral, disposition, and referral of charges for specified offenses under the UCMJ must be made by a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces who is designated as a court-martial convening authority (in grade O-6 or higher) and who is available for detail as trial counsel, has significant trial experience, and is outside the chain of command of the member subject to the charges.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Aviation Funding Stability Act of 20 21 This bill provides continuing appropriations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund if an appropriations bill for the FAA has not been enacted before a fiscal year begins or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations for the FAA is not in effect. The bill provides appropriations at the rate of operations that was provided for the prior fiscal year to continue programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Fair Accounting for Condominium Construction Act This bill exempts certain residential construction contracts from the requirement to use the percentage of completion method of accounting. The percentage of completion method is a tax accounting method in which the revenues and expenses of long-term contracts are recognized as a percentage of the work completed in a particular period.
United States · United States Congress · 21 June 2021
Zero-Emission Nuclear Power Production Credit Act of 2021 This bill allows a new business-related tax credit through 2030 for the production of electricity from zero-emission nuclear power. It also allows taxpayers to elect direct payments of such credit and requires a recapture of credit amounts for contractors who fail to pay their employees the prevailing wage rate. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on the effectiveness of the credit in ensuring grid reliability and on ratepayer savings. Contractors must ensure that at least 15% of their workforce is composed of qualified apprentices unless there is a lack of availability of qualified apprentices in the applicable geographic area.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Promoting Employment of Skilled Workers and Foster Youth Act of 2021 This bill expands the work opportunity tax credit to (1) allow the rehiring of certain construction industry employees participating in an apprenticeship program, and (2) include qualified pre-apprenticeship graduates and foster care transition youth as targeted group members for purposes of the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Trade Adjustment Assistance Modernization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise revises the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, including by expanding program eligibility to additional workers, increasing relocation and job search allowances, establishing a child care allowance, and expanding eligibility for and increasing the maximum benefit of wage insurance. The bill also permanently extends the tax credit for health insurance costs and increases the percentage of such credit.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
Disarm Hate Act The bill expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. Specifically, it prohibits firearm sale or transfer to and receipt, possession, shipment, or transport by a person (1) who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) who has received an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
Voices for Veterans Act This bill expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, gender non-conforming, intersex, or queer. Among other responsibilities, the committee advises the Department of Veterans Affairs on the administration of benefits and provision of health care, benefits, and services to minority veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
This resolution recognizes the historical significance to the nation of Juneteenth Independence Day (commemorating the end of slavery in the United States).
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2021
This bill declares that Congress apologizes on behalf of the nation for violations of the civil liberties and constitutional rights of Italian Americans during World War II.
United States · United States Congress · 14 June 2021
This bill authorizes the Department of Education to provide grants for public awareness education programs on the history of the treatment of Italian Americans during World War II. In awarding such grants, priority shall be given to Italian American historical and cultural organizations.
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
Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act or the CURD Act This bill provides statutory authority for a definition of natural cheese . Under the bill, natural cheese is defined as cheese that is produced from animal milk or certain dairy ingredients and is produced in accordance with established cheese-making standards.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Promoting Respect for Individuals' Dignity and Equality Act of 2021 or the PRIDE Act of 2021 This bill requires the equal treatment of same sex married couples for tax purposes. It permits such couples to amend their filing status to married filing jointly for tax returns outside of the statute of limitations and modifies tax rules relating to married couples to include same sex couples.
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
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with adjacent wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a grant program to modify, upgrade, and construct fire and emergency medical services (EMS) department facilities. Grant recipients may use funds received to build, rebuild, or renovate fire and EMS department facilities; upgrade existing facilities to install exhaust emission control systems, install backup power systems, upgrade or replace environmental control systems (such as HVAC systems), remove or remediate mold, and construct or modify living quarters for use by male and female personnel; and upgrade fire and EMS stations or build new stations. The bill sets forth provisions regarding (1) grant fund allocations between career and volunteer fire and EMS departments, and (2) prevailing rate of wage and a requirement for using materials produced domestically for public contracts.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2021
Alyssa's Legacy Youth in Schools Safety Alert Act or the ALYSSA Act This bill addresses school security by requiring silent panic alarms in elementary and secondary schools and reauthorizing a program to train school resource officers. First, the bill requires that each elementary and secondary school have a silent alarm to alert local law enforcement authorities and emergency responders about a safety issue at the school. Further, the bill conditions receipt of funds by a local educational agency (LEA) upon each elementary and secondary school served by the LEA being equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school emergency. The bill reauthorizes for FY2021-FY2030 the school resource officers program.
![Official portrait of Rep. Pascrell, Bill, Jr. [D-NJ-9]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_nj_9_pascrell_bill_200.jpg)