United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
Migrant Accountability Act of 2021 This bill modifies the treatment of unaccompanied alien children, including by transferring functions for the care and custody of such children from the Office of Refugee Settlement within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Currently, the office provides care for apprehended unaccompanied children, while DHS is typically responsible for detained alien adults. Under this bill, if an immigration officer determines that a qualifying unaccompanied child is inadmissible, the officer may return that child to the child's country of nationality or country of last habitual residence. Currently, only an unaccompanied child who is a national or habitual resident of a country bordering the United States may be returned. The Department of State must negotiate with other countries concerning the repatriation of children. Currently, the State Department is only required to negotiate such agreements with countries bordering the United States. For an unaccompanied child who reaches 18 years of age while in custody, the bill repeals a requirement for DHS to consider the least restrictive setting available for that individual's custody or supervision. Currently, DHS must make such a consideration when such an individual reaches 18 years of age. Before placing an unaccompanied child with a sponsor claiming to be the child's biological relative, DHS must confirm this relationship using DNA technology. A state may refuse placement of an unaccompanied child in the state, including at a federal facility, unless the placement is with a sponsor who is the child's confirmed biological relative.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
No Taxpayer Funding for the Central American Minors Program Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to carry out the Central American Minors program, a Department of Homeland Security and Department of State program that reunites qualified children from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras with their parent who is lawfully present in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
Restore the Rights of Property Owners under the Eviction Moratorium Issued by the CDC Act of 2021 This bill nullifies beginning on July 1, 2021, the emergency order (and any extensions of the order) issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on September 4, 2020, that restricted residential evictions during the COVID-19 emergency. It also prohibits the order from being reissued unless specifically authorized by law.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
This resolution supports the initiative of Governor Greg Abbott to complete a border wall in Texas and calls on other border state governors to follow suit. It also states that the status quo relating to border security is unsustainable, irresponsible, and dangerous.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Increasing Health Coverage through HRAs Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Health and Human Services rule dated June 20, 2019, which provides for the integration of health reimbursement arrangements and other account-based health plans with individual health insurance coverage or Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2021
Transparency of Migration Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make publicly available online certain information about individuals unlawfully present in the United States who are (1) apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and sent to a federal detention center or released into the United States, or (2) processed through an HHS facility. This information must be updated weekly and must include daily numbers, the country of origin of such individuals, and other details.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2021
This resolution requires an analytical statement to be included in committee reports on whether, and the extent to which, the increased budget authority, outlays, or revenue produced by the enactment of a bill or joint resolution may have an inflationary impact on prices and costs in the operation of the national economy and the purchasing power of low- and middle-income families.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Study To Observe and Prevent (STOP) Human Trafficking Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Justice, in coordination with the President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to study and report on the prevalence and instances of human trafficking at adult entertainment clubs in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Second Amendment is Essential Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to designate the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing firearms, or importing or manufacturing ammunition, as a critical infrastructure sector. Additionally, the bill states that individuals who are employed by those entities are critical infrastructure workers. The term critical infrastructure means systems and assets, physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health and safety, or any combination of those matters.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct or support gain-of-function research involving potential pandemic pathogens by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or other foreign adversaries. Gain-of-function research is any research that is anticipated to confer an attribute on a pathogen to enhance its pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals. If the Department of State finds that an entity has used funds for prohibited research, the entity may not receive any federal funding for a period of five years.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Fairness in Firearm Testing Act This bill establishes additional requirements for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Specifically, the bill requires the ATF to make a video recording of its process for evaluating and testing an item to determine if it is a firearm or ammunition.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Responsible Practical Training Act of 2021 This bill imposes limits on the Optional Practical Training program and addresses related issues. (The program provides an F-1 student visa holder temporary employment authorization before or after completion of the student's studies, or both. Currently, an eligible alien may receive up to 12 months of employment authorization under the program, with a 24-month extension available to certain individuals with degrees in certain fields related to science, technology, engineering, or math.) Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to issue regulations to (1) limit the program to six months and eliminate any extensions; and (2) exclude from the program any alien with a degree or working in a sensitive field, such as military-related fields. The Department of Labor must conduct a wage analysis of the Optional Practical Training program and Curricular Practical Training program. The analysis must include a determination as to whether the aliens in the programs received wages appropriate for the type and location of employment.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
Local Journalism Sustainability Act This bill allows individual and business taxpayers tax credits for the support of local newspapers and media. Specifically, individual taxpayers may claim an income tax credit up to $250 for a local newspaper subscription. The bill also allows local newspaper employers a payroll tax credit for wages paid to an employee for service as a local news journalist and certain small businesses a tax credit for local newspaper and media advertising expenses.
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 prohibits the use of federal funds to require a member of the Armed Forces to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also prohibits adverse action (e.g., punishment) being taken against a member of the Armed Forces because the member refuses to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Firearm Due Process Protection Act This bill expands the grounds for pursuing judicial remedies related to certain firearm transfers. Additionally, the bill establishes procedural rules applicable to actions for judicial remedies. Current law authorizes judicial remedies for an individual who is erroneously denied a firearm (e.g., an individual is denied a firearm but the individual is eligible to receive or possess a firearm). This bill authorizes remedies for an individual who experiences an extended delay (i.e., a delay of more than 60 days) on a firearm transfer. Additionally, the bill requires an expedited hearing on an action for judicial remedies and places the burden of proof on the respondent to show by clear and convincing evidence that the individual was ineligible to receive or possess a firearm.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Protecting Individual Sovereignty Through Our Laws Act or the PISTOL Act This bill modifies the definition of rifle for purposes of the National Firearms Act to exclude from such definition a pistol equipped with a rear brace or rear attachment designed to assist the shooter in controlling the pistol. The bill also directs the Department of Justice to amend applicable regulations governing pistols to provide that the presence or absence of rear mounted braces or attachments that can assist a user in controlling the pistol shall not cause a firearm to be considered a pistol.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Securing America's Land from Foreign Interference Act This bill requires the President to take actions as necessary to prohibit members of the Chinese Communist Party from purchasing real estate located in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Protect Speech Act This bill modifies the immunity from liability of a provider or user of an interactive computer service (e.g., a social media company) for screening and blocking offensive content on its platform. Specifically, the bill provides that this immunity shall not apply to any action taken to restrict access to or availability of material provided by another information content provider unless the action is taken in good faith based on an objectively reasonable belief that the material is (1) obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, promoting terrorism or violent extremism, harassing, promoting self-harm, or unlawful; or (2) violates the applicable terms of service or use. In order to avoid liability for taking action based on either belief, certain good faith requirements must be met, such as (1) making publicly available terms of service or use that plainly state the criteria for content moderation practices, and (2) not restricting access to or availability of material on deceptive grounds. Further, the bill specifies that being responsible in whole or in part for the creation or development of information includes instances in which a person or entity solicits, comments upon, funds, or affirmatively and substantively contributes to, modifies, or alters information provided by another person or entity.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
Trade Related Intellectual Property Protection Act or the TRIPP Act This bill requires the President to oppose any waiver of obligations under the TRIPS Agreement (i.e., the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) held by members of the World Trade Organization unless there is an express, statutory authorization for such a waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 11 June 2021
This resolution requires an analytical statement to be included in committee reports on whether, and the extent to which, the increased budget authority, outlays, or revenue produced by the enactment of a bill or joint resolution may have an inflationary impact on prices and costs in the operation of the national economy and the purchasing power of low- and middle-income families.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2021
Eliminate Lavish Incentives To Electric Vehicles Act or the ELITE Vehicles Act This bill terminates the tax credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles 30 days after this bill's enactment date. The credit is permanently repealed for taxable years beginning 1 year and 30 days after enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Federal Protective Service 50th Anniversary Resolution or the FPS 50th Anniversary Resolution This resolution recognizes the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Federal Protective Service and the role it plays in protecting the people and property of the federal government.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Children Have Opportunities in Classrooms Everywhere Act This bill allows tax-exempt distributions from qualified tuition programs (known as 529 plans) to be used for additional educational expenses in connection with elementary or secondary school. The bill also allows certain federal funds for elementary and secondary education to follow a student from a low-income household to the public school that the student attends or for tax-exempt educational expenses. Under current law, tax-exempt distributions in connection with elementary or secondary school are limited to tuition for a public, private, or religious school. The bill allows these distributions to be used additionally for curriculum and curricular materials, books or other instructional materials, online educational materials, tutoring or educational classes outside the home, testing fees, fees for dual enrollment in an institution of higher education, and educational therapies for students with disabilities. Distributions may also be used for tuition and the purposes above in connection with a home school (whether treated as a home school or a private school under state law). In addition, the bill directs state educational agencies to allocate grant funds to ensure the funding follows students to their public school or for other tax-exempt educational expenses outlined by the bill. Each state that carries out these allocations must establish a plan that allows the parent or guardian of an eligible child to apply for grant funds.
United States · United States Congress · 4 June 2021
Emergency Resupply for IRON DOME Act of 2021 This bill requires the President to make all unexpended funding for assistance to Gaza available instead for grants to Israel for its Iron Dome short-range rocket defense system.
United States · United States Congress · 1 June 2021
Stars and Stripes Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of State from displaying any flag or banner at a diplomatic or consular post other than specified flags. Such flags are (1) the U.S. flag; (2) the flag of the country wherein the post is located; (3) the flag of a state, territory, or possession of the United States; (4) a departmental or secretarial flag; (5) the flag of an Armed Force; or (6) a flag to honor prisoners of war or those missing in action.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
Safeguarding United States Research Act This bill imposes certain reporting requirements on the sponsor of an F, M, or J (student or exchange visitor) visa and authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke such a visa in certain instances. It also expands disclosure requirements for applicants of federal research and development awards. The Department of State must require a sponsor of a J visa to report any change to the visa holder's primary field of study. The State Department and DHS shall require a sponsor of an F, M, or J visa to report when the visa holder is participating in a federally funded research program. DHS may review and revoke an F, M, or J visa in certain instances, such as finding that (1) the visa holder misrepresented an intention to pursue a field of study, or (2) the visa holder's participation in a federally funded research program poses a national security risk. The bill also imposes certain limits on the ability to appeal such a revocation decision. The bill also requires applications for federal research and development awards to disclose any in-kind contributions received by the applicant. Furthermore, if an applicant works for an institution that is required to file disclosures relating to the receipt of foreign gifts, the application for the federal award must include a certification that the applicant has provided the employing institution all the information necessary to comply with that disclosure requirement.
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
Department of Energy Science for the Future Act This bill supports specified research and development activities of the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science. The bill establishes various programs, including a basic energy sciences research and development program; a biological systems science and climate and environmental science research and development program; earth and environmental systems science research; a coastal zone research initiative; a Quantum User Expansion for Science and Technology program or QUEST program; a collaborative research and development program of fusion energy technologies; a research program on the fundamental constituents of matter and energy and the nature of space and time; a high energy physics research program; research activities on the nature of the primary contents of the universe, including the nature of dark energy and dark matter; a research program to discover and understand various forms of nuclear matter; and a high intensity laser research initiative. The DOE Office of Science shall continue to leverage U.S. participation in the Large Hadron Collider and prioritize expanding international partnerships and investments in the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility and Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. The bill requires DOE to expand opportunities to increase the number, diversity, equity, and inclusion of highly skilled science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professionals working in DOE.
United States · United States Congress · 28 May 2021
This resolution calls on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day to honor the men and women who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
States Have A Say Act This bill prohibits the Office of Refugee Resettlement from resettling a refugee in a state if that state's governor does not consent to the resettlement.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Protect Americans from Foreign Criminals Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct background checks before releasing from custody an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States. Specifically, before releasing such an individual from detention while removal proceedings are pending, DHS must conduct a background check using criminal history databases covering the United States, the individual's country of origin, and any country that the individual transited through. DHS may not release the individual if the individual is (1) facing charges for (or convicted of) an aggravated felony, (2) a member of a criminal street gang, or (3) subject to mandatory detention on various crime- or security-related grounds. Furthermore, DHS must review and determine whether the criminal history databases of countries around the world meet standards for accessibility, accuracy, and other factors. DHS may not release a detained individual if a background check for that individual is required from a country with databases that fail to meet the relevant standards.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Human-Animal Chimera Prohibition Act of 2021 This bill establishes new federal crimes related to conduct involving certain types of human-animal chimeras. The term human-animal chimera means an organism that, from an early stage of development, contains human and nonhuman parts. This bill makes is unlawful to create or attempt to create a prohibited human-animal chimera, transfer or attempt to transfer a human embryo into a nonhuman womb, transfer or attempt to transfer a nonhuman embryo into a human womb, or transport or receive for any purpose a prohibited human-animal chimera. A violator is subject to civil and criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Second Chance Opportunity for Re-Entry Education Act of 2021 or the SCORE Act of 2021 This bill directs the Bureau of Justice Assistance within the Department of Justice to establish a grant program—the Second Chance Opportunity for Re-Entry Education Grant Program—to promote reentry training programs and reduce recidivism to county jails for qualified nonviolent inmates.
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
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
Repaying the Rural Borderlands Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reimburse individuals, entities, and state and local governments for damage to property caused by aliens entering the United States along the southern border. DHS must also reimburse local governments for the costs of providing care, such as housing and schooling, to such aliens.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Stop Cancel Culture from Degrading Honor Act This bill prohibits the rescission of a military decoration after 10 years have passed since it was awarded unless the award was based on fraud or other misinformation or the individual awarded the decoration is prohibited from interment memorialization in the National Cemetery Administration of the Department of Veterans Affairs or Arlington National Cemetery.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
This bill prohibits any program for which federal funds are appropriated on a discretionary basis from providing federal funds to a state that has implemented a program to provide assistance to individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 25 May 2021
Taxpayers and Savers Protection Act or the TSP Act This bill prohibits any sums in the Thrift Savings Fund from being invested in a security that is listed on an exchange in a jurisdiction in which the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board is prevented from conducting the mandatory inspection or investigation of a registered public accounting firm because of a position taken by an authority in that jurisdiction.
United States · United States Congress · 21 May 2021
State Antitrust Enforcement Venue Act of 2021 This bill exempts antitrust actions brought by states from the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation's processes regarding transfers and consolidations of cases. Under current law, civil actions that are pending in different federal courts, and that involve common questions of fact, may be transferred to a single court district for coordinated or consolidated trial proceedings. Current law exempts antitrust actions from consolidation or transfers only if they are brought by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
SNAP Reform Act of 2021 This bill modifies eligibility under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with respect to individuals who receive other forms of assistance. Currently, households may be considered categorically eligible for SNAP if all members receive certain other assistance, such as under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. The bill specifies that members receiving TANF assistance must (1) receive at least $150 a month in cash assistance under TANF for an extended period with an income of up to 130% of the federal poverty level (FPL), or (2) be elderly or disabled and receive cash assistance or ongoing and substantial services under TANF with an income of up to 200% of the FPL. The bill also increases the maximum allowable resources for SNAP eligibility and specifies that certain allowances relating to energy assistance extend only to households with elderly members.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Agricultural Security Risk Review Act This bill expands the membership of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to include the Secretary of Agriculture. (The committee reviews the national security implications of certain foreign investments in U.S. businesses or real estate, including critical infrastructure or technologies.)
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Washington Bureaucrat Accountability Act This bill rescinds funding that was provided to the Department of Transportation for certain unused earmarks. Under the bill, the term earmark generally refers to congressionally directed spending that would benefit a specific entity or state, locality, or congressional district other than through a statutory or administrative formula or competitive award process. The bill also requires (1) the rescinded funds to be deposited into the Treasury for the purpose of deficit reduction, and (2) federal agencies to submit certain reports regarding unobligated funds that were provided for earmarks.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
Saving Gig Economy Taxpayers Act This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
See the Crisis Act This bill limits international travel by the Vice President until after certain activities are undertaken regarding the southwest border. Specifically, the bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds for the Vice President's travel expenses to travel outside of the United States until the Vice President (1) personally travels to at least one of several specified counties along the border to review the activities of federal agencies responsible for enforcing and implementing immigration laws, and (2) submits a report relating to the situation at the border.
United States · United States Congress · 20 May 2021
This resolution recognizes that the national debt is a threat to national security and that deficits are unsustainable, irresponsible, and dangerous. It also commits to (1) restoring regular order to the appropriations process, and (2) addressing the fiscal crisis faced by the United States.
![Official portrait of Rep. Weber, Randy K. Sr. [R-TX-14]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000814_200.jpg)