United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
This resolution designates March 2021 as National Women's History Month. The resolution also recognizes the celebration of such month as a time to reflect on the contributions that women have made to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Wise Investment in Children Act of 2021 or the WIC Act of 20 21 This bill expands eligibility for children to receive benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Specifically, the bill extends eligibility for the program until the period that ends on the earlier of the sixth birthday of a child or when the child enters kindergarten; extends the certification period under the program for infants to up to two years, instead of the current one year; and increases the certification time under the program for postpartum women to a period of up to two years. The bill also authorizes the Department of Agriculture to grant a waiver to a state, on request, that waives certification deadline requirements for the eligibility extensions if such state demonstrates there are unusual technological barriers to implementation, operational costs are not affordable within the nutrition services and administration grant of the state, or it is in the best interest of the program.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Environmental Justice For All Act This bill establishes several environmental justice requirements, advisory bodies, and programs to address the disproportionate adverse human health or environmental effects of federal laws or programs on communities of color, low-income communities, or tribal and indigenous communities. Specifically, the bill prohibits disparate impacts on the basis of race, color, or national origin as discrimination. Aggrieved persons may seek legal remedy when faced with such discrimination. In addition, the bill directs agencies to follow certain requirements concerning environmental justice. For example, agencies must prepare community impact reports that assess the potential impacts of their actions on environmental justice communities under certain circumstances. Further, it creates a variety of advisory bodies and positions, such as the White House Environmental Justice Interagency Council. Among other things, the council must issue an environmental justice strategy. It also establishes requirements and programs concerning chemicals or toxic ingredients in certain products. For example, the bill (1) requires certain products (e.g., cosmetics) to include a list of ingredients or warnings; and (2) provides grants for research on designing safer alternatives to chemicals in certain consumer, cleaning, toy, or baby products that have an inherent toxicity or that are associated with chronic adverse health effects. Finally, it creates a variety of funding programs, such as a grant program to enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban areas.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021 This bill establishes a process for the people of Puerto Rico to vote on the political status (e.g., statehood) of the territory. Congress may ratify the decision through a joint resolution. The bill declares that the legislature of Puerto Rico has the authority to call a status convention regarding the political status of the territory. The bill provides for public financing of delegate elections to the status convention and establishes a Congressional Bilateral Negotiating Commission to provide advice and consultation to delegates of the status convention. The status convention must provide self-determination options for a referendum of the people of Puerto Rico. Ranked-choice voting is a permitted format for the referendum. Delegates shall carry out an educational campaign through traditional paid media related to the referendum. The bill provides for congressional consideration of a joint resolution to ratify the self-determination option selected through the referendum.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act of 2021 This bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate drug prices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of drugs covered under the benefit.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement the maternity care coordination program. The VA must provide community maternity care providers (i.e., non-VA maternity care providers) with training and support with respect to the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum veterans, particularly regarding mental and behavioral health conditions in relation to the service of the veterans in the Armed Forces. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must report on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity among pregnant and postpartum veterans, with a focus on racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes for veterans.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
For the People Act of 2021 This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act of 2021 This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for hypertension and monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) for veterans who served in Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2021 or the MONARCH Act of 2021 This bill provides support for the conservation of western monarch butterflies (the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of California and breeds across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). Specifically, the bill establishes the Western Monarch Butterfly Rescue Fund. The Department of the Interior must use amounts in the fund to provide grants for the conservation of such butterflies. In addition, Interior must enter into an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to facilitate the implementation of the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and Roberts Temple National Historic Site Act This bill establishes the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and Roberts Temple National Historic Site in Illinois as a unit of the National Park System. The purpose of the site is to preserve, protect, and interpret (1) the Great Migration, (2) the memorial service and funeral of Emmett Till, (3) the courage and activism of Mamie Till-Mobley, and (4) the civil rights movement. The National Park Service shall prepare a general management plan for the site.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Monarch and Pollinator Highway Act of 2021 or the MPH Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Department of Transportation to provide grants to states, Indian tribes, and federal land management agencies to carry out pollinator-friendly practices on roadsides and highway rights-of-way, including the planting and seeding of native, locally-appropriate grasses, wildflowers, and milkweed.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2021
Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions Act or the SCALE Act This bill establishes programs within the Department of Energy that provide financial support and incentives to develop infrastructure for carbon dioxide capture, transport, utilization, and storage.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects, such as reconstructive services and items. Coverage must include services and items that functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part that is medically necessary for normal bodily functions or appearance, as determined by the treating physician. Coverage limits and cost-sharing requirements for such services and items may not be more restrictive than those applicable to all medical and surgical benefits under the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Elaine M. Checketts Military Families Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Defense to amend regulations to provide that approved parental leave shall not terminate upon the death of the child for whom the leave is taken.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Lori Jackson Domestic Violence Survivor Protection Act This bill makes changes to the federal statutory framework that prohibits the shipment, transport, receipt, or possession of firearms or ammunition by an individual who is subject to a qualifying domestic violence court order. Under current law, a qualifying domestic violence court order must meet certain criteria, including to (1) be issued after a hearing of which the individual had notice and an opportunity to participate; and (2) restrain the individual from harassing, stalking, or threatening an intimate partner (i.e., a current or former spouse, a co-parent of a child, or a current or former cohabitant) or the child of an intimate partner. This bill expands the scope of qualifying domestic violence court orders to include an order that is issued after an ex parte hearing (i.e., a hearing with only one party present); restrains the individual from harassing, stalking, or threatening a dating partner or former dating partner; or restrains the individual from intimidating a witness. Current law also prohibits an individual who is convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence from shipping, transporting, receiving, or possessing firearms or ammunition. These restrictions generally only apply to spouses, co-parents, and cohabitants, and to offenses that involve physical force or deadly weapons. This bill expands the scope of these restrictions to include dating partners and offenses that involve stalking.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act of 2021 This bill nullifies specified guidance and final rule provisions pertaining to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers) issued by the Department of the Treasury and the Department of Health and Human Services. The provisions allow states to forego certain requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in order to implement experimental plans for health care coverage, as long as the resulting coverage meets certain statutory criteria. The provisions, which supersede earlier guidance from 2015, alter agency interpretation of how states may satisfy the statutory criteria for waiver approval. For example, the provisions (1) redefine acceptable coverage under such waivers to include short-term, limited-duration insurance and association health plans; (2) allow the comprehensiveness and affordability of coverage under such waivers to be assessed based on projected availability, rather than enrollment; and (3) allow the level of coverage to be assessed based on the effects over the entire course of the waiver, rather than per year.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2021
Citizenship for Essential Workers Act This bill establishes a mechanism for eligible aliens who worked as essential workers during the declared COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to apply for and obtain permanent resident status. The bill also narrows certain grounds for deportability and inadmissibility. To be eligible for permanent resident status under this bill, an alien must have earned income at any point during the COVID-19 emergency period doing work deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or a state or local government. An alien may also be eligible if that alien is a parent, spouse, or child of (1) an eligible alien who died from COVID-19, or (2) a member of the Armed Forces. Certain aliens shall be ineligible, such as an alien who was a refugee on January 1, 2021. To obtain permanent resident status under this bill, an applying alien must satisfy additional requirements, including by passing a background check. Furthermore, the bill repeals provisions providing for three-year bars and permanent bars to admission into the United States. (Generally, these bars apply to aliens who were previously removed or unlawfully present in the United States.) The bill also narrows the scope of certain crime-based grounds for inadmissibility or deportability, such as by redefining the term conviction to exclude expunged convictions. The Department of Justice or DHS may waive certain grounds of inadmissibility or deportability (1) for humanitarian purposes, (2) to ensure family unity, or (3) for the public interest.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid equally to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing their missions.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Assault Weapons Ban of 2021 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; or (4) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Police Training and Independent Review Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to award grants to states that (1) require law enforcement officers to be trained on fair and impartial policing (e.g., diversity and anti-bias training), and (2) require an independent prosecutor to be appointed to investigate and prosecute an alleged offense involving the use of deadly force by a law enforcement officer that results in a death or injury.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Work Opportunities and Resources to Keep Nonprofit Organizations Well Act or the WORK NOW Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to establish a grant program to provide emergency relief to certain nonprofit organizations, prioritizing organizations that provide services related to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Organizations receiving funding must use not less than 60% of these funds to hire former and new employees.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
COVID - 19 Hate Crimes Act This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) hate crimes and reports of COVID-19 hate crimes. It defines COVID-19 hate crime as a violent crime that is motivated by two things: (1) the actual or perceived characteristic (e.g., race or ethnicity) of any person, and (2) the actual or perceived relationship to the spread of COVID-19 of any person because of that characteristic. The bill requires DOJ to issue guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies on how to establish online hate crime reporting processes in multiple languages and how to expand culturally competent education campaigns. Additionally, DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services must issue guidance on best practices for mitigating racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
This resolution (1) recognizes Girl Scouts of the United States of America for 109 years of inspiring girl leadership and encourages them to continue to support the leadership development of girls, and (2) congratulates all Girl Scouts who earned the Gold Award in 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
Hello Girls Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the female telephone operators of the Army Signal Corps, commonly known as the Hello Girls , in recognition of their military service, devotion to duty, and 60-year struggle for veterans' benefits and recognition as soldiers.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
This resolution recognizes the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921. The resolution acknowledges the historical significance of this event as one of the largest single instances of state-sanctioned violence against Black people in American history; honors the lives and legacies of the estimated 300 Black individuals who were killed during the massacre and the nearly 9,000 who were left homeless and penniless; condemns efforts to cover up the truth and shield the white community, especially government officials, from accountability; condemns the continued legacy of racism and white supremacy against Black people in the United States, particularly in the form of police brutality; encourages education about the massacre, the history of white supremacy that fueled the massacre, and subsequent attempts to deny or cover up the massacre, in all elementary and secondary education settings and in institutions of higher education; and recognizes the commitment of Congress to acknowledge and learn from the history of racism and racial violence to reverse the legacy of white supremacy and fight for racial justice.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
NICS Denial Notification Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Justice to notify state and local law enforcement authorities following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act This bill provides annual funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to strengthen core public health infrastructure. Core public health infrastructure includes the elements and workforce capabilities that enable health departments to perform critical functions such as disease surveillance and emergency response. Specifically, the CDC must award grants to health departments for their core infrastructure needs. In addition, the CDC must support the development of accreditation standards for health departments that emphasize core public health infrastructure. Health departments must meet those (or similar) standards as a condition of receiving grants beginning in FY2025. The CDC must also take steps to expand and improve its own public health infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2021
Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2021 This bill expands provisions prohibiting discrimination against disabled individuals by an air carrier. Specifically, it enumerates certain actions that an air carrier must take or may not take with respect to a disabled individual. It also requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that disabled individuals traveling in air transportation are able to file complaints with DOT in response to disability-related discrimination and receive assistance from DOT through a hotline or comparable electronic means. The bill authorizes an aggrieved individual and the Department of Justice to bring a civil action for discrimination. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board shall prescribe regulations setting forth minimum standards for aircraft with new or existing type certificates to ensure the accessibility of individuals with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. The standards shall address, among other things, boarding and deplaning equipment, seating accommodations, lavatories, visually accessible announcements, and proper stowage of assistive devices in the cargo hold to prevent damage.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2021
Disability Employment Incentive Act This bill expands tax credits and deductions that are available for employers who hire and retain employees with disabilities. The bill expands the work opportunity tax credit to include the hiring of employees who receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. For employers who hire vocational rehabilitation referrals, Supplemental Security Income recipients, or SSDI recipients, the bill also (1) increases the amount of wages that may be taken into account for the credit, and (2) allows an additional credit for second-year wages. With respect to the tax credit for expenditures by eligible small businesses to provide access to disabled individuals, the bill increases the limits that apply to (1) the amount of expenditures that are eligible for the credit, and (2) the gross receipts and full-time employees of eligible small businesses. The bill also expands the tax deduction for expenditures to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the handicapped and elderly. The bill modifies the deduction to (1) increase the limitation on the amount of the deduction, and (2) allow the deduction to be used for certain improvements in the accessibility of i nternet or telecommunications services to handicapped and elderly individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act This bill establishes grants and requires other activities to improve mental and behavioral health and prevent burnout among health care providers. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to train health care providers on suicide prevention, other behavioral health issues, and strategies to improve well-being; and establish or expand programs to promote mental and behavioral health among health care providers involved with COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts. HHS must also study and develop policy recommendations on preventing burnout and improving mental and behavioral health among health care providers, removing barriers to accessing care and treatment, and identifying strategies to promote resiliency. Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must conduct a campaign to encourage health care providers to seek support and treatment for mental and behavioral health concerns.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
End Racial and Religious Profiling Act of 2021 or ERRPA This bill establishes a framework to eliminate racial profiling at the federal, state, and local levels. Specifically, it requires federal law enforcement agencies to maintain policies and procedures to eliminate racial profiling, including training, data collection, and complaint procedures. State, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies must maintain similar policies and procedures as a condition of receiving funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the Community Oriented Policing Services program. To enforce violations, the bill authorizes civil suits by the Department of Justice and affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
Background Check Completion Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a licensed gun dealer from transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person prior to the completion of a background check. Current law permits a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm to an unlicensed person if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
Keeping Critical Connections Act of 2021 This bill provides funds with which the Federal Communications Commission shall reimburse small business broadband providers for costs incurred during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period to voluntarily (1) provide free or discounted service to students in need of distance learning capacity, or (2) refrain from disconnecting low-income households that cannot afford to make a full payment.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
Stop Underrides Act This bill requires the installation of rear, side, and front underride guards on certain trucks and trailers. Specifically, the Department of Transportation (DOT) must require the installation of rear, side, and front underride guards on the following a trailer or semi-trailer that is more than 10,000 pounds, and a single unit truck for which the bottom of the carriage is greater than 22 inches above the ground and that is more than 10,000 pounds. For rear and side underride guards, DOT must require adherence to a performance standard that requires the guards to be able to prevent intrusion from the body or frame of a trailer, semi-trailer, or truck into the passenger compartment of the motor vehicle that contacts the guard while traveling at 35 miles per hour. In addition, DOT must require drivers to (1) conduct a pre-trip inspection of the underride protection system on their vehicles; (2) identify rusted metal compromising structural integrity, cracked welds, or missing or loose fasteners; and (3) complete any necessary repairs. DOT must establish a Committee on Underride Protection to oversee the ongoing underride guard rulemaking process. DOT must publish data on victims of truck underride crashes.
United States · United States Congress · 4 March 2021
VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 This bill adds a new source of revenue for the Crime Victims Fund and makes changes to formula grants supported by the fund. Specifically, the bill directs revenues collected from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. Currently, such revenues are deposited into the general fund of the Treasury. Additionally, the bill increases the percentage—from 60% to 75%—of state compensation payments to crime victims in the prior fiscal year used to calculate formula grants for state victim compensation programs. Finally, the bill directs states to waive the matching requirement for recipients of state victim assistance formula grants during and for one year after a pandemic-related national emergency. It also allows states to waive the matching requirement pursuant to a policy established by the state.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2021
Mark Takai Atomic Veterans Healthcare Parity Act of 2021 This bill includes veterans who participated in the cleanup of Enewetak Atoll in the Marshall Islands between January 1, 1977, and December 31, 1980, as radiation-exposed veterans for purposes of the Department of Veterans Affairs presumption of service-connection for specified cancers. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2021
Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. Among other things, the advisory council must assess the needs of victims of gun violence and disseminate information about helpful resources.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2021
This resolution declares that mothers, especially mothers of color, have been pushed to the brink of economic, social, and emotional collapse during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic because of the existing economic and social inequalities that women have long faced. The resolution also states that any relief and long-term recovery package to address the COVID-19 crisis should recognize and rebuild moms in the workforce by including certain policies such as establishing a robust paid leave plan; rebuilding and stabilizing the child care industry; providing recurring child benefits—expanded and improved child tax credit and earned income tax credit—to help reduce child poverty and provide economic security for families; establishing an expanded unemployment insurance program that benefits struggling workers, including those experiencing long-term unemployment; and providing access to mental health support for mothers. Finally, the resolution declares that employers and policymakers must prioritize addressing the economic cliff facing mothers and make permanent the policies set forth in this resolution so that mothers are protected against any future economic calamities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2021
This resolution supports the designation of February 2021 as Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2021
Ban Conflicted Trading Act This bill prohibits a Member of Congress or certain congressional officers or employees from (1) purchasing or selling specified investments, (2) entering into a transaction that creates a net short position in a security, or (3) serving as an officer or member of any board of any for-profit entity.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2021
Multinational Species Conservation Funds Semipostal Stamp Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to sell each copy of the Multinational Species Conservation Fund Semipostal Stamp and notify Congress when all copies have been sold. If the USPS destroys one or more such stamps before this bill's enactment, it shall print and sell the same number of such stamps.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2021
This resolution calls on the United States to recommit itself to the promotion of disability rights and to the values enshrined in the Prologue Room at the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Prologue Room. The resolution recognizes the important work of the disability community, and the historic campaign championed by that community, that led to the expansion of the memorial to include a statue that clearly and visibly depicts President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in a wheelchair. Finally, the resolution calls on the National Park Service and the National Park Foundation to continue to increase access to the memorial for individuals with disabilities and to support the development of accessible educational materials to ensure awareness is raised about the history of the memorial and disability rights.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2021
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2021 This bill establishes new federal firearms restrictions for individuals who are convicted of misdemeanor stalking offenses. The bill expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Specifically, it adds a new category of prohibited persons: persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. The term misdemeanor crime of stalking means a misdemeanor stalking offense under federal, state, tribal, or municipal law and a course of harassment, intimidation, or surveillance of another person that (1) places such person in reasonable fear of harm to themselves, an immediate family member, a household member, or a spouse or intimate partner (including a current or former dating partner); or (2) causes emotional distress to such person. The bill also specifically prohibits dating partners who are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or who are subject to certain restraining orders from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Currently, such restrictions generally only apply to spouses, co-parents, and cohabitants.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2021
Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021 This bill modifies the funding rules and provides financial assistance for certain pension plans that are underfunded or insolvent. First, the bill expands the authority of, and provides funding for, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to provide special partition assistance to a multiemployer pension plan that is insolvent or at risk of insolvency. The bill expands eligibility for partition assistance, provides funding for a plan to reach a projected funded ratio of 80% over a 30-year period, and does not require a plan to repay such assistance. The bill further permits a multiemployer pension plan to elect to retain its funding zone status from the previous year for either (1) the first plan year beginning during the period from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021; or (2) the next succeeding plan year, as designated by the plan sponsor. A plan may also extend by five years the funding improvement or rehabilitation period if the plan is designated as in endangered or critical status for a plan year beginning in 2020 or 2021. A plan in critical and declining status may not suspend payment of plan benefits. Additionally, the bill adjusts the minimum funding standards for a multiemployer pension plan to account for investment losses and other losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and modifies the PBGC guarantee formula to increase the maximum potential benefits under a multiemployer pension plan.
United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2021
Background Check Expansion Act This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2021
Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Act This bill establishes the Bronzeville-Black Metropolis National Heritage Area in Chicago, Illinois. The Black Metropolis National Heritage Area Commission shall be the local coordinating entity for the heritage area and shall submit a management plan for the heritage area. The authority of the Department of the Interior to provide financial assistance to the heritage area expires 15 years after the enactment of this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2021
This concurrent resolution commends the service and professionalism of the U.S. Capitol personnel who ensured Congress was able to continue operating in the wake of the security breach on January 6, 2021, and it expresses appreciation for the members of the news media reporting on the work of Congress despite the risk to their own safety.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2021
This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain, and the Architect of the Capitol to permanently install in the U.S. Capitol or on the U.S. Capitol Grounds, a monument honoring Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
United States · United States Congress · 1 March 2021
Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.