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![Official portrait of Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/671024d7ec807bca66057fcb_200.jpg)
United States · Official source
8,838 records where Rep. Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA-18] is listed as a sponsor, author, or other actor. Search with topics and years
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Survivors' Bill of Rights in the States Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Justice to make grants to states that provide certain legal rights to survivors of sexual assault.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Treatment Court, Rehabilitation, and Recovery Act of 2021 This bill expands the Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program, which supports drug courts for nonviolent offenders with substance abuse issues. Among other changes to the program, the bill requires these courts to adhere to national best practice standards and provide evidence-based clinical assessments and services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Canyon's Law This bill prohibits the preparing, placing, installing, setting, deploying, or otherwise using an M-44 device on public land. An M-44 device is defined as a device designed to propel sodium cyanide when triggered by an animal, including any device that may be commonly known as an M-44 ejector device or an M-44 predator control device. No later than 30 days after the enactment of this bill, any federal, state, or county agency that has prepared, placed, installed, set, or deployed an M-44 device on public land shall remove each such device from such land.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Food Labeling Modernization Act of 2021 This bill imposes additional labeling requirements for food and addresses related issues. A food intended for human consumption must include on its principal display panel a summary of nutritional information using a system that (1) clearly distinguishes between products of greater or lesser nutritional value; and (2) uses standardized symbols to provide warning about products that are high in certain substances, such as trans fats. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must promulgate regulations establishing the requirements for such a system. Labels that use certain terms, such as whole wheat , fruit , or vegetable , must include additional information, such as the amount or quantity of that item in the food. The FDA must promulgate certain regulations relating to the use of the terms natural or healthy on food labels. The bill also imposes labeling requirements for certain foods that contain added coloring, added flavoring, phosphorus, caffeine, gluten, allulose, polydextrose, sugar alcohols, or isolated fibers. The FDA may, by regulation, deem a food ingredient to be a major food allergen. The FDA must also impose certain restrictions on the types of beverages that may be identified as infant formula or formula. The FDA must require food manufacturers to submit all information on the label of a food offered for sale in package form and update such submissions as necessary. The information must be made available in a public database on the FDA's website.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Strengthening Social Security Act of 2021 This bill expands benefits, and increases specified taxes, related to the Social Security retirement and disability benefits program. Changes to benefits include (1) increasing the primary insurance amount for certain beneficiaries, (2) calculating cost-of-living adjustments by using a price index that tracks the spending patterns of older consumers, and (3) establishing an alternative benefit for widows or widowers in two-income households. Changes to taxes include phasing out the cap on earnings subject to the Social Security payroll tax. Under current law, the maximum amount subject to this tax is $142,800.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
District Court Judgeships Act of 2021 This bill requires the appointment of additional U.S. district court judges and converts certain temporary district court judgeships into permanent judgeships. Specifically, the bill requires the appointment of 203 district court judges in specified judicial districts in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Additionally, the bill converts certain temporary district court judgeships to permanent judgeships in specified judicial districts in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.
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
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act This bill provides rights and protections for domestic workers (e.g., housekeepers, nannies, caretakers, personal assistants, and chauffeurs), including pay and leave rights, and health and safety protections. Specifically, the bill repeals the exemption of domestic live-in employees from certain minimum wage and maximum hour requirements. Employers must provide written notice of termination and provide at least 30 days of lodging and two weeks of severance pay to terminated live-in employees. Live-in employees also must be provided with reasonable access to telephone and internet service during their employment. The bill requires employers to provide domestic workers with a written agreement covering wages, sick leave, benefits, and other matters. Further, domestic workers may request and be granted changes to work schedules due to personal events. The bill also provides domestic workers with certain privacy rights, extends to domestic workers protections against discrimination in employment, and increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid-funded medical services provided by domestic workers. The Department of Labor must (1) award grants for a domestic worker national hotline for reporting emergencies, training on hazards facing domestic workers, and workforce investment activities for domestic workers; and (2) establish a Domestic Worker Wage and Standards Board to investigate standards in the domestic workers industry. Labor must publish online a document that describes the rights and protections for domestic workers under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Supreme Court Ethics Act This bill establishes a new statutory requirement for the Judicial Conference of the United States to issue a judicial code of conduct for judges and justices of U.S. courts, including Justices of the Supreme Court. Currently, the Judicial Conference issues a code of conduct for judges of U.S. courts (but not for Justices of the Supreme Court).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act of 2021 This bill prohibits, with specified exceptions, the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The bill imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the system (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. The bill makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this bill, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Persons found to be in violation of such prohibition shall pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Sustaining America's Fisheries for the Future Act of 2021 This bill sets forth and revises various provisions relating to fisheries conservation and management, including to increase the adaptive capacity of fishery management to the impacts of climate change, implement working waterfront plans, establish an innovation prize for data collection technology used in fisheries management, and establish a national standardized reporting program for bycatch.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Let Immigrants Kickstart Employment Act of 2021 or the LIKE Act This bill establishes a new class of nonimmigrant visa (W visa) for qualifying start-up owners and essential employees (and the accompanying spouse or child of such aliens) and addresses related issues. Under this bill, a start-up is a U.S. entity that has lawfully conducted business and was formed in the five years preceding an application for a start-up owner visa. To be eligible for an initial visa as a start-up owner, an individual must (1) possess at least a 10% interest in the start-up; (2) play a central and active role in the start-up's management or operations; (3) possess knowledge, skills, or experience to substantially assist in the start-up's growth and success; and (4) provide evidence that the start-up has received certain investments, created jobs, or generated revenue. The holder of a nonimmigrant start-up owner visa may receive lawful permanent resident status upon meeting certain requirements, including by establishing that the start-up has created a certain number of jobs and has met certain revenue targets. To be eligible for a visa as an essential employee of a start-up, an individual must (1) have an offer of employment in an executive or managerial capacity at a start-up; and (2) possess knowledge, skills, or experience to substantially assist in the start-up's growth and success. The bill limits the number of employees on essential employee visas that a start-up may have.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Veterans' Culturally Competent Care Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish standards and requirements for the provision of mental health care by non-VA providers in the Veterans Community Care Program (VCCP). The established standards must be the same as the standards applicable to VA employees who provide mental health care. The VA must require non-VA mental health care providers to complete training courses on military culture, core competencies for health care professionals, suicide evaluation and management, post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and military sexual trauma after the provider becomes approved under the VCCP. The VA must also (1) identify additional training areas for which to develop courses, and (2) require the non-VA providers to complete such courses.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
This resolution commemorates the Assyrian Genocide and urges Turkey to officially recognize the Assyrian Genocide.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Smoke Planning and Research Act of 2021 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to research and mitigate the impacts of smoke emissions from wildland fires. Specifically, the EPA must establish (1) four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke at institutions of higher education, and (2) a grant program to support community mitigation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
Commitment to Veteran Support and Outreach Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide grants to states to implement programs that improve outreach and assistance to veterans and their families to ensure that such individuals are fully informed about veterans' benefits and programs. Specifically, the VA may provide grants to states to (1) implement or enhance outreach activities or activities to assist in the development and submittal of claims for veterans, or (2) increase the number of county or tribal veterans service officers in the state. The VA must prioritize awarding grants in areas with a critical shortage of county or tribal veterans service officers, areas with high rates of suicide among veterans, and areas with high rates of referrals to the Veterans Crisis Line.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
This concurrent resolution recognizes the service and sacrifice of those who served and perished in California at Port Chicago Naval Magazine during World War II. The concurrent resolution also exonerates the 50 Port Chicago sailors convicted of the charge of mutiny against the United States and all other charges brought against them after the July 17, 1944, explosion that killed 320. It upgrades the general and summary discharges of the Port Chicago sailors to honorable discharges.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
Farm System Reform Act of 2021 This bill places a moratorium on large concentrated animal feeding operations; requires country-of-origin labeling for beef, pork, and dairy products; and otherwise revises provisions related to the marketing of livestock, poultry, and meat.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
This bill reauthorizes through FY2022 and otherwise revises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) national awareness campaign regarding gynecologic cancers. The CDC must target specified populations of women at higher risk for gynecologic cancers in the campaign. Additionally, the CDC may establish a grant program to evaluate different strategies to increase knowledge and awareness of gynecologic cancers among women and health care providers. In awarding these grants, the CDC must give preference to (1) grantees with expertise in gynecologic cancer education or treatment or expertise in working with groups of women at increased risk of such cancers; and (2) projects that will establish links between health care providers, hospitals, insurance companies, and state health departments.
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
Minks in Narrowly Kept Spaces are Superspreaders Act or the MINKS are Superspreaders Act This bill makes it unlawful to import, export, transport, sell, receive, acquire, or purchase American mink ( Neovison vison ) raised in captivity for fur production, whether dead or alive.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Fair COLA for Seniors Act This bill bases cost-of-living adjustments for certain benefits available through federal and military retirement programs, Social Security, and specified programs for veterans on a price index that tracks the spending patterns of older consumers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor must publish that price index on a monthly basis.
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
Overdraft Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a financial institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts in connection with overdraft coverage. Each financial institution that offers overdraft coverage for accounts must disclose overdraft coverage fees. It must also disclose that the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related account, and the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. A financial institution must provide certain other disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. The bill limits the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged each month and year, and provides that such fees must be reasonable. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. The bill also prohibits a financial institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any automated teller machine or debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
Wildland Firefighter Fair Pay Act This bill exempts federal wildland firefighters in the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of Commerce from certain premium pay limitations for work relating to wildfire emergencies. The bill applies retroactively to January 1, 2020. Interior and USDA must each separately submit a report to specified congressional committees on the resources, policies, personnel or structural changes, and other investments necessary to support an expanded full-time, year-round firefighting workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
Bankruptcy Venue Reform Act of 2021 This bill limits where a non-individual debtor (e.g., a corporate debtor) may file for bankruptcy. Specifically, these debtors must file in the district court for the district in which the principal place of business or principal assets of the debtor are located. Such a debtor may also file in a district where there is a pending bankruptcy case concerning an affiliate that has a certain level of control or ownership of the debtor (e.g., if the affiliate is a controlling shareholder of the debtor), if that pending case is in a proper venue under this bill. Under current law, these debtors may also file where they are domiciled (i.e., incorporated) or where there is a bankruptcy case pending concerning an affiliate, general partner, or partnership. For certain debtors who are issuers of securities, their principal place of business is defined in the bill as the address of the entity's principal executive office as provided in specified Securities and Exchange Commission filings.
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 2021
The People's Response Act This bill establishes multiple grant programs and requirements to promote qualified approaches to community safety. These are programs or services that are disconnected from carceral institutions (e.g., law enforcement, child welfare services, and immigration enforcement). Specifically, the bill establishes the Division of Community Safety within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to administer the grants and carry out related activities. These include grants for community-based organizations to support qualified approaches to community safety, such as unarmed first responder agencies and 9-1-1 diversion programs; neighborhood-level interventions, including safe passage to school and violence interruption programs; behavioral health treatment, nutrition support, and other public health programs; housing security programs; and programs for youth and families, survivors of violence, and individuals exiting incarceration or criminal supervision. Additionally, the division must administer grants pertaining to qualified approaches for community safety for state and local governments and hiring and training first responders. The bill also establishes an advisory board to oversee the division's activities. Membership on the board must reflect the racial, ethnic, and other demographic diversities of the United States. The board must also include members who have personal experience with the criminal justice system. Furthermore, HHS must set up (1) a federal health response unit to respond to any public health emergency, assist with qualified approaches to community safety, and provide resources for safe and inclusive schools; and (2) an interagency task force to promote qualified approaches to community safety across federal programs.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to review existing data sets to determine in which data sets information about sexual orientation and gender identity is not included, and to assess needed changes in survey methods related to asking questions on sexual orientation and gender identity. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
Patriotic Corporations of America Act of 2021 This bill establishes new requirements for federal contracts, including Department of Defense contracts, with respect to issues of labor, environmental sustainability, taxes, and private equity firms. Specifically, the bill prohibits an executive agency from awarding a contract unless the offeror, among other requirements pays employees wages that meet certain minimums; agrees to sign a neutrality agreement with respect to efforts to form a labor organization and an agreement not to hire replacement workers in any strike; submits to the agency an actionable plan to address natural disasters and health crises, including policies and plans for paid family and medical leave and for whistleblower protections; and submits to the agency an actionable plan to recruit and promote people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and veterans. The bill sets forth additional provisions to assure that the offeror meets specified requirements with respect to the payment of environmental penalties, federal income tax liability and financial performance, and a controlling private equity firm meeting certain labor and environmental requirements. The bill establishes specified contract preferences (e.g., in favor of an offeror that does not outsource jobs outside the United States and that has a collective bargaining agreement with employees).
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into agreements to address social, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. The USAID shall seek to ensure that such activities meet various requirements related to monitoring and evaluating outcomes, collecting data, and using specified indicators and methodologies for international basic education. The Department of State shall periodically update and report to Congress a publicly available U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls, and the USAID shall periodically report to Congress on the activities initiated under this bill and efforts to monitor and evaluate such activities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act or the FASD Respect Act This bill expands and establishes programs for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Specifically, it directs the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and the Health Resources and Services Administration to carry out and coordinate research, surveillance, and related activities to diagnose, prevent, and treat FASD. Furthermore, the bill establishes various grant programs to support FASD coalitions and develop systems of care; provide services for individuals affected by FASD and other conditions related to prenatal substance exposure; identify and implement best practices for educating children with FASD; and establish centers for excellence to build relevant capacity for preventing, treating, and responding to the needs of individuals with FASD. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to develop and disseminate trainings and best practices related to FASD in schools and correctional facilities, respectively.
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 · 23 June 2021
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2021 This bill addresses the use of certain pesticides and the health and status of native bees and other pollinators. First, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Pollinator Protection Board to develop an independent review process for pesticides that pose a threat to pollinators and their habitats. All active ingredients and pesticide products that contain one or more specified neonicotinoid pesticides must be deemed to generally cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. Under the bill, the registration of all uses of neonicotinoid pesticides must be immediately and permanently canceled. The EPA must revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of a neonicotinoid pesticide, or any pesticide chemical residue that results from neonicotinoid pesticide use, in or on food. The continued sale or use of existing stocks of neonicotinoid pesticides is prohibited, and the EPA may not register any such pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The bill requires the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Agriculture to coordinate monitoring activities and report on the health and population status of native bees and other pollinators. Finally, a state or federal agency may be granted an exemption to use neonicotinoid pesticides if the board votes that use of the pesticide is warranted (1) in an emergency situation to avert significant risk to threatened or endangered species, (2) to quarantine invasive species, or (3) to protect public health.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2021
Patsy T. Mink and Louise M. Slaughter Gender Equity in Education Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to establish an Office for Gender Equity to support state and local educational agencies, institutions of higher education, and elementary and secondary schools in fully implementing title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in federally funded education programs or activities. The office may provide grants and perform activities to reduce or prevent sex discrimination in all areas of education. The office must provide technical assistance and annual training to title IX coordinators and develop a handbook for conducting self-evaluations of title IX compliance. The training must address discrimination based on multiple characteristics, including race, ethnicity, national origin, disability status, religion, age, or actual or perceived sex. The office may award grants to eligible entities and partnerships that apply to carry out programs and activities designed to implement title IX and prevent and reduce sex discrimination, including programs that increase access to resources. ED must coordinate with the Institute of Education Sciences and other federal entities to investigate, identify, and disseminate best practices to (1) reduce and prevent sex stereotyping, bias, and discrimination in educational materials; (2) address sex-based harassment and violence on campuses; (3) develop counseling and career guidance training; (4) mitigate implicit bias in teaching and discipline; and (5) address the needs of students who face discrimination based on multiple characteristics.
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
This resolution reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and the commitment of the United States to promote the safety and well-being of refugees.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
Preventing Election Subversion Act of 2021 This bill establishes certain federal criminal offenses related to voting and sets forth additional requirements for federal elections. The bill makes it a crime to (1) intimidate, threaten, coerce, or harass an election worker (i.e., an election official, a poll worker, or an election volunteer) with the intent to interfere with the official duties of, or retaliate against, the worker; or (2) publicly disclose restricted personal information about an election worker or an immediate family member with the intent to threaten or cause harm to the worker or the family member. In addition, the bill restricts the ability of a statewide election administrator to remove a local election administrator. A statewide election administrator may suspend, remove, or relieve the duties of a local election administrator only for inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance while in office. Further, the bill establishes certain requirements for challenging an individual's eligibility to register to vote or vote in federal elections. The bill also sets a minimum distance for poll observers.
United States · United States Congress · 22 June 2021
This resolution provides amounts for the expenses of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth for the 117th Congress.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
This joint resolution proposes an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibits slavery and involuntary servitude as a criminal punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2021 or the Honoring our PACT Act of 2021 This bill addresses health care, presumption of service-connection, research, resources, and other matters related to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service. The bill provides eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical care to veterans who (1) participated in a toxic exposure risk activity (a qualifying activity that requires a corresponding entry in the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record), or (2) served in specified locations on specified dates. The bill establishes within the VA the Formal Advisory Committee on Toxic Exposure, the Science Review Board, and the Working Group to assist with the various procedures in establishing or removing presumptions of service-connection. The bill modifies or establishes the presumption of service-connection for certain conditions or purposes for various groups of veterans. Among other requirements, the VA must provide a veteran with a medical examination regarding the nexus between a disability and toxic exposure risk activity if a veteran submits a disability compensation claim for a service-connected disability with insufficient evidence, incorporate a clinical questionnaire to help determine potential toxic exposures as part of the initial screening conducted for veterans with a VA primary care provider, establish a registry for current or past members of the Armed Forces who may have been exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances due to the environmental release of aqueous film-forming foam at a Department of Defense location, and establish and maintain the Fort McClellan Health Registry.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings Act or the MINDS Act This bill directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of State to integrate mental health and psychosocial support activities across all U.S. foreign assistance programs, with a particular focus on children and other vulnerable populations. To facilitate this integration, the bill makes organizational changes at the USAID. It authorizes the USAID to appoint a coordinator to oversee and direct mental health and psychosocial support activities. The coordinator must ensure that these activities focus on children, adult caretakers and families, displaced populations, and other vulnerable groups. In addition, the bill establishes a working group comprised of representatives from every USAID bureau and the Department of State to coordinate interagency efforts related to, promote best practices for, and ensure sustainability and continuity of mental health and psychosocial support activities. The USAID and the State Department must brief Congress about the amount of foreign assistance spending on mental health and psychosocial support activities and related matters.
United States · United States Congress · 17 June 2021
Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021 or the Allies Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of special immigrant visas available to qualified Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. government or a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) mission in Afghanistan. The bill also relaxes certain qualifications for such visas. Specifically, this bill makes available an additional 8,000 visas for principal aliens under this special visa program, to be available until all such visas have been issued. (The numerical limitations in this program apply only to the principal alien who applies for the visa, not to any spouse or child who may accompany the principal alien.) The bill also eliminates a requirement for each applicant to submit a credible sworn statement describing the threat the applicant faces in Afghanistan due to their employment with the U.S. government or a NATO mission. Furthermore, for an applicant qualifying for a visa by performing duties for U.S. military personnel stationed with a NATO mission, this bill eliminates a requirement that the duties performed qualify as sensitive and trusted duties.
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
Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from establishing a condition for a cemetery grant that restricts the ability of a state to inter certain reservists (or their spouses and children) at a state-owned veterans' cemetery solely because such individuals are ineligible for burial in an open national cemetery. Specifically, as a condition for grants, the VA cannot restrict the ability of a state to inter a member of a reserve component whose service was terminated under honorable conditions; member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard whose service was terminated under honorable conditions; member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of the Army, Navy, or Air Force who died under honorable conditions while a member; and spouse, minor child, or unmarried adult child of any member described above. The VA is prohibited from (1) denying an application for a grant solely on the basis that the recipient state may use funds to expand, improve, operate, or maintain a veterans' cemetery to allow for the internment of the specified individuals; and (2) enforcing certain conditions on grants for state veterans' cemeteries that were established before the date of enactment of this bill. The bill also provides for plot allowances for the individuals listed in the bill.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2021
Support UNFPA Funding Act This bill authorizes annual contributions to support the core functions and programs of the United Nations Population Fund for the five fiscal years following the bill's enactment.
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 · 15 June 2021
Clean Energy Victory Bond Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to issue Clean Energy Victory Bonds for investment in clean energy projects at the federal, state, and local level.
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
Philippine Human Rights Act This bill imposes limitations on providing assistance to the police or military of the Philippines. No federal funds may be used to provide such assistance until the Philippines government has taken certain actions, including (1) investigating and successfully prosecuting members of its military and police forces who have violated human rights, (2) withdrawing the military from domestic policing activities, and (3) establishing that it effectively protects the rights of journalists and civil society activists. The President shall also direct U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the police or military of the Philippines.
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.