Supply Chain Emergency Response Act This bill directs the Maritime Administration to establish a program to provide grants to certain owners of cargo vessels to cover toll costs associated with rerouting cargo vessels from ports along the western seaboard of the United States through the Panama Canal to ports along the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern seaboard of the United States. To receive a grant, an owner of a cargo vessel shall submit documentation that such owner intends to reroute a cargo vessel and has the corresponding docking agreements. The bill allows states and localities to use COVID-19 relief funds for costs related to rerouting cargo vessels. Any marine terminal operator that is located along the western seaboard of the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, may not collect port fees from a recipient of a grant who has rerouted a cargo vessel from such port due to the inability of such port to receive such vessel. Any individual who is a member of the Chinese Communist Party or any company owned, in whole or in part, by the Chinese Communist Party may not receive a grant under this bill.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summarySRES 451 is a commemorative Senate resolution honoring the late Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), who died November 9, 2021. The resolution recognizes his service as a Vietnam War veteran (losing both legs and an arm in combat), his 50+ years of public service including roles as Georgia State Senator, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and Administrator of the Veterans Administration, and his advocacy for veterans. It formally expresses the Senate’s "profound sorrow" and "deep regret" over his death, commemorates his legacy of service to Georgia and veterans, and requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit the resolution to his family. This is a ceremonial resolution with no policy changes or legal effect.
This resolution requires the Sergeant at Arms and Doorkeeper of the Senate to establish the SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program for family members of members of the Armed Forces who die in the line of duty or of veterans who die of service-connected injuries. Under the fellowship program, an individual may serve a 24-month fellowship in a Senator's office.
Protecting Against Tyrants by Restoring Internet Access and Yielding Vital Interconnectivity in Designated Areas Act or the PATRIA Y VIDA Act This bill requires activities to expand the capacity of the U.S. government to transmit internet access and counter foreign internet censorship. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must obtain the capacity to transmit internet access domestically in the event of emergency-related network disruptions, while the Department of State must obtain the capacity to transmit internet access in foreign countries with repressive regimes. FEMA and the State Department must consult with other federal agencies on their efforts, including the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration. Consulted agencies must provide necessary authorizations and support to allow FEMA and the State Department to transmit internet access. In addition, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must identify effective tools to counter large-scale internet censorship by foreign governments. In the event of increased demand for the tools, the FCC must rapidly provide funding to U.S. companies capable of deploying the tools to significant numbers of simultaneous users to circumvent internet censorship. The FCC and the U.S. Agency for Global Media must jointly report on matters concerning the capacity to domestically and globally transmit internet access and tools to circumvent internet censorship by foreign governments.
This resolution honors the 50th anniversary of Versailles, known as the "The World's Most Famous Cuban Restaurant," as a moment to celebrate Cuban heritage and the innovation of the people of South Florida.
Administrative False Claims Act of 2021 This bill modifies provisions regarding fraud committed against the federal government. Specifically, the bill raises the maximum amount of a fraud claim that may be handled administratively from $150,000 to $1 million, allows responsibilities in the administrative process assigned to the Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General to be delegated to other Department of Justice employees, and allows the government to recoup costs for investigating and prosecuting these frauds.
This concurrent resolution celebrates the first anniversary of the signing of the Geneva Consensus Declaration on Promoting Women's Health and Strengthening the Family.
Maddy summaryThis non-binding Senate resolution supports parents' primary role in decisions about their children's education. It specifically opposes a Justice Department memo (issued October 4, 2021) directing federal resources to investigate parents protesting school policies, and demands that memo be rescinded. The resolution condemns efforts to restrict parental involvement in school decisions, such as limiting access to school meetings or curricula. It was introduced in response to controversies involving school board meetings in Loudoun County, Virginia, and a National School Boards Association letter comparing parent protests to domestic terrorism.
Having Employees Return to Duty Act of 2021 or the HERD Act of 2021 This bill addresses federal employees who comply with Executive Order 14043 (requiring COVID-19 vaccination for federal employees). Specifically, the bill requires each federal agency, with respect to each agency employee who has complied with such order, to require the employee to work from that employee's duty station and to work the hours required as of February 15, 2020. If such an employee was not employed by the applicable agency as of that date, that requirement shall apply to the employee with respect to duty station and hours of the individual who occupied that position as of that date. An agency may implement different policies than, or supplemental policies to, those requirements, including by requiring social distancing at a particular work site, if the agency finds that (1) there is substantial transmission of COVID-19 within a community in which such requirements would otherwise be carried out, as determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; and (2) implementing those different or supplemental policies will not degrade the level of service that the agency provides to the public.
Cancer Drug Parity Act of 20 21 This bill requires group health plans that cover anticancer medications administered by a health care provider to provide no less favorable cost sharing for patient-administered anticancer medications. This requirement applies to medications that are (1) approved by the Food and Drug Administration; (2) medically necessary for the cancer treatment; and (3) clinically appropriate in terms of type, frequency, extent site, and duration. To comply with this requirement, plans may not, with respect to anticancer medications (1) change or replace benefits to increase out-of-pocket costs, (2) reclassify benefits to increase costs, or (3) apply more restrictive limitations to orally administered medications than to intravenously administered or injected medications.