Responsibility for Unaccompanied Minors Act This bill amends provisions relating to responsibilities of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the care of unaccompanied alien children. The Office of Refugee Resettlement of HHS may provide care for an unaccompanied alien child until the conclusion of the child's immigration proceedings or the child reaching 18 years of age, whichever occurs first. Before placing an unaccompanied alien child with a sponsor, the office shall evaluate the child's future need for follow-up services. Before placing an accompanied alien child, HHS shall (1) require the proposed sponsor to execute a sponsor care agreement, (2) notify the welfare agency of the state where the child will be placed, and (3) conduct a background check of the sponsor and all adults living in the household in which the child will reside. Under the care agreement, each sponsor shall agree to (1) provide for the child's physical and mental well-being, and (2) ensure the child's presence at immigration proceedings and compliance with all court and agency orders. HHS shall assume physical custody of a child if the non-parent or legal guardian sponsor fails to comply with the care agreement. HHS shall periodically report to Congress on instances where a sponsor failed to comply with a care agreement. The Department of Justice shall increase the number of immigration judge teams by at least 225.
Sponsored bills
State Fiscal Flexibility Act of 2021 This bill removes a prohibition on states and territories using COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funding under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to offset a reduction in revenue resulting from a reduction in taxes or a delay in the imposition of a tax or tax increase.
Allied Burden Sharing Report Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to report to Congress on the contributions of allies to the common defense. Specifically, DOD must report on (1) the defense spending and military activities of certain countries with cooperative defense agreements with the United States, (2) whether a country places limits on the use of funds contributed to the common defense, and (3) any U.S. actions to minimize such limitations. The report shall cover each North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member state, each Gulf Cooperation Council member state, each country party to the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty), and other specified countries.
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.
Child Welfare Provider Inclusion Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits the federal government, states, tribal nations, or localities from discriminating or taking adverse action against a child welfare provider that declines to provide services due to the provider's sincerely held religious beliefs or moral convictions. However, government entities may still take adverse action against a provider that declines to provide adoption or foster care services based on race, color, or national origin. The Department of Health and Human Services must withhold a portion of federal funding for family services and child welfare activities from a government entity that discriminates against a child welfare provider in violation of this bill. Child welfare providers may also sue the government entity for such discrimination. A prevailing provider may recover reasonable attorney's fees and costs. Furthermore, government entities that accept certain federal funding for family services and child welfare activities must waive sovereign immunity as a defense to lawsuits brought under this bill. (In many cases, sovereign immunity shields states, territories, tribal nations, and some localities against private suits.)
Rural Hospital Closure Relief Act of 2021 This bill allows additional hospitals to qualify as critical access hospitals (CAHs) that receive special payment under Medicare. Currently, in order to qualify as a CAH under Medicare, a hospital must either (1) be located more than 35 miles (or 15 miles in mountainous regions or areas with only secondary roads) from another hospital, or (2) have been certified prior to January 1, 2006, by the state as a necessary provider of services in the area. The bill allows a hospital to also qualify if the hospital is a small, rural hospital that (1) serves a health professional shortage area, or a high number of low-income individuals or Medicare or Medicaid beneficiaries; (2) has experienced financial losses for two consecutive years; and (3) attests to having a strategic plan to address financial solvency. In addition, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation must test a new delivery and payment model for rural hospitals that promotes financially sustainable access to care and must establish a corresponding transition process for CAHs.
Death Tax Repeal Act of 2021 This bill repeals the estate and generation-skipping transfer taxes. It also makes conforming amendments related to the gift tax.
Universal Giving Pandemic Response and Recovery Act This bill allows individual taxpayers who do not otherwise itemize their tax deductions a deduction in taxable years beginning in 2021 or 2022 for charitable contributions. The deduction is limited to one-third of the standard deduction allowed to such taxpayers.
Guidance Out Of Darkness Act or the GOOD Act This bill establishes requirements concerning the posting of agency guidance documents. Specifically, an agency must publish guidance documents online on the dates they are issued, publish all of its guidance documents that are in effect in a single location on a designated website, display a hyperlink on its website that provides access to the guidance documents on such website, and indicate on such website if a guidance document has been rescinded. The documents must be categorized as guidance documents and further divided into subcategories.
Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2021 This bill establishes specified measures to combat forced organ harvesting and the international trafficking in persons for the purpose of removing their organs. These measures include (1) establishing property-blocking and visa-blocking sanctions, (2) prohibiting exports of certain surgery devices to entities that are identified as being responsible for forced organ harvesting or related human trafficking, and (3) requiring the Department of State to report on these practices.