This resolution designates September 2021 as National Democracy Month.
Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections. Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons, prohibits self-pardons by the President, suspends the statute of limitations for federal offenses committed by a sitting President or Vice President, prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, and sets forth provisions regarding Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction and enforcement authority. To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas, imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, requires DOJ to maintain a log of specified communications between itself and the White House, requires cause for removal of inspectors general, increases whistleblower protections, requires a candidate for President or Vice President to submit to the Federal Election Commission a copy of the individual's income tax returns for the 10 most recent taxable years, and establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities. To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts, requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.
Pregnant Workers Fairness Act This bill prohibits employment practices that discriminate against making reasonable accommodations for qualified employees affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions. A qualified employee is an employee or applicant who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the position, with specified exceptions. Specifically, the bill declares that it is an unlawful employment practice to fail to make reasonable accommodations to known limitations of such employees unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on an entity's business operation; require a qualified employee affected by such condition to accept an accommodation other than any reasonable accommodation arrived at through an interactive process; deny employment opportunities based on the need of the entity to make such reasonable accommodations to a qualified employee; require such employees to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation can be provided; or take adverse action in terms, conditions, or privileges of employment against a qualified employee requesting or using such reasonable accommodations. The bill sets forth enforcement procedures and remedies that cover different types of employees in relation to such unlawful employment practices. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission must provide examples of reasonable accommodations that shall be provided to affected employees unless the employer can demonstrate that doing so would impose an undue hardship. The bill prohibits state immunity under the Eleventh Amendment to the Constitution from an action for a violation of this bill.
This resolution recognizes September 28, 2021, as National Voter Registration Day and encourages those eligible to vote to register, verify their personal information on record with local election officials, and vote.
Unemployment Insurance Improvement Act This bill expands the list of requirements a state unemployment compensation system must follow to be compliant under federal law. Specifically, the bill requires the maximum benefit period available to an individual be at least 26 weeks. The base period used to determine unemployment eligibility must consist of at least four completed calendar quarters preceding the claim and must include the most recently completed calendar quarter. Further, compensation must not be denied to an otherwise eligible individual who earns at least $1,000 during the highest quarter and at least $1,500 during the entire base period. Finally, compensation must not be denied under an ability to work, active search for work, or refusal to accept work provision solely on the basis of the number of hours of work the individual is seeking, so long as the individual is seeking at least 20 hours of work or half the hours the individual typically worked. Employers that pay unemployment taxes to a noncompliant state system cannot claim amounts paid into the state system as a credit against federal unemployment tax due. The bill also requires states to meet specified online claim system accessibility requirements and to ensure that offline means of filing are available. A state that does not comply cannot receive federal funds for administration of its state unemployment system.
This resolution honors the life of Robert Dove, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.
Decent, Affordable, Safe Housing for all Act or the DASH Act This bill provides grants, loans, tax credits, and other assistance to promote the building, maintenance, and affordability of housing. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to (1) provide housing vouchers to individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness, (2) provide grants for the modular construction of affordable housing, (3) propose a new formula for distribution of Housing Trust Fund amounts, and (4) encourage zoning and community planning methods that promote multi-family housing. The bill also makes permanent certain homeless assistance programs. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must provide grants and loans to construct or preserve affordable housing for farm laborers and may provide rural housing vouchers for low-income households residing in certain properties financed with or insured by USDA loans. The bill also makes permanent a program for the preservation and revitalization of USDA-backed housing projects and expands existing domestic violence housing protections to rural housing voucher recipients. The bill expands the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) to be more widely available and to allocate a larger portion of available funds to projects serving extremely low-income households. Further, the bill creates a refundable tax credit for participating owners of rental buildings who lower rents for their low-income tenants. The bill also creates a tax credit similar to the LIHTC for the development of housing for middle-income households and provides a tax credit of up to $15,000 for first-time homebuyers.
This resolution designates September 2021 as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.
Watershed Results Act This bill provides funding for the Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture and the Environmental Protection Agency, to establish a total of not less than two and not more than five watershed pilot programs that use pay-for-performance contracts. Interior shall designate a management team for each watershed pilot. The management team for the applicable watershed pilot shall develop and implement a five-year plan for carrying out that pilot. Interior and the management team for each watershed pilot shall use advance watershed analytics throughout the planning, implementation, measuring, and monitoring of projects within the pilot. Such analytics must be conducted to identify quantifiable outcomes, costs, feasibility, and impacts of the projects before making funding available for the pilot. Interior and the management team for a watershed pilot shall set and publish minimum per-unit outcome prices. The participating federal department or agency shall enter into a pay-for-performance contract to achieve outcome-based goals described in the plan developed for the pilot. Interior shall submit specified annual and five-year reports to Congress.
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2021 This bill addresses harassment at institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment on the basis of a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and a sex stereotype), disability, or religion. In addition, the Department of Education may award grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; or (3) educate and train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs.
