American Border Rescue Plan Act This bill establishes that funds made available for certain COVID-19 recovery programs may also be available to eligible law enforcement agencies for border enforcement-related purposes. To be eligible to receive such funds, a law enforcement agency must be (1) located in a state with an international border, and (2) involved in an active and ongoing U.S. Customs and Border Protection operation coordinated through a sector office.
Climate-Resilient International Development Optimization Act This bill directs agencies with direct international development programs and investments to incorporate climate resilience considerations into agency decision making. Agencies that participate in a multilateral entity must encourage the entity to incorporate climate-related risks into the decisions of the entity. The bill also establishes the Working Group on Climate-Resilient International Development in the Department of the Treasury to support such efforts.
Official Time Reporting Act This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to report annually to Congress on the use of official time by federal employees. Official time is paid time off from assigned duties to perform labor-management relations activities. Among other things, the OPM must report on the following: the total amount of official time granted to employees, the specific types of activities for which official time was granted, and the total amount of compensation provided to employees in connection with official time activities.
Child Care for Working Families Act This bill provides funds and otherwise revises certain child care and early learning programs for low- to moderate-income families. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Child Care and Development Block Grant program and reestablishes it as a child care and development assistance program. The bill also allocates program funds for states to provide services and supports to infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities. Further, the bill revises the program to require each state to create a tiered and transparent system for measuring the quality of child care providers, which must include evidence-based standards and payment rates that are based on a certain cost estimation model; ensure that copayments are based on a sliding scale and that no family receiving assistance pays more than 7% of its household income on child care; and use quality child care amounts for certain activities, such as increasing the supply of child care providers. The bill also provides funds and establishes grants for states to create preschool programs for low- to moderate-income children between the ages of three and five years. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must make grants to Head Start agencies to provide children with access to full-school-year and full-school-day services, provide access to additional service hours for migrant and seasonal agencies, or enhance the quality of existing services. Finally, the bill requires, and provides funds for, HHS to assist Head Start agencies with ensuring their teachers and staff are paid a living wage.
Clean Commute for Kids Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2031 and revises the Clean School Bus Program. Under the revised program, the Environmental Protection Agency must provide financial assistance to replace existing school buses with clean school buses that do not emit specified pollutants, including greenhouse gases.
Protecting Military Installations from Foreign Espionage Act This bill places restrictions on the purchase of certain property by a foreign person who is owned or controlled by, is acting for or on behalf of, or receives subsidies from Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea. Specifically, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States must review a purchase or lease by, or a concession to, any such foreign person of private or public real estate in the United States that is within (1) 100 miles of a military installation; or (2) 50 miles of a military training route, special use airspace, a controlled firing area, or a military operations area. Further, the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation may not issue final determinations regarding specified projects (e.g., energy projects) that involve a transaction under review by the committee until the committee concludes its action.
Finish the Wall Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume activities related to the construction of a barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other border-related issues. DHS must resume all such construction activities that were planned or underway prior to January 20, 2021. DHS must also expend all funds appropriated or explicitly obligated since October 1, 2016, for construction of this barrier system. DHS may not cancel contracts for activities related to such construction entered into on or before January 20, 2021. Furthermore, within 14 days of this bill's enactment, DHS must certify to Congress that U.S. Customs and Border Protection facilities that process adults taken into custody at the border are fully compliant with certain laws related to the collection of DNA. (Among other things, these laws allow for the collection of DNA samples from non-U.S. persons detained under U.S. authority.)
This resolution recognizes the Senate's observation of Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month in April 2021. It also urges the United States to lead in raising awareness about the devastating impact of international child abduction.
This resolution recognizes the need for education, research, and medical interventions to address infertility and disparities associated with that disease.
Built To Last Act of 2021 This bill directs the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to identify and support research that enables a consistent, federal set of forward-looking long-term meteorological information that (1) models future extreme weather events, other environmental trends, projections, and up-to-date observations; and (2) is suitable for specified uses, including federal and nonfederal efforts to develop and adopt standards, building codes, and voluntary certifications. NOAA must provide the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with mesoscale meteorological information when appropriate or upon request by NIST. NIST must publish the information and advise and provide technical assistance to organizations that develop standards, model building codes, or voluntary certifications in order for such organizations to appropriately use the information. The Office of Science and Technology Policy, in coordination with the U.S. Global Change Research Program and the Mitigation Framework Leadership Group, shall designate a working group to identify and support research that enables such forward-looking long-term meteorological information.
Protecting Military Installations and Ranges Act of 2021 This bill places restrictions on the purchase of certain property by a foreign person who is owned or controlled by, is acting for or on behalf of, or receives subsidies from Russia, China, Iran, or North Korea. Specifically, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States must review a purchase or lease by, or a concession to, any such foreign person of private or public real estate in the United States that is within (1) 100 miles of a military installation; or (2) 50 miles of a military training route, special use airspace, a controlled firing area, or a military operations area. Further, the Department of Defense and the Department of Transportation may not issue final determinations regarding specified projects (e.g., energy projects) that involve a transaction under review by the committee until the committee concludes its action.
Commission on United States Occupations Act or the La Comisión de las ocupaciones norteamericanas Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study and Develop Reconciliation Proposals for Dominican Republic. The commission must address specified U.S. actions related to the Dominican Republic (e.g., military occupations and efforts to annex the Dominican Republic) and make recommendations for appropriate remedies, including a formal apology and repair and reconciliation efforts.
