Citizenship for Essential Workers Act This bill establishes a mechanism for eligible aliens who worked as essential workers during the declared COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency to apply for and obtain permanent resident status. The bill also narrows certain grounds for deportability and inadmissibility. To be eligible for permanent resident status under this bill, an alien must have earned income at any point during the COVID-19 emergency period doing work deemed essential by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or a state or local government. An alien may also be eligible if that alien is a parent, spouse, or child of (1) an eligible alien who died from COVID-19, or (2) a member of the Armed Forces. Certain aliens shall be ineligible, such as an alien who was a refugee on January 1, 2021. To obtain permanent resident status under this bill, an applying alien must satisfy additional requirements, including by passing a background check. Furthermore, the bill repeals provisions providing for three-year bars and permanent bars to admission into the United States. (Generally, these bars apply to aliens who were previously removed or unlawfully present in the United States.) The bill also narrows the scope of certain crime-based grounds for inadmissibility or deportability, such as by redefining the term conviction to exclude expunged convictions. The Department of Justice or DHS may waive certain grounds of inadmissibility or deportability (1) for humanitarian purposes, (2) to ensure family unity, or (3) for the public interest.
Rep. André Carson
Sponsored bills
Hate Crimes Commission Act of 2021 This bill establishes the United States Commission on Hate Crimes. The commission must investigate and report on whether hate crimes have increased; factors that contributed to an increase in hate crimes, if one is determined to exist; policies or actions by law enforcement agencies to reduce the commission of hate crimes; the impact of underreporting on hate crimes statistics and prevention; and successful community bias prevention responses.
COVID - 19 Hate Crimes Act This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) hate crimes and reports of COVID-19 hate crimes. It defines COVID-19 hate crime as a violent crime that is motivated by two things: (1) the actual or perceived characteristic (e.g., race or ethnicity) of any person, and (2) the actual or perceived relationship to the spread of COVID-19 of any person because of that characteristic. The bill requires DOJ to issue guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies on (1) the establishment of online hate crime reporting processes and the availability of online reporting in multiple languages, and (2) the expansion of culturally competent education campaigns. Additionally, DOJ and the Department of Health and Human Services must issue guidance on best practices for mitigating racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Choosing Our Own Lives Over Fast Firearms Act or the COOL OFF Act This bill establishes a three-day waiting period for certain handgun transfers. Specifically, the bill makes it unlawful for a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer to sell or transfer a handgun to an unlicensed individual unless three business days have elapsed since the licensee initiated a background check. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both. Additionally, the bill makes it unlawful for an unlicensed individual to receive a handgun from another unlicensed individual unless at least three business days have elapsed since the recipient most recently offered to take possession of the handgun. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. The three-day waiting period does not apply to certain handgun transfers, such as for a loan between spouses for a lawful purpose.
Resources for Victims of Gun Violence Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Advisory Council to Support Victims of Gun Violence. Among other things, the advisory council must assess the needs of victims of gun violence and disseminate information about helpful resources.
George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take specified steps to address accreditation standards, management operations, and misconduct of law enforcement. Specifically, it requires DOJ to develop uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and adopt policies and procedures to encourage law enforcement agencies to pursue accreditation. It authorizes DOJ to make grants to law enforcement agencies to obtain accreditation from certified organizations. The bill authorizes DOJ to make grants for studying law enforcement agency management and operations standards and developing pilot programs to address law enforcement misconduct. DOJ must study the prevalence and effect of any law, rule, or procedure that allows a law enforcement officer to delay the investigation and prosecution of complaints of law enforcement misconduct. The bill also establishes the Task Force on Law Enforcement Oversight to coordinate the detection and referral of complaints of alleged law enforcement misconduct. Law enforcement agencies must report data regarding practices on traffic violation stops, pedestrian stops, frisk and body searches, and use of deadly force. Finally, DOJ must create a medallion for survivors of each law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty and memorialized on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act This bill revises the federal statutory framework regulating the manufacture, possession, sale, import, shipment, delivery, receipt, or transfer of undetectable firearms. Current law requires firearms to be detectable by walk-through metal detectors after the removal of grips, stocks, and magazines. Specifically, firearms must be as detectable as a security exemplar (i.e., a piece of stainless steel that is 3.7 ounces and in a shape resembling a handgun). There are exceptions, including for firearms manufactured for or sold to U.S. military or intelligence agencies. This bill requires firearms to contain detectable material after the removal of all parts other than major components. It defines detectable material as material that produces a magnetic field equivalent to that produced by 3.7 ounces of stainless steel. The bill also revises and broadens the exceptions to include firearms (1) received by, in the possession of, or under the control of the United States; or (2) produced pursuant to a contract with the United States.
Congressional Inherent Contempt Resolution This resolution authorizes the House of Representatives to enforce congressional subpoenas by holding noncomplying individuals in contempt and levying monetary penalties against them.
Tax Filer Voter Registration Act or the Filer Voter Act This bill treats certain tax return preparers as voter registration agencies. Specifically, the bill requires tax return preparers who prepare at least 100 individual tax returns in a taxable year to provide voter registration application forms to their customers. The form must be made available by (1) displaying copies of the form in the preparer's office for customers who receive in-person services, and (2) providing a hyperlink to the form for customers who receive online services. The bill also outlines the responsibilities of the Department of the Treasury to enable certified volunteer tax preparers to meet the requirements of the bill.
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.