Climate Change Financial Risk Act of 2021 This bill addresses climate change risk and its potential impact on the financial system. The Federal Reserve Board must develop financial risk analyses relating to climate change for specified large nonbank financial companies and bank holding companies. Specifically, these entities will be evaluated every two years on whether they have the capital necessary to absorb financial losses that would arise under several different climate change risk scenarios. The bill also establishes the Climate Risk Scenario Technical Development Group to provide recommendations to the board regarding such climate change risk scenarios, and determine the financial and economic risks of these scenarios. The Financial Stability Oversight Council of the Department of the Treasury must establish a committee to assist it in identifying risks and responding to threats to the financial system as a result of climate change.
Sponsored bills
This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to take land into trust for all federally recognized Indian tribes. Specifically, the bill applies the Indian Reorganization Act to all federally recognized Indian tribes, regardless of when a tribe became recognized. The amendments made by this bill are retroactively effective as if included in the Indian Reorganization Act. This effectively overrules the Supreme Court's decision in Carcieri v. Salazar, which held that Interior could not take land into trust for a specified tribe because that tribe had not been under federal jurisdiction when the Indian Reorganization Act was enacted in 1934.
San Francisco Bay Restoration Act of 2021 This bill provides support for the protection and restoration of the San Francisco Bay estuary and the recovery of certain species in the estuary. Specifically, it establishes a San Francisco Bay Program Office in the Environmental Protection Agency. The program must annually compile a list of funding priorities for projects or studies that advance the goals and objectives of the comprehensive conservation and management plan approved under the National Estuary Program for the San Francisco Bay estuary. The list must include projects or studies for water quality improvement; wetland, riverine, and estuary restoration and protection; nearshore and endangered species recovery; and adaptation to climate change. The program must review such plan at least once every five years and revise the plan as appropriate. The program may provide funding through grants or other means for studies or projects on the priority list.
Access to Counsel Act of 2021 This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, aliens in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees. The Department of Homeland Security shall ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party shall be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer. A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.
National Institutes of Clean Energy Act of 2021 This bill establishes the National Institutes of Clean Energy within the Department of Energy. The institute must invest in clean energy science, climate science, innovation, and research and development to reduce emissions and build climate resilience. In addition, the institute must support (1) clean energy research areas; (2) research and development projects focusing on the impacts of energy production in certain communities that have been disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices; and (3) research and development projects focused on impacts of clean energy and energy production on job loss, job creation, and workforce development, particularly in heavily unionized workforce sectors.
This resolution supports the vision, mission, and goals of the Global Partnership for Education, and it affirms the role of the United States in improving access to quality public education and improved learning outcomes for children and adolescents (particularly for girls) in the poorest countries.
This resolution offers the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of Senator David Henry Gambrell and honors his life and legacy.
Stop Child Hunger Act of 2021 This bill establishes a permanent program and provides funds for electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards to cover meals for children during extended school closures. Specifically, the Department of Agriculture must establish a program to provide EBT cards to cover meals for children who are enrolled in the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program when a school is closed, operating remotely, or a combination of both for a period of five days or more. Cards may be used to purchase food from approved retailers under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
Improving Training for School Food Service Workers Act of 20 21 This bill adds requirements regarding the availability of training that the Department of Agriculture provides under current law for local food service personnel in schools. The training must be scheduled during regular, paid working hours; provided at no cost to food service personnel; offered in-person whenever appropriate; and incorporate experiential learning. If the training is scheduled outside of working hours, food service personnel must be informed about the necessity of scheduling the program, consulted to schedule the program, and compensated for attending the program. Personnel may not be penalized for failing to attend a program outside of working hours.
Clean Ocean And Safe Tourism Anti-Drilling Act or the COAST Anti-Drilling Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior from authorizing the exploration, development, or production (i.e., offshore drilling) of oil or natural gas in specified planning areas of the Outer Continental Shelf along the Atlantic Coast, including the Straits of Florida.