Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act This bill authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a two-year pilot program to award grants to highly qualified early-career investigators to carry out an independent research program at the institution of higher education chosen by such investigator, to last for a period not greater than two years. In awarding grants, the NSF shall give priority to (1) early-career investigators who are from groups that are underrepresented in scientific research, and (2) early-career investigators who choose to carry out independent research at a minority-serving institution.
Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2021 This bill allows tax credits for (1) energy storage technologies, and (2) battery storage technology. The bill expands the tax credit for investments in energy property to include equipment that (1) receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including electrolysis), thermal energy storage, regenerative fuel cells, flywheels, capacitors, superconducting magnets, or other technologies identified by the Internal Revenue Service; and (2) has a capacity of at least five kilowatt hours. The bill also expands the tax credit for residential energy efficient property to include expenditures for battery storage technology that (1) is installed on or in connection with a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer, and (2) has a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours.
TRICARE Reserve Select Improvement Act This bill expands TRICARE Reserve Select eligibility to include members of the Selected Reserve who are enrolled or eligible to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program.
Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the use of certain foreign assistance funds to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services in developing countries, including abortion services, training, and equipment.
George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021 This bill addresses a wide range of policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. It increases accountability for law enforcement misconduct, restricts the use of certain policing practices, enhances transparency and data collection, and establishes best practices and training requirements. The bill enhances existing enforcement mechanisms to remedy violations by law enforcement. Among other things, it does the following: lowers the criminal intent standard—from willful to knowing or reckless—to convict a law enforcement officer for misconduct in a federal prosecution, limits qualified immunity as a defense to liability in a private civil action against a law enforcement officer, and grants administrative subpoena power to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in pattern-or-practice investigations. It establishes a framework to prevent and remedy racial profiling by law enforcement at the federal, state, and local levels. It also limits the unnecessary use of force and restricts the use of no-knock warrants, chokeholds, and carotid holds. The bill creates a national registry—the National Police Misconduct Registry—to compile data on complaints and records of police misconduct. It also establishes new reporting requirements, including on the use of force, officer misconduct, and routine policing practices (e.g., stops and searches). Finally, it directs DOJ to create uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and requires law enforcement officers to complete training on racial profiling, implicit bias, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.
Capitol Remembrance Act This bill requires the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) to design and install in a prominent location in the U.S. Capitol a permanent exhibit that depicts the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol. To the extent possible, the AOC must preserve property that was damaged during the attack and include it in the exhibit. The AOC must also include (1) existing photographic records relating to the attack; and (2) a plaque to honor the U.S. Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies that protected the Capitol, the individuals who died or sustained injuries to protect the Capitol, and the staff who helped restore the Capitol complex after the attack.
Girls' Leadership, Engagement, Agency, and Development Act of 2021 or the Girls LEAD Act This bill directs the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to jointly report to Congress a strategy to strengthen the participation of adolescents, particularly girls, in democracy, human rights, and governance. The State Department and the USAID shall (1) implement activities to achieve this goal, including activities to increase adolescent girls' civic and political knowledge and skills and address barriers to political participation; and (2) prioritize foreign assistance funding for democracy, human rights, and governance programs toward achieving the goals in this bill.
Postal Employee Appeal Rights Amendments Act This bill extends federal employee protections against adverse personnel actions, including the right to appeal such actions to the Merit Systems Protection Board, to additional categories of employees at the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). Specifically, it extends such protections to any officer or employee of the USPS who is not represented by a bargaining representative and is in a supervisory, professional, technical, clerical, administrative, or managerial position covered by the Executive and Administrative Schedule.
Disabled Veterans Tax Termination Act This bill modifies provisions related to military retired pay. Specifically, the bill authorizes veterans with a service-connected disability of less than 50% to concurrently receive both retired pay and disability compensation. The bill also makes qualified disability retirees with less than 20 years of retirement-creditable service eligible for concurrent receipt, subject to specified reductions in retired pay.
Retired Pay Restoration Act This bill allows the receipt of both military retired pay and veterans' disability compensation with respect to any service-connected disability. Under current law, only individuals with service-connected disabilities rated at 50% or more receive both without offset. Individuals who were retired or separated after at least 20 years of military service due to a service-connected disability shall be eligible for the full concurrent receipt of both veterans' disability compensation and either military retired pay or combat-related special pay.
Foreign Agent Disclaimer Enhancement Act of 2021 or the FADE Act of 2021 This bill revises the disclaimer requirements for informational materials transmitted by agents of foreign principals. Specifically, the bill requires that, when such an agent posts information in support of a foreign principal on an online platform, the agent must ensure that the information includes the required disclaimer (i.e., a statement that the information is being transmitted by such an agent). Further, the bill specifies that the disclaimer requirement applies to an agent whether the agent is within or outside the United States. Upon notification by the Department of Justice (DOJ), an online platform must remove any materials that do not meet disclaimer requirements and must use reasonable efforts to inform recipients of the materials that they were disseminated by an agent on behalf of a foreign principal. DOJ must analyze and report on the legal, policy, and procedural challenges to effective enforcement of foreign agent registration requirements.
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
