This resolution designates February 1-February 5, 2021, as National School Counseling Week.
This resolution supports the designation of February 2021 as Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.
This resolution designates March 5, 2021, as National Speech and Debate Education Day.
Nonpartisan Postmaster General Act of 2021 This bill restricts the political activities of the members of the Postal Service Board of Governors, including the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General. Specifically, the bill prohibits (1) the Postmaster General and the Deputy Postmaster General from taking an active part in political management or political campaigns; and (2) the Board of Governors, the Postmaster General, and the Deputy Postmaster General from holding any political position while in office or soliciting funds for the campaign of a candidate for elected office or for a political party. An individual must make certain financial disclosures prior to assuming the duties of Postmaster General or Deputy Postmaster General.
Build America's Libraries Act This bill establishes and provides funds through FY2024 for the Build America's Libraries Fund, from which the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) must allocate funding to states and, through them, need-based grants to libraries to make long-term improvements to library facilities. The IMLS must also award grants to Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. Specifically, the bill requires each state that receives an allocation, and each library that receives a grant, to carry out certain activities to improve library facilities. These activities include constructing and renovating library facilities, investing in infrastructure projects to improve internet access and connectivity, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to individuals with disabilities. The bill also outlines administrative and oversight provisions, including by requiring library projects to use iron and steel products that are produced in the United States.
Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits U.S. assistance to the police or military of Honduras. The Department of the Treasury shall instruct U.S. representatives of multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the Honduran police or military. The prohibition shall be lifted if the Department of State certifies to Congress that various conditions have been met, including that the Honduran government has (1) pursued all legal avenues to reach verdicts in specified crimes, such as the killings of indigenous land-rights activist Berta Caceres and of 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley; (2) investigated and prosecuted members of the military and police who have violated human rights; and (3) taken effective steps to establish the rule of law.
Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act of 2021 or the RISE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support may be used to provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution, national laboratory, or individual that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; issue awards to research the effects of the current pandemic and potential future pandemics; and provide flexibility on awards to account for facility closures or other limitations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible. Provided funds shall remain available through FY2021.
Emergency Assistance for Rural Water Systems Act of 2021 This bill allows, and provides funds for, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants and loans, as well as loan forgiveness, modification, and refinancing, to rural water, wastewater, or waste disposal facilities. Specifically, USDA may provide such assistance for purposes of ensuring public health, safety, and order and to address financial hardships, in particular those due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator Act This bill establishes and capitalizes a Clean Energy and Sustainability Accelerator. The independent, nonprofit accelerator must invest in clean energy technologies and infrastructure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The accelerator must make capital available to state, territorial, or local green banks. The banks must be public or nonprofit specialized finance entities that use finance tools to mitigate climate change. The accelerator may also provide technical assistance and funding to states and other political subdivisions that do not have green banks to establish such banks. When investing in projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, the accelerator must prioritize investments that serve climate-impacted communities (e.g., communities of color or low-income communities). In addition, the accelerator must explore the establishment of a program to provide low-interest and zero-interest loans, up to 30 years in length, to any school, metropolitan planning organization, or nonprofit organization seeking financing for the acquisition of zero-emissions vehicle fleets or associated infrastructure. Finally, the accelerator must explore the establishment of an accelerated clean energy transition program to (1) expedite the transition within the power sector to zero-emissions power generation facilities or assets, and (2) invest in local economic development in communities affected by this transition away from carbon-intensive facilities or assets.
This bill raises the borrowing limit of the Commodity Credit Corporation from $30 billion to $68 billion.
Protecting Domestic Violence and Stalking Victims Act of 2021 This bill establishes new federal firearms restrictions for individuals who are convicted of misdemeanor stalking offenses. The bill expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Specifically, it adds a new category of prohibited persons: persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of stalking. The term misdemeanor crime of stalking means a misdemeanor stalking offense under federal, state, tribal, or municipal law and a course of harassment, intimidation, or surveillance of another person that (1) places such person in reasonable fear of harm to themselves, an immediate family member, a household member, or a spouse or intimate partner (including a current or former dating partner); or (2) causes emotional distress to such person. The bill also specifically prohibits dating partners who are convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence or who are subject to certain restraining orders from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Currently, such restrictions generally only apply to spouses, co-parents, and cohabitants.
Butch Lewis Emergency Pension Plan Relief Act of 2021 This bill modifies the funding rules and provides financial assistance for certain pension plans that are underfunded or insolvent. First, the bill expands the authority of, and provides funding for, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) to provide special partition assistance to a multiemployer pension plan that is insolvent or at risk of insolvency. The bill expands eligibility for partition assistance, provides funding for a plan to reach a projected funded ratio of 80% over a 30-year period, and does not require a plan to repay such assistance. The bill further permits a multiemployer pension plan to elect to retain its funding zone status from the previous year for either (1) the first plan year beginning during the period from March 1, 2020, through February 28, 2021; or (2) the next succeeding plan year, as designated by the plan sponsor. A plan may also extend by five years the funding improvement or rehabilitation period if the plan is designated as in endangered or critical status for a plan year beginning in 2020 or 2021. A plan in critical and declining status may not suspend payment of plan benefits. Additionally, the bill adjusts the minimum funding standards for a multiemployer pension plan to account for investment losses and other losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic and modifies the PBGC guarantee formula to increase the maximum potential benefits under a multiemployer pension plan.
