Protect Democracy in Burma Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress on the military coup in Burma (Myanmar), including a description of U.S. efforts to (1) engage with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to support a return to Burma's democratic transition and democratic values throughout Southeast Asia, and (2) influence the United Nations to hold accountable those responsible for the coup.
Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a five-year pilot program to furnish, under the Veterans Community Care Program, hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Border Crisis Prevention Act of 2021 This bill imposes additional requirements on asylum seekers, increases certain time limits related to detained aliens, and addresses other immigration-related issues. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must detain certain aliens, such as an alien convicted of an aggravated felony or believed to be a trafficker of controlled substances, beyond certain time limits for detaining an alien. The bill also provides for additional instances when DHS may extend the 90-day removal period (generally the window in which DHS has to remove an alien after a final order of removal). An alien choosing to appeal mandatory detention or detention as part of a removal period extension may do so only by filing for a writ of habeas corpus. DHS shall establish a process to determine whether an alien not subject to mandatory detention and who has tried to comply with a removal order should be detained or released with conditions. Furthermore, under this bill, an alien's credible fear of persecution must be more probable than not in order to be eligible for asylum. DHS may also deny asylum to an applying alien and remove the alien to a country that is not the alien's country of nationality, if the alien would be safe and would be able to apply for asylum from that country. (Currently, an asylum applicant may be removed to a third country only if that country is party to an agreement allowing for such removal.) The Department of Justice may appoint 100 additional immigration judges.
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2021 This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat. It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2021 or the JUSTICE Act This bill addresses policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill funds state and local grants, incentivizes state and local reporting on the use of certain policing practices, creates new federal offenses for certain misconduct, and establishes best practices and training requirements. The bill funds state and local grants, including to support the use of body-worn cameras, to implement information sharing systems for disciplinary records of law enforcement officers, and to prohibit officers from engaging in sexual acts under color of the law. Further, it requires state and local governments that receive grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to report information related to use-of-force incidents and the use of no-knock warrants. At the federal level, the bill establishes new criminal offenses related to falsifying police reports and engaging in sexual acts under color of law. The bill directs the Department of Justice to develop training on de-escalation tactics, behavioral health crises, alternatives to the use of force, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force. Finally, the bill establishes and funds the National Criminal Justice Commission. Among other tasks, the commission must develop best practices for policing tactics and procedures.
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2021 This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow only fat-free milk to be flavored. The bill removes these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk.
School Reopening and Spending Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Education to establish and update monthly a public website to track state expenditures of certain COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) education relief funds. States must report on the operating status of their public elementary and secondary schools during the 2020-2021 school year for inclusion on the website.
College Transparency Act This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by institutions of higher education; and periodically match with other federal systems of data. The bill also establishes a postsecondary student data system advisory committee.
Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. international energy strategy. Applications to export natural gas to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, Japan, and certain other countries shall be granted on an expedited basis without modification or delay. The President shall impose sanctions on a person that provides certain equipment, investment, or services to the Russian government or related entities for constructing or servicing Russian energy export pipelines. The Department of State shall report to Congress on a strategy to enhance the energy security of NATO member countries and increase U.S. energy exports to such countries.
Litigation Funding Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires lawyers for plaintiffs in certain lawsuits to provide the court and other parties in the lawsuit with any agreement that entitles an outside business (i.e., a business that is not a party, class member, or counsel in the lawsuit) to receive payment contingent on the lawsuit's outcome. The lawyers for the plaintiffs shall also provide the identity of the outside business. Specifically, these requirements shall apply to any class action or multi-district litigation (i.e. related civil cases pending in different districts that are consolidated for pretrial proceedings).
Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act This bill provides that any hours worked by a firefighter under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for, or the amount of, any overtime pay. The bill defines qualified trade-of-time arrangement as an arrangement under which two firefighters who are employed by the same agency agree, solely at their option and with the approval of their employing agency, to substitute for one another during scheduled work hours in the performance of work in the same capacity.
