Secure U.S. Capitol Act This bill directs the Architect of the Capitol to install permanent fencing around the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol, taking into account specified factors relating to safety, security, access, and overall design. The fencing must be installed by January 1, 2023. On January 7, 2021, in response to the previous day's events, razor wire fencing was erected to secure the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol; the fencing is to remain in place for 30 days, with possible extensions.
FEMA Empowering Essential Deliveries Act or the FEED Act This bill authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to approve state, local, and Indian tribal government plans to partner with small and mid-size restaurants and nonprofit organizations to provide nutritious meals to individuals in need. Specifically, during the period following the President's emergency declaration of March 13, 2020, and under any subsequent major disaster declaration that supersedes it, FEMA may approve plans from state, local, and Indian tribal governments that (1) establish contracts with small and mid-sized restaurants and nonprofits, including faith-based organizations and soup kitchens, to prepare healthy meals for people in need; and (2) provide for partnerships with nonprofit organizations to purchase directly from food producers and farmers. FEMA shall waive federal matching requirements under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act during such period.
Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute a payment of $25,000 to U.S. merchant marines who engaged in qualified service during World War II. To be eligible, an individual must apply for the benefit and must not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The bill sets forth what constitutes qualified service, including time frame of service and licensing requirements.
Care for the Veteran Caregiver Act This bill updates the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including by requiring the VA to continue to provide assistance to a family caregiver for at least six months after the death of a veteran participating in the program. Additionally, the bill requires the VA to establish a process by which veterans who are determined to have the most significant need for caregiver assistance are permanently eligible for such assistance. The bill requires the VA to standardize the criteria used across all facilities in its required evaluations of the needs of the veterans and the skills of the family caregiver. The VA must also standardize criteria used in accepting and evaluating applications for participation in the program across all facilities.
Analyzing Disaster Vulnerabilities and Applicable National Capabilities for Emergencies Act or the ADVANCE Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct national hazard preparation and response exercises and to report to Congress on such exercises and to report annually on the impact of natural disasters or public health emergencies on critical infrastructure. Specifically, DHS, in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), must at specified intervals conduct an exercise to test the modeling, simulation, and analysis capabilities and their utility for emergency response of the United States with respect to significant natural disasters or public health emergencies impacting critical infrastructure. Each exercise shall be coordinated through the National Infrastructure Simulation and Analysis Center and the DOE National Laboratories and Technology Centers.
This resolution identifies women's cardiovascular health as an important health care issue and supports gender-specific cardiovascular health research, prevention, and treatment.
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
Spotlight Act This bill renders null and void final Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations published on May 28, 2020, relating to the reporting requirements of tax-exempt organizations. The bill requires tax-exempt organizations that fall under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., social welfare organizations, labor organizations, business leagues) to disclose the names and addresses of all substantial contributors (persons who contribute more than $5,000 per year to such organizations) on their information returns. The bill also eliminates the authority of the IRS to provide exceptions to the disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations. This provision does not apply to determinations made by the IRS before July 16, 2018.
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2021 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2022 and terminates after 2026.
Climate Smart Ports Act of 2021 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to establish a grant program for purchasing or installing equipment and technology to reduce pollution at ports. Specifically, the grants must be used for equipment or technology that produces zero exhaust emissions of certain pollutants and greenhouse gases or captures 100% of the exhaust emissions produced by an ocean-going vessel at berth.
Ethan's Law This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels. At the federal level, the bill establishes statutory requirements for firearms on residential premises to be safely stored if a minor is likely to gain access without permission or if a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm. An individual who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties. A firearm stored in violation of the requirements is subject to seizure and forfeiture. At the state and tribal levels, the bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to implement functionally identical requirements for the safe storage of firearms.
Relaunching America's Workforce Act This bill establishes several grant programs to address employment, the workforce, and education access in response to the COVID-19 national emergency. The Department of Labor must provide grants in response to the COVID-19 national emergency to provide training and employment for dislocated, unemployed, and underemployed workers; support youth employment; establish workforce information systems improvements; provide reentry employment opportunities for justice system-involved youth or young adults, formerly incarcerated youths or adults, and former offenders; and create or expand apprenticeship programs. Programs directed towards assisting Native Americans and migrant and seasonal farmworkers may be extended. The Department of Education must provide grants to expand the capacity of adult education providers to prioritize serving adults with low-literacy or numeracy levels negatively impacted by the COVID-19 national emergency, and to improve or expand career and technical education programs and programs of study to respond to state and local needs as a result of the COVID-19 national emergency.
