HR 5904, the Deepavali Day Act, would add "Deepavali Day" to the list of recognized days in federal law, specifically amending the U.S. Code section that lists federal holidays. It recognizes Deepavali - a festival celebrated by over six million Americans, including Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, and Indo-Caribbean communities - as a day symbolizing the victory of light over darkness. The bill does not create a paid holiday or change government operations; it simply adds Deepavali Day to the existing federal holiday schedule. This recognition aligns with Congress's acknowledgment of Deepavali's cultural significance and its shared values with U.S. democratic principles.
This bill requires the Coast Guard to establish an interagency task force to address the vessel backlogs at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach and in the coastal waters of Orange County, California. Specifically, the task force must evaluate and quantify the impact of the vessel backlogs at the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other federal, state, and local governments due to such vessel backlogs, evaluate the responses of federal agencies to such vessel backlogs, investigate the cause of the oil spill that occurred in October 2021 in the coastal waters of Orange County, and develop and report on a plan to solve the vessel backlog and oil spill crises along the coast of southern California.
This resolution recognizes the importance of gig workers (i.e., workers hired on a per-project basis) and other independent contractors to the economy.
Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021 This bill allows certain individuals to sue and recover damages for harm from exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This action is available only to individuals who were exposed to contaminated water for at least 30 days. The bill prohibits the U.S. government from asserting specified immunity from litigation in response to such a lawsuit. The bill also prohibits an individual who brings such an action from bringing a separate tort action against the United States based on the same harm.
Safe Shelters Act of 2021 This bill imposes certain requirements on applicants for Office of Refugee Resettlement grants to open or fund shelter facilities for unaccompanied alien children. Specifically an applicant for such a grant must (1) disclose in the application any adverse action (generally an adverse criminal or regulatory action relating to a government contract or the care of children) taken against the applicant in the five-year period before the application, and (2) be licensed under state law to operate the facility in question. The Department of Health and Human Services must seek to collaborate with state regulatory agencies to review state databases for information about adverse actions taken against such applicants.
Improving Part-Time Workers Access to Retirement Act of 2021 This bill shortens the maximum time, from three consecutive 12-month periods of at least 500 hours of service to two such periods, that an employer may require before a part-time employee is eligible for participation in certain employer-sponsored retirement plans.
Defense of Environment and Property Act of 2021 This bill revises the scope, jurisdiction, and requirements of the Clean Water Act. It specifies the types of water bodies that are navigable waters and therefore receive protection. It defines navigable waters as waters of the United States that are (1) navigable-in-fact; or (2) permanent, standing, or continuously flowing bodies of water that form geographical features commonly known as streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes that are connected to waters that are navigable-in-fact. The bill limits the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over such waters, including by stating that ground water is under the jurisdiction of states. The bill prohibits the EPA from using a significant nexus test to determine federal jurisdiction over navigable waters and waters of the United States. The bill nullifies the Migratory Bird rule and a 2008 guidance document about the definition of waters under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. The bill prohibits the EPA and the Corps from issuing new rules or guidance that expands or interprets the definition of navigable waters unless expressly authorized by Congress. Federal agencies must obtain consent from private property owners to collect information about navigable waters on their land. If regulations relating to navigable waters or waters of United States diminish the value of a property, then the federal government must pay the property owner an amount equal to twice the value of the loss.
Truckers Responding At National Shipping Ports Overcoming Retail Turmoil Act or the TRANSPORT Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award grants to motor carriers and motor private carriers for transporting goods from ports during declared national emergencies or when DOT determines a port is at least 50% congested. DOT may use unobligated funds available under specified COVID-19 relief laws for the grants.
Justice for ALS Veterans Act of 2021 This bill extends increased dependency and indemnity compensation to the surviving spouse of a veteran who dies from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease) regardless of how long the veteran had such disease prior to death. Under current law, such compensation is paid for a service-connected disability that was rated totally disabling for a continuous period of at least eight years immediately preceding death. For purposes of this bill, a surviving spouse is a person who was married to the veteran for a continuous period of eight years or longer prior to the veteran's death.
Expanding the Families of Veterans Access to Mental Health Services Act The bill expands eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services, including through a Vet Center, to family members of a veteran or member of the Armed Forces who died by suicide.
Prohibiting Taxpayer Funded Settlements for Illegal Immigrants Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to make settlement payments to compensate any individuals for being separated from family members while detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection if the detention was (1) a result of the individual improperly entering (or attempting to improperly enter) the United States, and (2) in accordance with a Department of Justice memorandum that adopted a zero-tolerance policy for such improper entry into the United States.
Capital Gains Inflation Relief Act of 2021 This bill allows the adjusted basis of certain assets (including any common stock in a C corporation, any digital asset, and tangible property used in a trade or business) to be indexed for inflation for the purpose of determining the gain or loss of a taxpayer (other than a corporation) who has held the asset for more than three years. The bill sets forth rules for applying the inflation adjustment to short sales; regulated investment companies; real estate investment trusts; other pass-through entities, including partnerships, S corporations, and common trust funds; dispositions between related persons; and improvements to property or contributions of capital. The Internal Revenue Service may disallow an adjustment if any person transfers cash, debt, or any other property to another person for the principal purpose of securing or increasing the adjustment allowed by this bill.
