Intelligence on Nefarious Foreign Leaders Using Education Networks for Corrupt Enrichment Act or the INFLUENCE Act This bill lowers the disclosure threshold regarding gifts or contracts from a foreign source that institutions of higher education (IHEs) must report to the Department of Education (ED). It also requires IHEs to disclose information related to foreign involvement in sensitive projects. Under current law, an IHE is required to disclose to ED a gift or contract that is from a foreign source and is valued at $250,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts from or contracts with a foreign source. The bill instead requires the IHE to disclose such a gift or contract that is valued at $50,000 considered alone or $100,000 or more in combination with all other gifts or contracts. Further, ED must update annually on its website a database of the disclosed information, and an IHE that receives a gift or contract from a foreign source must post certain information on its website. Information made publicly available must not include sensitive information. Additionally, the bill requires IHEs to disclose information related to foreign involvement in sensitive projects. It also requires a specific contract provision for a cultural or language program that is funded by the Chinese government to operate at an IHE. Finally, ED must establish a process to notify federal agencies of violations of the bill. ED must also report on foreign and national security issues affecting IHEs.
Earmark Elimination Act of 2021 This bill establishes a point of order in the House of Representatives against considering legislation that contains a congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit. If the point of order is raised and sustained, the congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit shall be deemed to be stricken from the legislation.
Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal commemorating the bravery and endurance of the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Following its award, the medal shall be given to the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution for display and research. The Department of the Treasury must strike duplicate medals in silver for presentation to a hostage (or the personal representative of a deceased hostage), and Treasury may also strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze.
Accurate Workplace Injury and Illness Records Restoration Act This bill expands the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to cite employers for workplace safety violations and requires OSHA to issue a rule on record keeping related to workplace injuries. Under current law OSHA may cite employers only during the six-month period following a violation. This bill provides that, for a violation that occurs over a period of time, the six-month period does not begin until the violation has ended. The bill also requires OSHA to issue a rule on maintaining records of workplace injuries and illnesses. Congress nullified a similar rule on April 3, 2017. In the rule required by the bill, OSHA must clarify that an employer's duty to make and maintain accurate records is an ongoing obligation, continues for as long as the employer is required to keep records of the recordable injury or illness (typically five years under current OSHA rules), and does not expire solely because the employer fails to create the necessary records when first required to do so.
Creating Hope and Opportunity through Increased Choice in Education Act or the CHOICE Act This bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to parents of eligible students for certain education-related expenses. Eligible student refers to a student who (1) is served by a local educational agency that will not provide in-person instruction in a manner consistent with the 2019-2020 school year, and (2) is from a household with a household income that is less than 200% of the reduced-price lunch rate income. Grant funds may be used for tuition and fees for private elementary or secondary schools, private tutoring, home school expenses, or educational materials.
National Medal of Honor Monument Act This bill authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia in honor of the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients. The foundation shall be solely responsible for the acceptance of contributions for, and the payment of expenses of, the establishment of the commemorative work. Federal funds may not be used to pay any expenses for the establishment of the commemorative work.
Improving Confidence in Veterans' Care Act This bill prescribes oversight requirements for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) regarding health care professionals at VA medical centers. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to ensure each VA medical center consistently compiles, verifies, and reviews specified documentation for each VA health care professional (including contractors). The VA shall ensure that specified health care professionals hold an active Drug Enforcement Administration registration. Each VA medical center must implement (1) monitoring of the performance and quality of the health care delivered by each health care professional at the center, and (2) reviews of such care if an individual notifies the VA of any potential concerns relating to a failure to meet generally accepted standards of clinical practice. The bill imposes notification requirements in situations where the VA substantiates a concern relating to the clinical competency of, or quality of care delivered by, a current or former VA health care professional. The VA is prohibited from entering into a settlement agreement relating to an adverse action against a VA health care professional if such agreement includes terms that require the VA to conceal certain information from the employee's personnel file. Such prohibition does not apply to adverse actions determined to be prohibited personnel practices. The VA must provide mandatory training, at least biannually, to employees of each medical center who are responsible for specified tasks (e.g., those who are responsible for compiling, validating, or reviewing the credentials of VA health care professionals).
Proportional Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act This bill exempts certain wireless facility modification requests from specified review requirements. Specifically, the bill exempts from specified environmental and historic preservation review any request for modification of an existing wireless tower or base station that involves (1) collocation of new transmission equipment, (2) removal of transmission equipment, or (3) replacement of transmission equipment.
Broadband Resiliency and Flexible Investment Act This bill provides statutory authority for the 60-day time frame for a state or local government that receives a complete eligible facilities request or a complete telecommunications facilities request to approve such request. The bill makes other changes related to such requests, including expanding the definition of eligible facilities request to include any request for the modification of an existing wireless tower, base station, or eligible support structure that involves the placement, modification, or construction of equipment that improves the resiliency of the wireless tower, base station, or eligible support structure and provides a direct benefit to public safety; and defining eligible telecommunications facilities request as any request for modification of an existing telecommunications service facility in or on an eligible support infrastructure that involves collocation, removal, or replacement of telecommunications service facility equipment.
Coastal Broadband Deployment Act This bill excludes certain communications facility deployment or modification projects from specified review requirements. Specifically, the bill excludes from specified environmental and historic preservation review a project for the deployment or modification of a communications facility that is to be carried out entirely within a floodplain (the lowland and relatively flat areas adjoining inland and coastal waters).
Standard Fees to Expedite Evaluation and Streamlining Act or the Standard FEES Act This bill requires the General Services Administration to establish a common fee schedule for the processing of certain wireless facilities deployment applications, including (1) the grant of an easement, right-of-way, or lease to, in, over, or on property owned by the federal government; and (2) communications facility installation sitings. Such fees shall be competitively neutral and based on direct and actual cost recovery. Further, any fee collected shall only be available to cover the costs of granting such easement, right-of-way, or lease as provided in advance in an appropriations bill.
Federal Broadband Deployment Tracking Act This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to submit a report on tracking Form 299 requests. Form 299 is the application form for the right to install, construct, modify, or maintain a communications facility on federal real property. Such report must include (1) a plan describing how the NTIA will track a Form 299 submitted by a requesting party, (2) a description of how the NTIA would most expeditiously implement such plan, (3) a way to increase transparency to a requesting party on the status of a Form 299, and (4) an assessment of barriers that could delay implementation of the plan.
