This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideas of Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a painful condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
This resolution declares that (1) the United States needs a Marshall Plan for Moms to revitalize and restore mothers in the workforce; and (2) mothers, especially mothers of color have been pushed to the brink of economic, social, and emotional collapse during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic because of the existing economic and social inequalities women have long faced. The resolution also states that any relief and long-term recovery package to address the COVID-19 crisis must recognize and rebuild moms in the workforce by including certain policies such as establishing a robust paid leave plan; rebuilding and stabilizing the child care industry; providing necessary child poverty reduction tools for families' economic security that include recurring child benefits and an expanded and improved child tax credit and earned income tax credit; establishing an expanded unemployment insurance program that benefits struggling workers, including those experiencing long-term unemployment; raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour or higher for all minimum wage workers; and providing access to mental health support for mothers. Finally, the resolution declares that employers and policymakers must prioritize addressing the economic cliff facing mothers and make permanent the policies set forth in this resolution so that mothers are protected against any future economic calamities.
E-Verify Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop an electronic employment eligibility verification system modeled after and to replace E-Verify, which allows employers and recruiters to verify the immigration status of new hires and employees. The bill also requires all employers to use this new system and addresses other related issues. Currently, only some employers, such as federal contractors, are required to use E-Verify. The bill phases in the mandatory use of the system with different deadlines for various types of employers to start using the system. Generally, all employers must use the system within four years of the system's implementation. An employer who takes an employment-related action based on good faith reliance on the system shall not be liable in a civil or criminal case based on that action. DHS shall (1) develop various tools, including a photo checking tool for employers and a tool for an individuals to verify their own status; (2) establish procedures to allow individuals to stop the system from using identifying information belonging to that individual or that individual's child; (3) establish procedures to allow individuals to file complaints about violations relating to the employment of unauthorized aliens; and (4) provide grants to states that allow DHS to access driver's license information to use with the system. The bill also increases civil and criminal penalties related to employing unauthorized aliens. Employers convicted of hiring unauthorized aliens may be debarred from receiving federal contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements.
Conscience Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain protections for health care providers that refuse to participate in abortions based on religious beliefs or other convictions. Health care providers include individual professionals, medical facilities, health insurance organizations, and social services providers that refer clients to health care services. The federal government and entities that receive federal funding for health-related activities, including state and local governments, may not discriminate against a health care provider that refuses to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortions. Currently, similar requirements apply to various related activities, including certain employment or personnel decisions (the Church Amendments), abortion services training (the Coats-Snowe Amendment), qualified health plans offered through health insurance exchanges, and annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies (the Weldon Amendment). The HHS Office for Civil Rights must investigate complaints of this kind of discrimination. Furthermore, HHS may terminate or reduce HHS funding for health-related activities if a person or entity fails to comply with nondiscrimination requirements. Additionally, the Department of Justice or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may bring a civil action to obtain appropriate relief. A plaintiff does not need to seek or exhaust administrative remedies before bringing the action. A plaintiff may also bring an action, including one for money damages, against a governmental entity. In many cases, principles of sovereign immunity shield states and some localities from these kinds of actions.
Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness Act or the MOMMA's Act This bill establishes various programs and requirements to reduce maternal mortality. It also increases federal tobacco taxes and equalizes the tax treatment of different tobacco products. Specifically, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) must provide technical assistance and best practices for collecting data, standardizing reporting, and preventing maternal mortality. The CDC must consult with the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) on this assistance. The bill also provides statutory authority for CDC grants for state-based collaboratives to improve care immediately before and after birth and to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, and a HRSA program to improve the quality and safety of maternity care. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish regional centers through health professional schools and training programs to educate health care providers about implicit bias and culturally competent care. In addition, the bill expands eligibility for Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other benefits for pregnant and postpartum individuals. Specifically, it extends postpartum eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP for one year; provides coverage for oral health services for pregnant and postpartum individuals under Medicaid and CHIP; and extends postpartum eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children for two years. HHS must also take steps to publicize the benefits available to pregnant and postpartum individuals under Medicaid and CHIP, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide guidance on Medicaid coverage for doula services.
Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to publish and periodically update guidance for hospitals, freestanding birth centers, and other maternal care providers on ways to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The CMS must also report on the Medicaid payment methodologies that apply to facility transfers of pregnant women.
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2021 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTQI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTQI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTQI people. The bill also requires that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
National Coronavirus Commission Act of 2021 This bill temporarily establishes, in the legislative branch, the Commission on the Coronavirus Pandemic in the United States and sets out its powers, duties, and membership. The commission must investigate the facts and circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. This investigation must include the preparedness for and response to the disease by federal, state, territorial, tribal, and local governments. The commission terminates 120 days after the submission of its final report. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must monitor the implementation of any recommendations identified by the commission.
National Right-to-Work Act This bill repeals those provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act that permit employers to make an agreement with a labor union to require employees to join such union as a condition of employment. Currently, at least 27 states have enacted laws prohibiting employers from compelling employees to become members of a union as a condition of employment.
Fair and Open Competition Act or the FOCA Act This bill prohibits federal construction contracts or controlling documents for federally supported construction projects from requiring or prohibiting project labor agreements. Such documents also may not discriminate against or give preference to a bidder or contractor who signs or refuses to sign a project labor agreement. An agency may exempt a project from this prohibition to avert an imminent threat to public health or safety or to serve the national security.
Gold Star Altitude Act This bill authorizes the Department of Defense to offer, on a space-available basis, transportation on military aircraft to the children, surviving spouses, parents, and siblings of members of the Armed Forces who die during active service.
American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the five-year amortization requirement for research and experimental expenditures scheduled to begin in 2022, thus allowing continued expensing of such expenditures in the taxable years in which they are incurred.
