Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage Tax Credit Amendments Act of 2021 This bill extends the carbon oxide sequestration tax credit through 2030. It also permits taxpayers to elect to receive a payment in lieu of the tax credits for carbon oxide sequestration and qualifying advanced coal projects. The bill also makes other modifications to certain carbon sequestration credits, including (1) an allowance of carbon sequestration credits against the base erosion minimum tax, (2) modifications to sequestration requirements for certain qualifying advanced coal project credit equipment, and (3) increasing the sequestration credit value for direct air capture projects.

Save America's Clean Energy Jobs Act This bill allows taxpayers to receive direct payments of amounts relating to the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources, the energy tax credit, and the carbon oxide sequestration tax credit in lieu of such credits.

This resolution condemns and denounces all forms of anti-Asian sentiment, including those related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), and calls on federal law enforcement officials, working with state and local agencies, to take specified steps. The resolution calls on federal officials to expeditiously investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes, harassment, bullying, and threats against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; the Attorney General to work with state and local agencies and Asian American and Pacific Islander community-based organizations to prevent discrimination and to expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate education campaigns on public reporting of hate crimes; and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance describing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the pandemic. The resolution recommits the United States to serving as a model for the world in building a more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant society by (1) prioritizing language access and inclusivity in communication practices, and (2) combating misinformation and discrimination that puts Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at risk.

This resolution celebrates the successes and contributions of Latinas in the United States and recognizes the changes still to be made to ensure that Latinas can realize their full potential as equal members of society.

Innovative Materials for America's Growth and Infrastructure Newly Expanded Act of 2021 or the IMAGINE Act This bill encourages the use of innovative construction materials and techniques to accelerate the deployment, extend the service life, improve the performance, and reduce the cost of domestic transportation and water infrastructure projects. Among other things, the bill establishes an Interagency Innovative Materials Standards Task Force to assess existing standards and test methods for the use of innovative materials in infrastructure, identify key barriers in the standards area that inhibit broader market adoption, and develop new methods and protocols to better evaluate innovative materials; requires the Department of Transportation to enhance the development of innovative materials in the United States by providing awards to entities for establishing and operating new innovative material innovation hubs; directs the Federal Highway Administration to provide grants to states' departments of transportation, tribal governments, public toll authorities, and units of local government for coastal or rural infrastructure bridge projects and value engineering projects to enhance the performance of bridges through the use of innovative materials; and provides grants for the design and installation of water infrastructure projects.

Tropical Forest and Coral Reef Conservation Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2026 authority for debt-for-nature swaps and debt buyback programs that reduce or convert debt obligations from eligible countries to the United States into funding for nature conservation and protection efforts in that country.

Survivors' Access to Supportive Care Act or SASCA This bill sets out programs and requirements to address access and quality issues related to sexual-assault examinations. Specifically, the bill establishes training and technical assistance programs for health care providers on conducting sexual-assault examinations and treating survivors of sexual assault, including in rural and tribal settings; grants for states to assess the availability of trained providers to perform sexual-assault examinations; and a task force to assist state-level efforts to improve medical forensic evidence collection related to sexual assault. The bill also requires institutions of higher education to provide information about the availability of sexual-assault examinations to survivors of sexual assault. Additionally, hospitals and specified components of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must report on access and quality issues concerning sexual-assault examinations and related services. Furthermore, HHS must address access to, and the quality of, trained health care providers who conduct sexual-assault examinations in the National Quality Strategy. This is a national effort to align public-sector and private-sector stakeholders to achieve better health and health care.

Southern New England Regional Commission Act This bill establishes the Southern New England Regional Commission. (Federal regional commissions address perceived regional economic underdevelopment.) The commission is given the same structure and duties as the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, Southwest Border Regional Commission, and Northern Border Regional Commission. The bill authorizes those commissions, in addition to their current authorities, to (1) support the maritime economy, (2) assist in developing defense manufacturing industries, and (3) promote the adoption of innovative materials in public transportation.

Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain deductible, coinsurance, initial coverage limit, and cost-sharing requirements that apply under the Medicare prescription drug benefit shall not apply with respect to vaccines that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide to Medicare beneficiaries specified information regarding (1) coverage of vaccines for seniors, and (2) access to recommended vaccines without cost-sharing.

Rhode Island Fishermen's Fairness Act of 202 1 This bill adds Rhode Island to the Mid-Atlantic Fishery Management Council and increases council membership from 21 to 23 members. The council is not given authority over the fisheries in the Atlantic Ocean seaward of Rhode Island.