This resolution honors the essential staff of the U.S. Capitol complex, recognizes and thanks them for their invaluable contributions, and commits to better protecting them.
This resolution provides amounts for the expenses of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure for the 117th Congress.
Air Carrier Access Amendments Act of 2021 This bill expands provisions prohibiting discrimination against disabled individuals by an air carrier. Specifically, it enumerates certain actions that an air carrier must take or may not take with respect to a disabled individual. It also requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to ensure that disabled individuals traveling in air transportation are able to file complaints with DOT in response to disability-related discrimination and receive assistance from DOT through a hotline or comparable electronic means. The bill authorizes an aggrieved individual and the Department of Justice to bring a civil action for discrimination. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board shall prescribe regulations setting forth minimum standards for aircraft with new or existing type certificates to ensure the accessibility of individuals with disabilities, including those who use wheelchairs. The standards shall address, among other things, boarding and deplaning equipment, seating accommodations, lavatories, visually accessible announcements, and proper stowage of assistive devices in the cargo hold to prevent damage.
American Dream Employment Act of 2021 This bill permits the compensation of congressional employees who hold a current employment authorization document that was issued pursuant to a grant of (1) deferred action, including under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program; (2) deferred enforced departure; or (3) temporary protected status. (Generally, these programs and statuses allow eligible aliens to remain and work in the United States.)
Landowner Fairness Act This bill limits the use of eminent domain to take private property for the construction and operation of a natural gas pipeline facility. Specifically, this bill ends the legal presumption that natural gas exports are by definition in the public interest. In addition, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission must consider certain factors in issuing certificates of public convenience and necessity for natural gas projects. Finally, the bill prohibits the holder of a certification of public convenience and necessity from exercising the right of eminent domain for a pipeline designed to export liquefied natural gas to a foreign country.
Supporting Early-Career Researchers Act This bill authorizes the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish a two-year pilot program to award grants to highly qualified early-career investigators to carry out an independent research program at the institution of higher education chosen by such investigator, to last for a period not greater than two years. In awarding grants, the NSF shall give priority to (1) early-career investigators who are from groups that are underrepresented in scientific research, and (2) early-career investigators who choose to carry out independent research at a minority-serving institution.
Stop Militarizing Law Enforcement Act This bill restricts the Department of Defense (DOD) from transferring certain surplus military property to federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies. Specifically, DOD may not transfer to such agencies specified property such as controlled firearms, ammunition, grenade launchers, explosives, certain vehicles or trucks, armored or weaponized drones, certain controlled aircraft, silencers, or long-range acoustic devices. DOD may waive this limitation and transfer certain vehicles or trucks if DOD determines that the transfer is necessary for disaster or rescue purposes or for another purpose where life and public safety are at risk. As a condition for a transfer of allowable property, DOD must require the federal or state agency that receives the property to return the property if the agency is investigated by the Department of Justice for civil liberties violations or is otherwise found to have engaged in widespread abuses of civil liberties. DOD must also periodically submit certain transfer-related information and certifications to Congress. Furthermore, as a condition for transfer, the recipient must receive the approval of its local governing body, provide specified notice to the local community, and submit specified information and certifications to DOD. A federal or state agency that receives controlled property under such a transfer may never take ownership of the property. The bill also eliminates the requirement for DOD to give preference to transfers of property that will be used in counter-drug, counterterrorism, disaster-related emergency preparedness, or border security activities.
Abortion is Health Care Everywhere Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the use of certain foreign assistance funds to provide comprehensive reproductive health care services in developing countries, including abortion services, training, and equipment.
Securing Consumers Against Misrepresented Debt Act of 2021 or the SCAM Debt Act This bill provides additional requirements for debt collectors when taking legal action to collect a debt. Among other requirements, debt collectors must provide advance notice to the consumer of the intent to take legal action, and provide in the initial pleading certain evidence regarding the debt and a sworn affidavit stating that the statute of limitations has not expired. The bill also sets forth additional information a debt collector must provide to a consumer regarding the debt.
Energy Storage Tax Incentive and Deployment Act of 2021 This bill allows tax credits for (1) energy storage technologies, and (2) battery storage technology. The bill expands the tax credit for investments in energy property to include equipment that (1) receives, stores, and delivers energy using batteries, compressed air, pumped hydropower, hydrogen storage (including electrolysis), thermal energy storage, regenerative fuel cells, flywheels, capacitors, superconducting magnets, or other technologies identified by the Internal Revenue Service; and (2) has a capacity of at least five kilowatt hours. The bill also expands the tax credit for residential energy efficient property to include expenditures for battery storage technology that (1) is installed on or in connection with a dwelling unit located in the United States and used as a residence by the taxpayer, and (2) has a capacity of at least three kilowatt hours.
Maximizing Our Redevelopment and Efficiency for Transit Oriented Development Act of 2021 or the More TOD Act This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation to provide transit-oriented development planning grants to states, local governments, or metropolitan planning organizations. These grants shall be awarded to assist in the financing of comprehensive planning that is associated with a new or existing fixed guideway capital system project. Grants may be used to (1) enhance economic development, ridership, and other goals; (2) facilitate multimodal connectivity and accessibility; (3) increase access to transit hubs for pedestrian and bicycle traffic; (4) enable mixed-use development; (5) identify infrastructure needs; and (6) include private sector participation in facilitating a project. A grant shall not exceed 80% of total project costs, except that a grant that includes an affordable housing component shall not exceed 90% of total project costs.
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to analyze and report on the demands associated with edge provider data transmitted over rural broadband networks during a specified six-year period. An edge provider is an entity that provides content, applications, or services over the internet (e.g., search engine providers, streaming video or music services, social media platforms, and retailers). Some edge providers generate revenue by selling products or subscriptions to their content, while others offer their content for free and generate revenue by selling advertising to users based on user-provided information. In its analysis, the FCC must retrospectively and prospectively estimate the quantity of edge provider data transmitted over rural broadband networks. It must also calculate costs to rural broadband providers that are not otherwise recovered for transmitting such data. These costs include (1) initial deployment of rural broadband networks, (2) operation and maintenance of those networks, and (3) the delivery of services to users over those networks.
