Reassurance On Commitments Act of 2021 or the ROC Act This bill prohibits using funds made available to the Department of State for FY2022 to implement or enforce any policy that restricts representatives of Taiwan (such as members of Taiwan's armed forces or representatives of its government) or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office from displaying symbols of Taiwan's sovereignty for official purposes.
Sponsored bills
Association Health Plans Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans and association health plans. The bill permits short-term, limited-duration plans to provide coverage for a period of less than 12 months, not including extensions. Under current law, such plans are exempt from certain market requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions. The bill further permits groups or associations of employers to sponsor fully insured group health plans as if they were employers. Such plans may not discriminate based on the health factors of any prospective plan participant for the purpose of granting an employer's membership in the association or determining a participant's eligibility for benefits or premium amounts.
Federal Agency Sunset Commission Act of 2021 This bill provides for the establishment of the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to submit to Congress a schedule for review and abolishment of each agency, including each advisory committee. The schedule for review shall be in the form of a joint resolution. Each agency shall be abolished unless reauthorized by Congress. For each agency, the commission must schedule a date of abolishment to occur at least once every 12 years. The commission must (1) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency using specified criteria; (2) analyze the authority claimed by the executive branch but not specifically authorized by statute; (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished, reorganized, or continued; and (4) report to Congress on introduced legislation that would establish a new agency or a new program. The Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Congressional Research Service, shall prepare an inventory of federal programs to assist Congress and the commission in carrying out this bill. The bill provides for expedited consideration of the schedule for review and abolishment.
School Reopening and Spending Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Education to establish and update monthly a public website to track state expenditures of certain COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) education relief funds. States must report on the operating status of their public elementary and secondary schools during the 2020-2021 school year for inclusion on the website.
Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. international energy strategy. Applications to export natural gas to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, Japan, and certain other countries shall be granted on an expedited basis without modification or delay. The President shall impose sanctions on a person that provides certain equipment, investment, or services to the Russian government or related entities for constructing or servicing Russian energy export pipelines. The Department of State shall report to Congress on a strategy to enhance the energy security of NATO member countries and increase U.S. energy exports to such countries.
Transparency for Confucius Institutes Act This bill requires an institution of higher education (IHE) that participates in federal student-aid programs to enter into a program participation agreement if a Confucius Institute operates on the IHE's campus. (Confucius Institutes are Chinese government-funded centers for language education and cultural programming at IHEs.) The agreement must be entered into with the Office of Chinese Language Council International (i.e., Confucius Institute Headquarters, Hanban) and be made publicly available online. Among other requirements, the Confucius Institute must be physically located apart from the IHE's own Chinese language, history, and cultural programs.
Fair Access to Banking Act This bill restricts certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks from refusing to do business with a person who is in compliance with the law. Restrictions include prohibiting the use of certain lending programs, initiating the process of terminating an institution's depository insurance, and instituting specified civil penalties.
SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Resolution This resolution establishes in the Senate the Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program under which certain family members of a member of the Armed Forces who is a hostile casualty or died from a training-related injury may serve a 12-month fellowship in the office of a Senator.
This bill prohibits the payment of the 2021 recovery rebate to prisoners, fugitives, probationers, and parolees.
China Trade Relations Act of 2021 This bill withdraws normal trade relations treatment from China and expands the bases of ineligibility for this treatment to include specified violations of human rights by China. Specifically, during any period in which China engages in specified activities (e.g., using slave labor, performing forced abortion or sterilization, or hindering the free exercise of religion) (1) products from China shall not be eligible to receive nondiscriminatory treatment (normal trade relations), (2) China may not participate in any U.S. program that extends credits or credit guarantees or investment guarantees, and (3) the President may not conclude any commercial agreement with China.