LGBTQ Essential Data Act This bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to more frequently collect information on the sexual orientation and gender identity of deceased individuals through the National Violent Death Reporting System.
Pink Tax Repeal Act This bill prohibits product manufacturers or service providers from selling substantially similar products at different prices based on the gender of the intended purchaser. If, for example, the only difference between two products is the color, they are substantially similar. The bill provides authority for the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general to enforce these requirements.
Supporting Providers of English Language Learning Act or the SPELL Act This bill allows elementary and secondary school teachers who teach English learners, bilingual students, or dual language immersion students to receive additional amounts of student loan forgiveness and loan cancellation.
Equal Dignity for Married Taxpayers Act of 2021 This bill modifies several tax provisions that refer to married couples to make the provisions equally applicable to legally married same-sex couples.
Supplemental Security Income Restoration Act of 2021 This bill modifies eligibility for, and other components of, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, including by (1) increasing applicable income and resource limits used to determine SSI eligibility, (2) equalizing treatment of married couples when both spouses receive SSI as compared to two unmarried individuals, and (3) eliminating the penalty on SSI applicants or recipients who transfer resources to another individual for less than fair market value.
Refund Equality Act of 2021 This bill permits legally married same sex couples to amend their tax returns to file as married filing jointly for returns outside of the statute of limitations.
COVID-19 Vaccine Developers Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize all those whose efforts led to the development of COVID-19 vaccines that received emergency use authorizations.
Afghan Allies Protection Act of 2021 This bill modifies a program providing special immigrant visas to eligible citizens or nationals of Afghanistan who assisted U.S. efforts there and addresses related issues. The bill extends the program through 2023 and increases the number of visas available. An individual may become eligible for a visa after assisting U.S. efforts in Afghanistan for one year, whereas currently some individuals must have served for two years. Furthermore, for an applicant qualifying for a visa by performing duties with a NATO mission in Afghanistan, the bill eliminates a requirement that the duties performed qualify as sensitive and trusted duties. The bill removes a requirement that the individual has experienced or is facing an ongoing serious threat due to their assistance to the United States or NATO. The Department of State or the Department of Homeland Security may postpone the program's medical examination requirement. An individual who received a postponement must undergo a medical exam within 90 days of admission into the United States. The bill also expands surviving family member benefits for the Afghanistan program (and a similar program for Iraq) to a surviving spouse or child of an individual who submitted an application to the Chief of Mission that would have been approved but for the individual's death. Currently, such survivor benefits only apply if the deceased individual's petition was approved.
This resolution (1) recognizes World Oceans Day and affirms the individual and collective duty, both nationally and internationally, to protect, conserve, maintain, and rebuild our oceans and its resources; and (2)expresses commitment to increasing the investment of federal funds into scientific research and monitoring to better understand the changing oceans and to accomplish the goals of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2021 or the GLOBE Act of 2021 This bill contains provisions related to (1) the protection of LGBTQI individuals globally; and (2) immigration protections for vulnerable individuals. The bill establishes (1) an interagency group to respond to urgent threats to LGBTQI people in foreign countries, and (2) a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Peoples in the Department of State. The President shall impose visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violating the human rights of individuals based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. The State Department shall establish the Global Equality Fund to provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations working to advance and protect human rights. The U.S. Agency for International Development shall establish the LGBTQI Global Development Partnership to work with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to support LGBTQI rights. The bill contains several immigration-related provisions, such as those establishing that persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity may form the basis of an asylum request, allowing certain applicants to file asylum claims more than a year after their arrival in the United States, including a permanent partnership between two partners as a marriage for immigration law purposes, providing for free counsel in certain immigration proceedings, and granting U.S. citizenship to a child born abroad through assistive reproductive technology from a U.S. citizen who is the child's nonbiological parent.
Accelerating Charitable Efforts Act or the ACE Act This bill modifies tax rules relating to donor advised funds (DAFs) (separately identified funds maintained and operated by a tax-exempt charitable organization for which a donor retains advisory privileges with respect to the distribution of funds and the investment of assets). Specifically, the bill places certain restrictions on charitable contribution deductions for gifts made to a nonqualified DAF. It also sets forth rules for the treatment of private foundation administrative expenses paid to disqualified persons and for the treatment of distributions to DAFs from private foundations. The bill imposes a 50% penalty on contributions held in a DAF that are not timely distributed. The bill also sets forth special rules for the treatment of contributions from DAFs for purposes of meeting the public support test (the requirement that charitable organizations receive a certain percentage of their support from public sources). The bill exempts from the tax on the investment income of a private foundation (1) distributions to a DAF of not less than 7% of the foundation's assets, and (2) for foundations that have a duration, specified in their governing documents, of not more than 25 years.
Enhancing Oversight to End Discrimination in Policing Act This bill expands the capacity to enforce a law that prohibits patterns or practices of misconduct by state and local law enforcement agencies. Current law prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies from engaging in patterns or practices of conduct that violate constitutional or federal rights. Further, current law authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ) to file civil cases to eliminate the pattern or practice of misconduct. Typically, DOJ's Civil Rights Division conducts pattern-or-practice investigations and resolves any misconduct through a consent decree instead of a trial. This bill provides statutory authority for state attorneys general to bring pattern-or-practice cases in federal court. The bill also authorizes grants to help states pursue pattern-or-practice investigations and cases. Additionally, the bill authorizes additional amounts for DOJ's Civil Rights Division and requires a certain portion to be used for enforcement and technical assistance related to pattern-or-practice cases. Finally, the bill requires DOJ's Civil Rights Division to modify the procedures for consent decrees and settlement agreements to ensure that the consent decrees and settlement agreements (1) foster the creation and use of alternative remedies such as mental health support or community-based restorative justice mechanisms; and (2) incorporate community oversight requirements, such as a community oversight body.
