Employment Freedom for All Act This bill prohibits an employer from enforcing a noncompete agreement with an employee, or former employee, who has been fired for not receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. The Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general are authorized to enforce this bill.
Options Over Terminations Act This bill exempts a federal employee or contractor from any federal mandate requiring a vaccine for COVID-19 if the employee or contractor provides proof of COVID-19 antibodies.
Prohibiting Taxpayer Funded Settlements for Illegal Immigrants Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to make settlement payments to compensate any individuals for being separated from family members while detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection if the detention was (1) a result of the individual improperly entering (or attempting to improperly enter) the United States, and (2) in accordance with a Department of Justice memorandum that adopted a zero-tolerance policy for such improper entry into the United States.
Equal Treatment of Public Servants Act of 2021 This bill phases in a new funding formula for determining benefit amounts under the windfall elimination provision (WEP). The WEP reduces Social Security retirement and disability benefits for those who receive pensions for certain non-covered employment. The new formula adjusts an individual's total lifetime earnings based on the proportion of those earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes. It applies to individuals who (1) become eligible for Social Security benefits after 2061, and (2) have earnings from non-covered service performed in a year after 1977. Beneficiaries who become eligible for benefits between 2023 and 2061 receive the higher of their benefit calculated under the existing WEP or the new formula. In addition, certain beneficiaries currently impacted by the WEP receive an additional payment. The Social Security Administration must include non-covered earnings in Social Security account statements and must study the feasibility of partnering with certain pension systems to address data sharing issues related to non-covered pensions.
COVID-19 Individual Liberty Act of 2021 This bill nullifies executive orders and otherwise limits the authority of the federal government and federally funded entities to mandate COVID-19 vaccines and other prevention measures. Specifically, the bill nullifies two executive orders issued on September 9, 2021, which (1) mandate COVID-19 vaccines for federal employees, and (2) require federal contractors to comply with workplace safety guidance for preventing COVID-19. In addition, the bill bars the use of federal funds for implementing or enforcing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate, including employer-based mandates. The bill also prohibits requiring, as a condition of participation in Medicare or Medicaid, that health care providers mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for their employees. Furthermore, the federal government may not (1) issue any standardized documentation that certifies an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status to a third party, or (2) condition the provision of any service or benefit on the receipt of documentation certifying an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status or post-transmission recovery. These prohibitions apply to state, tribal, and local governments (excluding schools and institutions of higher education) as a condition of receiving federal COVID-19 relief funds. The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to publish guidelines on the extent to which natural immunity to COVID-19 prevents contracting or spreading the disease.
National Patient ID Repeal Act This bill repeals the requirement that the Department of Health and Human Services adopt a standard unique health identifier for each individual, employer, health plan, and health care provider. The provision has not been implemented to date because language included in annual appropriations acts has prohibited the use of federal funds for developing a unique identifier. However, some appropriations bills introduced in recent years have not included this funding restriction.
National Informed Consent Exemption (NICE) Act This bill restricts the federal government and federally funded entities from mandating that U.S. citizens receive a vaccination or a test for an infectious disease in order to participate in federal programs or activities such as travel. It also specifies that laws, regulations, or policies that discriminate on the basis of a citizen's vaccination status are unenforceable, subject to limited exceptions. The bill establishes a national vaccination exemption that may be exercised by any individual, including on behalf of the individual's children or dependents. Further, the bill prohibits vaccinating a child without the consent of each parent or guardian. One parent or guardian may consent if the other parent or guardian received, at least three days prior, written notice of the child's vaccination appointment. The bill's provisions do not apply (1) to lawfully incarcerated or institutionalized individuals, (2) to a specific individual subject to an individualized court order that meets due process protections, or (3) during declared emergencies if the jurisdiction's governing authority formally applies to the President for an exception to the national vaccination exemption that meets specified standards. An aggrieved individual may enforce the bill through a private right of action. Additionally, an entity that provides false information to influence an individual's decision about receiving a vaccine shall be liable for damages resulting from the vaccination. The Surgeon General must establish an independent commission to evaluate the safety of COVID-19 vaccines and other vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
No Vaccine Mandate Act This bill prohibits certain funding made available for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and related agencies from being used for implementing or enforcing a rule that requires a COVID-19 vaccine.
HRES 754 is a non-binding resolution expressing the House of Representatives' opposition to proposed "punitive natural gas taxes" on U.S. businesses, families, and workers. It cites claims that such taxes would raise average energy bills by 17%, reduce GDP by $9 billion, and eliminate 90,000 jobs, while disproportionately harming low-income households. The resolution argues that opposing these taxes supports U.S. energy security, national security, and continued leadership in reducing emissions through domestic natural gas production. As a procedural resolution, it does not create law but formally states the House's position against this policy approach.
Keep Food Local and Affordable Act of 2021 This bill freezes the minimum wage for H-2A (temporary agricultural workers) in certain states through December 31, 2022. Specifically, the bill prohibits an increase to the adverse effect wage rate for H-2A workers in any state (1) that had an unemployment rate of not more than 5% in the Bureau of Labor Statistics' August 2021 report; or (2) where the food price index, according to bureau reports, increased by more than 3% between December 2020 and September 2021 and the governor requests a freeze to the adverse effect wage rate. (Generally, the minimum wage for an H-2A worker is the highest of the adverse effect wage rate, the prevailing hourly wage or piece rate, the federal minimum wage, or the applicable state minimum wage.)
Prohibiting Unrealized Capital Gains Taxation Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury or any other federal official from imposing a tax on unrealized capital gains (i.e., not sold or otherwise disposed of).
Nullify Occupational Safety and Health Administration Act or the NOSHA Act This bill abolishes the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). OSHA, which is part of the Department of Labor, sets and enforces workplace safety and health standards and provides related training, outreach, education, and assistance.
