Stop Forced Organ Harvesting Act of 2021 This bill establishes specified measures to combat forced organ harvesting and the international trafficking in persons for the purpose of removing their organs. These measures include (1) establishing property-blocking and visa-blocking sanctions, (2) prohibiting exports of certain surgery devices to entities that are identified as being responsible for forced organ harvesting or related human trafficking, and (3) requiring the Department of State to report on these practices.
George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to take specified steps to address accreditation standards, management operations, and misconduct of law enforcement. Specifically, it requires DOJ to develop uniform accreditation standards for law enforcement agencies and adopt policies and procedures to encourage law enforcement agencies to pursue accreditation. It authorizes DOJ to make grants to law enforcement agencies to obtain accreditation from certified organizations. The bill authorizes DOJ to make grants for studying law enforcement agency management and operations standards and developing pilot programs to address law enforcement misconduct. DOJ must study the prevalence and effect of any law, rule, or procedure that allows a law enforcement officer to delay the investigation and prosecution of complaints of law enforcement misconduct. The bill also establishes the Task Force on Law Enforcement Oversight to coordinate the detection and referral of complaints of alleged law enforcement misconduct. Law enforcement agencies must report data regarding practices on traffic violation stops, pedestrian stops, frisk and body searches, and use of deadly force. Finally, DOJ must create a medallion for survivors of each law enforcement officer killed in the line of duty and memorialized on the wall of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Foreign Influence Transparency Act This bill addresses foreign influence in higher education and in certain other academic, religious, and artistic pursuits. Current law exempts from foreign agent registration requirements a person engaging in activities in furtherance of religious, scholastic, academic, or scientific pursuits or of the fine arts. The bill specifies that this exemption applies only to those activities that do not promote the political agenda of a foreign government. Under current law, an institution of higher education (IHE) must disclose to the Department of Education (ED) a gift or contract that is from a foreign source and is valued at $250,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts from or contracts with the foreign source. The bill instead requires an IHE to disclose such a gift or contract that is valued at $50,000 or more, considered alone or in combination with all other gifts or contracts. An IHE must include in its disclosure report the contents of any such contract and make the contents available for public disclosure. Additionally, an IHE that enters into an agreement with a Confucius Institute (i.e., a cultural institute directly or indirectly funded by the Chinese government) must immediately make available the full text of the agreement to the public, ED, and Congress. Finally, the bill prohibits an IHE that does not comply with these disclosure requirements from enrolling foreign students under the Student and Exchange Visitor Program.
MBS Must Be Sanctioned Act or MBS MBS Act This bill requires the President to impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions against the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, until specified actions are taken with respect to the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and other grave human rights violations.
Sarah's Law This bill requires U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to detain an alien who is unlawfully present in the United States and has been charged with a crime that resulted in the death or serious bodily injury of another person. ICE shall make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the identity of any victims of the crimes for which such alien was charged or convicted. ICE shall provide the victim, or a relative or guardian of a deceased victim, with information about such alien, including name, date of birth, nationality, immigration status, criminal history, and a description of any related removal efforts.
21st Century NICS Act This bill modifies procedures for conducting firearms-related background checks through the national instant criminal background check system (NICS). Specifically, it permits the NICS to query an additional database—the National Data Exchange—as part of a firearm-related background check.
Homeland Security Investigations Victim Assistance Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that assists victims of human trafficking, child sexual exploitation, and other crimes.
Undetectable Firearms Modernization Act This bill revises the federal statutory framework regulating the manufacture, possession, sale, import, shipment, delivery, receipt, or transfer of undetectable firearms. Current law requires firearms to be detectable by walk-through metal detectors after the removal of grips, stocks, and magazines. Specifically, firearms must be as detectable as a security exemplar (i.e., a piece of stainless steel that is 3.7 ounces and in a shape resembling a handgun). There are exceptions, including for firearms manufactured for or sold to U.S. military or intelligence agencies. This bill requires firearms to contain detectable material after the removal of all parts other than major components. It defines detectable material as material that produces a magnetic field equivalent to that produced by 3.7 ounces of stainless steel. The bill also revises and broadens the exceptions to include firearms (1) received by, in the possession of, or under the control of the United States; or (2) produced pursuant to a contract with the United States.
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.
Congressional Inherent Contempt Resolution This resolution authorizes the House of Representatives to enforce congressional subpoenas by holding noncomplying individuals in contempt and levying monetary penalties against them.
Small Business Taxpayer Bill of Rights Act of 2021 This bill modifies various tax enforcement procedures and requirements that affect small businesses and other taxpayers. The bill modifies requirements regarding awarding costs and fees to small businesses for administrative and court proceedings, the amounts of damages and penalties that are allowed for violating various tax laws, dispute resolution and appeal procedures, enforcing liens against principal residences, terminating Internal Revenue Service (IRS) employees for misconduct, reviews by the Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the release of an IRS levy due to economic hardship for business taxpayers. The bill also allows a tax deduction for a portion of a taxpayer's expenses for certain audits, prohibits ex parte communications between officers in the IRS Independent Office of Appeals and other IRS employees with respect to matters pending before the officers, establishes a 10-year term for the National Taxpayer Advocate, and repeals the requirement to submit a partial payment with an offer-in-compromise to settle a tax liability.
HUD Inspection Oversight Act of 2021 This bill modifies inspection and oversight protocols under the Housing Choice Voucher Program, including by directing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to take certain enforcement actions when a property's inspection score falls below a specified threshold. In recent years, language directing HUD to take specific actions in such circumstances has been included in annual appropriations bills.
