Protecting American Energy Production Act This bill prohibits the President from declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium. The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that states should maintain primacy for the regulation of hydraulic fracturing for oil and natural gas production on state and private lands.
Coronavirus Containment Corps Act This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop, within 21 days, a nationwide contact tracing strategy for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) that addresses issues including workforce needs. To implement that strategy, the bill establishes grant programs in the CDC and the Indian Health Service (IHS). It also expands programs in the Department of Labor. The CDC must award grants to state and local health departments to, among other purposes, hire and train individuals for contact tracing positions and related roles. The IHS must award similar grants to tribes and tribal organizations. Additionally, Labor must award grants for states and other jurisdictions to support recruitment and employment of dislocated workers and other individuals in public health roles. Grants and contracts that include contact tracing in their scope of work must comply with prevailing wage requirements that apply to federal service contracts. Employees who work under such grants or contracts must receive similar compensation to that prevailing in the locality where work is performed. The CDC and Labor must report certain information on specified timelines, and the Government Accountability Office must evaluate the activities of grantees.
San Gabriel Mountains Foothills and Rivers Protection Act This bill establishes the San Gabriel National Recreation Area in California as a unit of the National Park System, consisting of 49,387 acres of federal lands and interests in land. The Department of the Interior must (1) cooperate with the Department of Defense (DOD) to develop opportunities for the management of the federal lands under DOD jurisdiction that are included within the recreation area, (2) create a comprehensive management plan for the recreation area, and (3) develop an integrated visitor services plan for the recreation area. The bill establishes (1) the San Gabriel National Recreation Area Public Advisory Council to advise Interior on the development and implementation of the management plan and the visitor services plan, and (2) the San Gabriel National Recreation Area Partnership to coordinate activities of governmental and private entities in advancing the purposes of this bill and to improve management and recreational opportunities within the recreation area. The Department of Agriculture must modify the boundaries of the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument in California to include 109,167 acres of additional, identified National Forest System lands and administer those lands as part of the monument. The bill designates (1) specified areas as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, and (2) specified river and creek segments as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System.
Judicial Administration and Improvement Act of 2021 This bill divides the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit into two judicial circuits: (1) the Ninth Circuit, and (2) a new Twelfth Circuit. The Ninth Circuit is composed of California, Guam, Hawaii, Oregon, Washington, and Northern Mariana Islands. The new Twelfth Circuit is composed of Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada.
Protect the Gig Economy Act of 2021 This bill limits the certification of a class action lawsuit by prohibiting in such a lawsuit an allegation that employees were misclassified as independent contractors.
Redistricting Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires state redistricting entities to publish information regarding redistricting plans, both before and after adoption of a redistricting plan. The required information includes (1) maps of the congressional districts; (2) the composition of the districts by race, language minority group, and political party; (3) an explanation of the entity's reasoning for adopting the plan; and (4) any dissenting statements of the entity's members. Further, each state redistricting entity must maintain a website that provides redistricting plan information, meeting notices, and census data. The website must also allow individuals to submit comments and information.
John Tanner Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act This bill establishes requirements regarding congressional redistricting, including that redistricting plans must be developed by an independent redistricting commission. A state that has been redistricted after an apportionment of Representatives may not be redistricted again until after the next apportionment, unless the state is ordered by a court to conduct a subsequent redistricting in order to comply with the Constitution or enforce the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Each state must establish an independent redistricting commission to develop redistricting plans that meet specified criteria. If such a plan is not enacted into law, a state's highest court may select a plan developed by the state's commission. If the state court does not select a plan, a U.S. district court must develop a plan. The Election Assistance Commission must make payments to states to carry out redistricting.
Voter Integrity Protection Act This bill imposes additional immigration-related penalties for aliens who vote in an election for federal office. It shall be an aggravated felony for an alien who is unlawfully present to violate an existing prohibition against an alien voting in a federal election. (An aggravated felony conviction carries various immigration consequences, such as rendering the alien inadmissible, deportable, and barred from establishing good moral character for naturalization.) An alien who is unlawfully present and who knowingly violates the prohibition against voting in a federal election shall be deportable.
Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act This bill makes aliens associated with criminal gangs inadmissible for entry into the United States and deportable and establishes procedures related to designating groups with criminal gang status. An alien shall be inadmissible if a consular officer, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), or the Department of Justice knows or has reason to believe that the individual is or was a criminal gang member or has participated or aided such a group's illegal activities. An alien who is or was a member of such a gang, or has participated or aided such a group's illegal activities, shall be deportable. Such individuals shall be subject to mandatory detention, shall not be eligible for asylum, temporary protected status, or special immigrant juvenile visas, and shall not be eligible for parole unless they are assisting the government in a law enforcement matter. The bill defines a criminal gang as a group of five or more persons (1) where one of its primary purposes is the commission of specified criminal offenses and the members of which engage or have engaged within the past five years in a continuing series of such offenses, or (2) that has been designated as a criminal gang by DHS. The bill establishes procedures for DHS to designate a group as a criminal gang, including notification to Congress, publication in the Federal Register, and an opportunity for the group to petition for administrative and judicial review.
COVID-19 Victims Compensation Fund Act This bill allows individuals to file claims and receive compensation for harm or death suffered as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). A Special Master appointed by the Department of Health and Human Services must review claims submitted and determine whether a claimant is eligible for compensation, the extent of the harm to the claimant, and the amount of compensation to be awarded.
Stop Infant Mortality And Recidivism Reduction Act of 2021 or the SIMARRA Act This bill directs the Bureau of Prisons to establish a pilot program for incarcerated women and their children born during incarceration to reside together in a separate prison housing unit. It sets forth inmate eligibility criteria and program participation requirements.
Curbing Realistic Exploitative Electronic Pedophilic Robots Act 2.0 or the CREEPER Act 2.0 This bill establishes new criminal offenses for conduct involving child sex dolls. Specifically, it makes it a crime to import, transport, buy, sell, distribute, or possess a child sex doll. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term, or both.
