Repeal the Faircloth Amendment Act of 2021 This bill repeals the limitation on the construction of new public housing units, commonly known as the Faircloth limit or the Faircloth amendment. Under current law, a public housing agency (PHA) is generally prohibited from using Department of Housing and Urban Development capital or operating funds to construct public housing units if doing so would result in a net increase to the number of public housing units owned, assisted, or operated by the PHA.
Reducing Environmental Barriers to Unified Infrastructure and Land Development Act of 2021 Act or the REBUILD Act This bill sets forth a process to authorize states to assume the environmental review responsibilities of federal agencies. Specifically, it allows states to oversee the environmental review required under certain federal environmental laws for projects funded by, carried out by, or subject to approval by federal agencies.
Retirement Forfeiture for Members of Congress Turned Foreign Lobbyists Act This bill prohibits a former Member of Congress or former senior congressional employee who is a registered lobbyist representing a foreign principal from being eligible for the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees Retirement System, including the Thrift Savings Plan; the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program; or the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance Program.
Voter Registration Reporting Act of 2021 This bill requires each state with a voter registration requirement to annually report to the Election Assistance Commission and Congress on voter registration statistics, including the number of individuals who were automatically registered to vote in federal elections. Additionally, the report must include a breakdown of each category of information by race, ethnicity, age, and gender.
Expanding Access to Early Voting Act of 2021 This bill expands early in-person voting. Specifically, the bill requires each state to allow individuals to vote in federal elections during an early voting period of at least 15 days. Further, states must ensure that polling places are accessible by public transportation and located in rural areas. The Election Assistance Commission must issue certain standards for early voting, including the nondiscriminatory geographic placement of polling places. Finally, states must begin processing and scanning ballots cast during the early voting period at least 14 days prior to election day. However, states cannot tabulate ballots before the polls close on election day.
Polling Change Awareness Act This bill establishes minimum requirements for notifying individuals of a change in their polling place for a federal election. Specifically, the bill requires a state that changes an individual's polling place to notify the individual at least seven days before the federal election or the first day of an early voting period, whichever occurs first. However, if the change is made fewer than seven days before the federal election and the individual appears at the previously assigned polling place, the state must make every reasonable effort to enable the individual to vote. Further, the bill specifies the methods of notification. In addition, states must place signs at locations that no longer serve as a polling place.
School Security Enhancement Act This bill allows local educational agencies to use specified portions of Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants for planning and designing school buildings and facilities, installing infrastructure, and implementing other measures to strengthen security on school premises. Further, the bill prohibits the use of these grant funds for the provision of a firearm or training in the use of a firearm.
Learning Recovery Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education must award grants to state educational agencies and, through them, allocations to local educational agencies (LEAs) to provide students with additional learning time and related services. It also directs the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to study and report on learning recovery. Specifically, LEAs must use funds to implement attendance-intervention strategies that reengage students and their families, support salaries and benefits for teachers and staff, and carry out school extension programs. School extension program refers to an evidence-based program (e.g., summer-school, extended-day, or extended-school-year program) at an elementary or secondary school that provides students with additional learning time. Further, LEAs may use funds for certain activities such as providing students with mental health services, reestablishing after-school programs, and supporting existing activities to combat learning loss due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The IES must, within 30 days, begin to study interventions and strategies to address learning recovery for all students, including students with disabilities, minority children, English learners, and low-income students. Further, the IES must disseminate findings to educational agencies.
Cost Estimates Improvement Act This bill requires cost estimates prepared by the Congressional Budget Office or the Joint Committee on Taxation to include (1) the cost of servicing the public debt; and (2) a list of any federal agencies, programs, and initiatives with fragmented, overlapping, or duplicative goals or activities covered by the legislation.
Restricting First Use of Nuclear Weapons Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct a first-use nuclear strike unless Congress expressly authorizes such a strike pursuant to a declaration of war. A first-use nuclear strike is an attack using nuclear weapons against an enemy that did not first launch a nuclear strike against the United States, its territories, or its allies.
District of Columbia National Guard Home Rule Act This bill makes the Mayor of the District of Columbia, rather than the President of the United States, the Commander-in-Chief of the National Guard of the District of Columbia.
District of Columbia Police Home Rule Act This bill restricts the authority of the President to assume control of the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department during an emergency.
