Sen. Tom Cotton

Securing and Enabling Commerce Using Remote and Electronic Notarization Act of 2021 This bill allows a notary public commissioned under state law to remotely notarize electronic records and perform notarizations for remotely located individuals. The bill provides technical requirements for such notarizations, including the creation and retention of video and audio recordings and the use of communication technologies (i.e., video chat). Additionally, the bill requires U.S. courts and states to recognize notarizations—including remote notarizations of electronic records and notarizations of remotely-located individuals—that occur in or affect interstate commerce and are performed by a notary public commissioned under the laws of other states. The bill also allows a notary public to remotely notarize electronic records involving an individual located outside of the United States, subject to certain requirements.

Probation Officer Protection Act of 2021 This bill authorizes a probation officer to arrest a person other than the probationer without a warrant if there is probable cause to believe the person forcibly assaulted or obstructed a probation officer engaged in the performance of official duties.

Hizballah Money Laundering Prevention Act of 2021 This bill establishes measures to deter money laundering by Hizballah in Lebanon. Specifically, the Department of the Treasury must prohibit or place conditions on the opening or maintaining of certain correspondent or payable-through accounts by the Central Bank of Syria if Treasury determines that certain jurisdictions in Lebanon are jurisdictions of primary money laundering concern. Further, the President must sanction certain senior foreign political figures or foreign persons that the President determines have knowingly provided material support to or engaged in a significant transaction with Hizballah.

Lifesaving Gear for Police Act This bill invalidates any regulation, rule, guidance, recommendation, or policy issued on or after May 15, 2015, that limits the sale or donation of excess federal property to state and local law enforcement agencies unless it is enacted by Congress. Additionally, it prohibits the use of federal funds to implement such regulation, rule, guidance, recommendation, or policy. Property that was recalled or seized on or after May 15, 2015, must be returned, replaced, or reissued to the state or local law enforcement agency.

Restoring the Armed Career Criminal Act This bill modifies the prior convictions that trigger a 15-year enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who commits a firearms offense after three or more such prior convictions.

Thin Blue Line Act This bill expands the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include killing or targeting a law enforcement officer, firefighter, or other first responder.

Ivory Tower Tax Act of 2021 This bill imposes on each specified applicable educational institution an excise tax of 1% of the aggregate fair market value of its assets as of the end of the preceding taxable year. The bill defines specified applicable educational institution as any applicable educational institution, other than a religious institution, whose assets have an aggregate fair market of at least $2.5 billion at the end of the preceding taxable year. The bill also imposes a 30% tax on undistributed excess endowment amounts of an educational institution, unless the failure to distribute such amounts is due to an incorrect valuation of assets that was not willful and was due to reasonable cause. The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to transfer revenues generated by this bill to the Department of Labor to expand apprenticeship opportunities.

This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.

Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other provisions, the bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive certain restrictions, such as restrictions on the types of technology that may be used; permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services; permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and allows the CMS to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency. Additionally, the CMS must report on the effects of expanded telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including with respect to the utilization, quality, and outcomes of services. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may also test alternative payment models relating to expanded telehealth services.

World Bank Integrity Preservation Act of 2021 This bill requires the U.S. Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to oppose any extension of financial or technical assistance by the bank to a country that both exceeds the graduation threshold of the bank and is designated as a country of particular concern for religious freedom.