Sen. Alex Padilla

Background Check Expansion Act This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.

This concurrent resolution commends the service and professionalism of the U.S. Capitol personnel who ensured Congress was able to continue operating in the wake of the security breach on January 6, 2021, and it expresses appreciation for the members of the news media reporting on the work of Congress despite the risk to their own safety.

Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act of 2021 This bill imposes a tax on the net value of all taxable assets of the taxpayer on the last day of any calendar year (wealth tax). The amount of such tax shall be equal to the sum of 2% of the amount of taxpayer assets exceeding $50 million but not in excess of $1 billion, plus the applicable percentage (3% or 6% if certain legislation is in effect) of the net value of such taxable assets exceeding $1 billion. There is no tax on the net value of taxable assets not in excess of $50 million. The bill defines net value of all taxable assets as the value of all property of the taxpayer, real or personal, tangible or intangible, wherever situated reduced by any debts (including secured debts) owed by the taxpayer. The definition excludes property with a value of $50,000 or less, tangible personal property, certain property used in a trade or business, and collectibles. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must audit annually not less than 30% of taxpayers required to pay the tax imposed by this bill. The bill provides funding to the IRS for FY2022-FY2032 for enforcement of the requirements of this bill, taxpayer services, and for business system modernization.

Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.

This concurrent resolution (1) affirms, on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first slave ship, that the nation owes a debt of remembrance not only to those who lived through the injustices of slavery but also to their descendants; and (2) urges the establishment of a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation to properly acknowledge, memorialize, and be a catalyst for progress, including toward permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities.

Lifting Our Communities through Advance Liquidity for Infrastructure Act or the LOCAL Infrastructure Act This bill reinstates tax provisions relating to advance refunding bonds. An advance refunding bond is a tax-exempt bond issued by a state or municipality to refinance or consolidate existing bond obligations.

COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to raise awareness about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and promote vaccination among racial and ethnic minority groups and other populations that have experienced health disparities related to the disease. The CDC must conduct, subject to available funding, a public awareness campaign that targets those populations. The CDC must coordinate the campaign with the White House COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and other federal, state, tribal, and local entities. The CDC must also award grants to health departments for similar COVID-19 awareness campaigns. Grant-funded campaigns must complement the CDC's campaign, as well as other efforts to inform the public about the disease. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must develop prototype materials for grantees to use in their campaigns.

Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2021 This bill removes the requirement that a health care practitioner apply for a separate waiver through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to dispense certain narcotic drugs (e.g., buprenorphine) for maintenance or detoxification treatment (i.e., substance use disorder treatment). Further, a community health aide or community health practitioner may dispense certain narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment without registering with the DEA if the drug is prescribed by a health care practitioner through telemedicine. It preempts state laws related to licensure for this activity. The bill also directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to conduct a national campaign to educate health care practitioners and encourage them to integrate substance use disorder treatment into their practices.

Democracy Restoration Act of 2021 This bill addresses the voting rights of individuals convicted of a criminal offense and the restoration of their voting rights. First, the bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. Further, the bill provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, the bill. In addition, it sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights. Finally, the bill prohibits federal funding of construction or improvement of a place of incarceration unless U.S. citizens incarcerated in that jurisdiction are notified, upon release, of their voting rights.

Generating Resilient, Environmentally Exceptional National Streets Act or the GREEN Streets Act This bill establishes national goals to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of the transportation system. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish minimum standards for states to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) on the National Highway System; DOT to establish measures for states to assess and reduce carbon dioxide; states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to consider projects and strategies that reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and decrease per capita VMT's; states and MPOs to publish an analysis of the impact on per capita VMTs and mobile source greenhouse gas emissions for each project that adds new lanes or otherwise increases traffic capacity and costs more than $25 million; states that are out of compliance with the per capita VMT standards or carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emission measures to dedicate federal highway funding to achieve compliance; and DOT to establish national transit access standards and performance measures for transit accessibility, transit stop distance, and transit mode share.