America's Children Act or the Protecting Children of Long-term Visa Holders Act of 2021 This bill provides lawful permanent resident status to certain college graduates who entered the United States as children and addresses other immigration-related issues. Specifically, this bill allows an alien to apply for lawful permanent resident status if the alien (1) was lawfully admitted into the United States as a dependent child of an alien on a temporary worker visa, (2) was in the United States with such status for at least four years, (3) has graduated from an institution of higher education in the United States, and (4) is not deportable or otherwise inadmissible. In addition, the alien must have been lawfully present in the United States for at least 10 years at the time of the application. The bill also modifies various provisions related to the calculation of an alien's age for immigration purposes and the priority date of certain immigration-related applications.
Preventing the Recognition of Terrorist States Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions related to the Taliban and addresses other related issues. The President must impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly provide significant support to the Taliban or senior Taliban members. The bill also repeals an exception to existing sanctions against certain entities related to energy, shipping, and shipbuilding in Iran. Specifically, the bill repeals a provision authorizing the President to exempt certain entities involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan from such sanctions. No federal department or agency may take any action that states or implies recognition of the Taliban's claim of sovereignty over Afghanistan. The bill also bars the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Defense from using federal funds to prepare or implement any policy that extends diplomatic recognition to the Taliban-controlled government in Afghanistan. The State Department must designate (1) the government of Afghanistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, and (2) the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization. Furthermore, USAID must take appropriate steps to ensure that certain foreign assistance provided in or for certain countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, is not going to or through any individual or entity involved in terrorist activity. The bill also prohibits using certain federal funds to provide direct assistance to any country where the duly elected head of government has been deposed in a coup or decree in which the military played a decisive role.
This bill extends through December 31, 2022, the coverage period for the Coronavirus Relief Fund to make payments to tribal governments for necessary expenditures incurred as a result of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Restoring Trust in Public Health Act This bill requires the Senate to confirm the appointment of the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 certain activities under the Impact Aid Program. The program provides funding to local educational agencies that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt federal property or to those that have experienced increased expenditures due to enrollment of federally connected children (e.g., children living on Indian lands or military bases).
This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to report to Congress on projections of the estimated tax gap (i.e., the difference between tax liabilities owed to the IRS and those liabilities that the IRS actually collects). The IRS may use artificial intelligence and related data analysis tools to calculate a tax gap projection. The bill also requires the Joint Committee on Taxation to issue periodic reports to the congressional tax committees on the tax gap projection. The bill restricts IRS funding to FY2021 levels for audits and enforcement until it publishes an updated tax gap projection. Funding is also restricted for certain purposes, including (1) targeting U.S. citizens who exercise their First Amendment rights, (2) targeting a group for regulatory scrutiny based on its ideological beliefs, and (3) auditing individual taxpayers with an adjusted gross income of less than $400,000. The bill directs the IRS to establish a fellowship program to recruit private sector tax experts to join the IRS to create and participate in the audit task force. The purposes of the tax force include performing audit case selection, educating IRS employees on emerging issues, auditing selected taxpayers, addressing offshore tax evasion, and identifying, mentoring, and training IRS junior employees with respect to audits.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States shall recognize kind actions in our country, encourage kindness, spread love, and foster a culture of being kind to one another.
Working Dog Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 500,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the service that working dogs provide to society. The designs of the coins minted under this bill shall be emblematic of the contributions of working dogs to society, including in detection, military service, therapy and assistance. Treasury may issue coins only during the one-year period beginning on January 1, 2023. All sales of coins shall include a surcharge, which shall be paid to America's VetDogs for general expenses associated with the fulfillment of its mission.
Supporting Expanded Review for Veterans In Combat Environments Act of 2021 or the SERVICE Act of 2021 This bill expands eligibility for Veterans Health Administration mammography screenings to veterans who served in certain locations during specified periods, including those who were exposed to toxic substances at such locations. The specified locations and corresponding time periods include Iraq between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, and from March 19, 2003, until burn pits (areas used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment) are no longer used in Iraq; the Southwest Asia theater of operations, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar, from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in such locations; and Afghanistan, Djibouti, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, and Yemen from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in such locations; and other locations and time periods as determined by the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry. The bill specifies that the listed locations do not include bodies of water around or airspace above such locations.
This bill permanently extends the authority of the Department of Veterans Affairs to make grants for the transportation of highly rural veterans to health care facilities.
Tree Spiking Mitigation Act of 2021 This bill directs the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to coordinate to take necessary actions to ensure the detection, identification, and, as determined to be appropriate, mitigation of tree spiking devices located on federal lands. A tree spiking device includes spikes, nails, or other objects hammered, driven, fastened, or otherwise placed into or on any timber to impede logging. To carry out such activities, the Forest Service and the BLM shall prioritize areas in which (1) incidences of tree spiking devices have occurred, or (2) the Forest Service and the BLM suspect that there are tree spiking devices. No later than 90 days after the enactment of this bill, the Forest Service and the BLM shall, where appropriate, update safety guidelines and training protocols to include the awareness, detection, identification, and mitigation of tree spiking devices.
This resolution supports the designation of American Grown Flower and Foliage Month.
