Shielding our Military from Extremists Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to implement the seven recommendations focused on preventing extremists from enlisting in the Armed Forces that are made in the report titled Screening Individuals Who Seek to Enlist in the Armed Forces . Among other recommendations, the report suggests (1) developing a consistent definition for domestic extremist ideologies, and (2) utilizing various law enforcement resources to evaluate and interpret questionable or concerning tattoos.
This bill authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Philip J. Conran for acts of valor in Laos during the Vietnam War.
Department of Peacebuilding Act of 2021 This bill establishes a Department of Peacebuilding in the executive branch, dedicated to peacebuilding, peacemaking, and the study and promotion of conditions conducive to both domestic and international peace and a culture of peace. The mission of the department includes the cultivation of peace and peacebuilding as a strategic national policy objective and development of policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful conflict resolution, and structured conflict mediation. The department shall collaborate with others to promote personal and community security and peace by supporting policies to address personal and family violence, including suicide; reduce drug and alcohol abuse; and create, through local community initiatives, peace projects that facilitate conflict resolution and healing of societal wounds. A Federal Interagency Committee on Peace is established to coordinate the actions of the department with other federal agencies. The Department of Defense and the Department of State must consult with the department concerning nonviolent means of conflict resolution when a conflict between the United States and any other government or entity is foreseeable, imminent, or occurring. The department shall encourage citizens to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on Peace Days.
Department of State Student Internship Program Act This bill requires the Department of State to establish the Department of State Student Internship Program to offer paid internship opportunities at the State Department to raise awareness of the role of diplomacy in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Participants must be enrolled at an institution of higher education (IHE) and able to receive and hold an appropriate security clearance. The State Department must pay participating interns a specified amount, as well as provide housing and travel assistance. The State Department may also enter agreements with IHEs to ensure these internships satisfy criteria for the academic programs in which participants are enrolled. Additionally, the State Department must transition all of its unpaid internship programs to internship programs that offer compensation.
IRS Enhancement and Tax Gap Reduction Act of 2021 This bill appropriates additional amounts to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in FY2022-FY2031 for tax enforcement, improving IRS technology infrastructure, and taxpayer services.
Citizenship Empowerment Act This bill requires state chief election officials to distribute mail voter registration forms at the conclusion of a naturalization ceremony to each person who becomes a U.S. citizen at the ceremony.
This bill makes certain full-time health care practitioners eligible for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. Specifically, the bill extends program eligibility to health care practitioners who work at a nonprofit or public hospital or facility but are prohibited under state law from being directly employed by the hospital or facility.
Earmark Elimination Act of 2021 This bill establishes a point of order in the House of Representatives against considering legislation that contains a congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit. If the point of order is raised and sustained, the congressional earmark, limited tax benefit, or limited tariff benefit shall be deemed to be stricken from the legislation.
Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal commemorating the bravery and endurance of the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Following its award, the medal shall be given to the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution for display and research. The Department of the Treasury must strike duplicate medals in silver for presentation to a hostage (or the personal representative of a deceased hostage), and Treasury may also strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze.
Accurate Workplace Injury and Illness Records Restoration Act This bill expands the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to cite employers for workplace safety violations and requires OSHA to issue a rule on record keeping related to workplace injuries. Under current law OSHA may cite employers only during the six-month period following a violation. This bill provides that, for a violation that occurs over a period of time, the six-month period does not begin until the violation has ended. The bill also requires OSHA to issue a rule on maintaining records of workplace injuries and illnesses. Congress nullified a similar rule on April 3, 2017. In the rule required by the bill, OSHA must clarify that an employer's duty to make and maintain accurate records is an ongoing obligation, continues for as long as the employer is required to keep records of the recordable injury or illness (typically five years under current OSHA rules), and does not expire solely because the employer fails to create the necessary records when first required to do so.
21st Century Conservation Corps Act This bill provides funding for FY2021 to the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Labor, and the Department of Commerce primarily for federal land management and other conservation purposes. The funding provided by this bill is designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits. The bill also establishes the Outfitters and Guides Relief Fund; expands the Every Kid Outdoors Program to include fifth and sixth grade students and home-schooled learners 11 and 12 years of age, who shall be provided free access to federal lands and waters under the program; establishes the Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program; establishes the 21st Century Civilian Conservation Corps program to support youth and workforce development programs; provides for the temporary waiver of ski area permit and rental fees; provides for the temporary waiver of outdoor recreation land use permit fees; provides for the use of the Reforestation Trust Fund for the reforestation of certain National Forest System lands, Bureau of Land Management lands, and Bureau of Indian Affairs lands; establishes the Reforest America Grant Program; and extends through FY2030 and revises the Conservation Stewardship Program, including to provide additional funding for conservation activities related to climate stewardship practices.
Protecting Unique and Beautiful Landscapes by Investing in California Lands Act or the PUBLIC Lands Act This bill sets forth provisions concerning the restoration, economic development, and conservation of, and recreational access to, certain public lands in California. The bill establishes the South Fork Trinity-Mad River Restoration Area, the California Public Lands Remediation Partnership, the Trinity Lake and Del Norte County visitor centers, the Horse Mountain Special Management Area, the Elk Camp Ridge Recreation Trail, the Sanhedrin Special Conservation Management Area, and the Condor National Scenic Trail. The bill designates specified federal lands as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System, the North Fork Wilderness as the North Fork Eel River Wilderness, specified federal lands as potential wilderness areas, and specified segments of certain rivers and creeks and of a specified river estuary as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Also, the bill authorizes the utilization of certain forest residues for research and development of biobased products that result in net carbon sequestration, authorizes initiatives to restore degraded redwood forest ecosystems in the Redwood National Forest and state parks, requires specified recreational studies and partnerships, and expands the boundaries of the Elkhorn Ridge Wilderness.
