Coastal Fellowships Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Coastal Management Fellowship and Digital Coast Fellowship of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The bill also provides direct hire authority for fellows who complete the fellowships to facilitate their transition into the federal workforce.
Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act This bill directs the Department of Education to award formula grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to increase access to school-based, mental-health-services providers at high-need public elementary and secondary schools.
Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions related to ocean shipping policies and is designed to support the growth and development of U.S. exports and promote reciprocal trade in the common carriage of goods by water in the foreign commerce of the United States. Among other provisions, the bill sets forth requirements for operating a shipping exchange involving ocean transportation in the foreign commerce of the United States; requires ocean common carriers to report to the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) each calendar quarter on total import and export tonnage and the total loaded and empty 20-foot equivalent units per vessel that makes port in the United States; requires the FMC to publish and annually update all its findings of false certifications by ocean common carriers or marine terminal operators and all penalties assessed against such carriers or operators; revises annual reporting requirements for the FMC on foreign laws and practices to include practices by ocean common carriers; prohibits ocean common carriers and marine terminal operators from retaliating or discriminating against shippers because such shippers have patronized another carrier, or filed a complaint; directs the FMC to establish rules prohibiting ocean common carriers and marine terminal operators from adopting and applying unjust and unreasonable demurrage and detention fees; authorizes the FMC to initiate investigations of an ocean common carrier's fees or charges and apply enforcement measures, as appropriate; directs the Department of Transportation to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to study the U.S. supply chain industry, including data constraints that impede the flow of maritime cargo and add to supply chain inefficiencies; and provides authority for the FMC to issue an emergency order requiring ocean common carriers or marine terminal operators to share directly with relevant shippers, rail carriers, or motor carriers information relating to cargo throughput and availability.
Collecting and Analyzing Resources Integral and Necessary for Guidance for Social Determinants Act of 2021 or the CARING for Social Determinants Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to periodically update specified guidance to help states address social determinants of health (e.g., socioeconomic factors) under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
This resolution designates December 10, 2021, as Human Rights Day. It also reaffirms the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and supports the rights of human rights defenders all over the world to promote fundamental freedoms enshrined in the declaration.
This is a ceremonial Senate resolution (SRES 470) commemorating the death of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas. It formally expresses the Senate's sorrow, requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy to Dole's family, and directs the Senate to adjourn as a mark of respect. The resolution has no policy or legal effect - it solely serves as a symbolic tribute to Dole's public service career. It does not affect any individuals or enact new laws.
Masih Alinejad Harassment and Unlawful Targeting Act of 2021 or the Masih Alinejad HUNT Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions on foreign persons (i.e., individuals or entities) that are acting on behalf of Iran's government and involved in the harassment of certain individuals, such as human rights activists. The Department of State must periodically report to Congress the identities of foreign persons acting on behalf of Iran's government that are knowingly responsible for or complicit in the surveillance, harassment, imprisonment, or killing of citizens of Iran or the United States who seek to (1) expose corruption or illegal activity by Iranian government officials; (2) obtain, defend, or promote internationally recognized human rights; or (3) obtain, defend, or promote the rights and well-being of women, religious and ethnic minorities, and the LGBTQ community in Iran. The report must include foreign persons involved in such actions that occur inside or outside Iran. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions on persons identified in the report, as well as visa-blocking sanctions on the identified individuals. The Department of the Treasury must submit to Congress a report identifying any foreign financial institution that knowingly conducts a significant transaction with a person sanctioned under this bill. Treasury may prohibit the opening, or prohibit or impose strict conditions on the maintaining of a U.S. correspondent account or a payable-through account by such a financial institution.
Food Date Labeling Act of 2021 This bill addresses food waste by establishing requirements to standardize the quality date and discard date labels on food packaging.
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.
Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act of 2021 This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to accredited education programs to increase diversity in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology professions. Grants may be used to provide scholarships or to support recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups.
Patient Advocate Tracker Act This bill requires the Office of Patient Advocacy within the Veterans Health Administration to establish an information technology system that allows veterans or their representatives to electronically file a complaint with a patient advocate and review the status of a filed complaint.
Outdoors for All Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program under which Interior may award grants to states, certain political subdivisions of a state, special purpose districts, Indian tribes, or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian communities or organizations. Funds must be used for projects to (1) acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas, and (2) develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public in qualifying areas. A qualifying area is an area that has a population of 30,000 or more in the most recent census, or that is administered by an Indian tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization. Interior shall give priority to projects that create or significantly enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban neighborhood or community, engage and empower underserved communities and youth, provide opportunities for employment or job training for youth or underserved communities, establish or expand public-private partnerships, and take advantage of coordination among various levels of government.
