Partner with Korea Act This bill creates an E-4 treaty trader visa category for up to 15,000 nationals of South Korea each fiscal year who are coming to the United States solely to perform specialty occupation services, subject to various requirements. The 15,000 limit shall only apply to principal aliens and not the spouses or children of such aliens. (A specialty occupation is one that requires the theoretical and practical application of highly specialized knowledge and a bachelor's degree or higher.)
Raise the Age Act This bill establishes new restrictions on the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals under 21 years of age. Specifically, this bill makes it unlawful for a licensed gun dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector to sell or deliver a semiautomatic center-fire rifle that has (or has the capacity to accept) an ammunition feeding device with a capacity of more than five rounds to an individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21. The prohibition does not apply if the individual under age 21 is a full-time law enforcement officer or active-duty member of the Armed Forces. The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on the operation of its public access line, including a description of information sharing protocols and recommendations for improving such protocols.
Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution This concurrent resolution requires the congressional budget committees to conduct an annual joint hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General regarding (1) the Government Accountability Office's audit of the financial statement of the executive branch, and (2) the financial position and condition of the federal government.
This resolution establishes the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program for wounded or disabled veterans. Under the program, qualifying individuals may serve a 24-month fellowship in the office of a Senator. The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration must issue regulations for program administration, including eligibility criteria.
This resolution supports the designation of Public Radio Music Day. It also expresses deep appreciation for the role of public radio music stations, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, in serving listeners, musicians, and hundreds of communities in the United States.
Safe Shelters Act of 2021 This bill imposes certain requirements on applicants for Office of Refugee Resettlement grants to open or fund shelter facilities for unaccompanied alien children. Specifically an applicant for such a grant must (1) disclose in the application any adverse action (generally an adverse criminal or regulatory action relating to a government contract or the care of children) taken against the applicant in the five-year period before the application, and (2) be licensed under state law to operate the facility in question. The Department of Health and Human Services must seek to collaborate with state regulatory agencies to review state databases for information about adverse actions taken against such applicants.
Burial Equity for Guards and Reserves Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from establishing a condition for a cemetery grant that restricts the ability of a state to inter certain reservists (or their spouses and children) at a state-owned veterans' cemetery solely because such individuals are ineligible for burial in an open national cemetery. Specifically, as a condition for grants, the VA cannot restrict the ability of a state to inter a member of a reserve component whose service was terminated under honorable conditions; member of the Army National Guard or Air National Guard whose service was terminated under honorable conditions; member of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps of the Army, Navy, or Air Force who died under honorable conditions while a member; and spouse, minor child, or unmarried adult child of any member described above. The VA is prohibited from (1) denying an application for a grant solely on the basis that the recipient state may use funds to expand, improve, operate, or maintain a veterans' cemetery to allow for the internment of the specified individuals; and (2) enforcing certain conditions on grants for state veterans' cemeteries that were established before the date of enactment of this bill. The bill also provides for plot allowances for the individuals listed in the bill.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the duty of the Department of Defense (DOD) to reduce the overall environmental impact of military activities and missions and to monitor and report greenhouse gas emissions from all of its operations. The resolution also suggests that DOD take other environmentally conscious actions, including committing to annual greenhouse gas emission reporting mechanisms and repurposing and managing its properties to promote carbon sequestration and biodiversity.
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. The bill also includes provisions related to federally protected activities at polling places and voting access on tribal lands. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; or 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision. In addition, the bill (1) includes certain protections for election workers, polling places, and election infrastructure; and (2) expands voting access on tribal lands.
Ending the Monopoly of Power Over Workplace Harassment through Education and Reporting Act or the EMPOWER Act This bill makes it an unlawful labor practice for an employer to enter into, or attempt to enforce, a contract with an employee or job applicant that contains a nondisparagement or nondisclosure clause that covers workplace or sexual harassment, including retaliation for participating in a workplace harassment proceeding. The bill exempts certain settlement or separation agreements from such prohibition. The bill also requires the Securities and Exchange Commission to promulgate a regulation that requires any issuer of securities to submit a report for the most recent five-year period with respect to workplace and sexual harassment. The commission must provide for the development and dissemination of training programs and information regarding workplace and sexual harassment. The bill denies a tax deduction for amounts related to judgments and expenses in connection with litigation related to workplace or sexual harassment. It also excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, any amount received in connection with a claim or settlement related to workplace or sexual harassment, or other unlawful discrimination.
American Energy Worker Opportunity Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Office of American Energy Workers in the Department of the Treasury to provide displaced coal workers with wage replacement, health care premiums, retirement savings contributions, and educational assistance. The bill also provides educational assistance for the children of displaced coal workers and provides an incentive for clean energy employers to hire displaced coal workers.
Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage of diabetes outpatient self-management training. It also requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a model in which such training is provided virtually.
