Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a national mercury monitoring program. Under the program, the EPA must track and report on long-term changes of mercury concentrations in air, water, soil, and fish and wildlife. In addition, the EPA must establish an online database for mercury data.
Sunshine in Product Safety Act of 2021 This bill repeals the limitation on the Consumer Product Safety Commission from disclosing information about a consumer product that may reveal the identity of the product's manufacturer without first taking reasonable steps to ensure that the information is accurate and that releasing the information to the public serves the purposes of the laws administered by the commission.
Strengthening America's Families Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Infant and Toddler Court Program and a related resource center. It also permits the Health Resources and Services Administration to expand the program through grants to states, tribal nations, and territories for establishing, stabilizing, or enhancing infant-toddler court teams. This program aims to improve the well-being of infants, toddlers, and families in the child welfare system through team-based case management services that foster coordination among courts, child welfare agencies, and other child-serving organizations. The resource center provides technical assistance, training, and other support for infant-toddler court teams.
Build America, Buy America Act This bill requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States. Each federal agency must submit to the Office of Management and Budget and to Congress a report that identifies each federal financial assistance program for infrastructure administered by the agency and (1) identify domestic content procurement preferences applicable to the assistance, (2) assess the applicability of such requirements, (3) provide details on any applicable domestic content procurement preference requirement, and (4) include a description of the type of infrastructure projects that receive funding under the program. Each agency shall ensure that none of the funds made available for such a program may be used for a project unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured products used in the project are produced in the United States, subject to waivers where inconsistent with the public interest, where not produced in sufficient quantities or satisfactory quality, or where such inclusion will increase the cost of the project by more than 25%.
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician.
Community Solar Consumer Choice Act of 2021 This bill supports the expansion of community solar energy and doubles the allowable time period for a long-term contract between the General Services Administration (GSA) and a public utility. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program for expanding community solar energy options, including options for low-income and moderate-income individuals. In addition, DOE must expand existing grant, loan, and financing programs to include community solar projects as specified by the bill. Further, the bill revises requirements for electric utilities, including by requiring each electric utility to offer a community solar program. Finally, the bill allows the GSA to make a public utility contract for a period of up to 30 years. Currently, the GSA may make a public utility contract for up to 10 years.
Animal Cruelty Enforcement Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new section in the Environmental and Natural Resources Division of the Department of Justice to enforce federal laws concerning animal cruelty.
Justice is Not For Sale Act of 2021 This bill prohibits private for-profit entities from operating confinement facilities (e.g., prisons) or providing electronic monitoring of released persons at the federal, state, and local levels. The bill also establishes various requirements related to the standards of detention and availability of services at confinement facilities. The bill provides for the establishment of limits on the fees and charges for financial services (e.g., money transfer services), caps on the rates charged for communications services, detention standards and oversight requirements related to the detention of noncitizens, and community-based alternatives to the detention or separation of family units apprehended under immigration authorities.
Lady Liberty Act of 2021 This bill sets a floor of 125,000 for the maximum number of refugees who may be admitted into the United States each fiscal year. Under current law, the President sets the annual cap on refugee admissions at the beginning of each fiscal year. (The cap for FY2021 is 15,000, and the cap for FY2020 was 18,000.)
Hadiya Pendleton and Nyasia Pryear-Yard Gun Trafficking and Crime Prevention Act of 2021 This bill makes trafficking in firearms a stand-alone criminal offense. A person who commits or conspires to commit a gun trafficking offense is subject to criminal penalties—a prison term of up to 20 years (or up to 25 years, if the person also acted as an organizer), a fine, or both.
Gun Show Loophole Closing Act of 2021 This bill establishes new requirements regarding firearm transfers at gun shows. Specifically, the bill requires the following: a person who operates a gun show must meet certain requirements (e.g., minimum age and registration); and a firearm transfer between private parties at a gun show must be facilitated by a licensed gun dealer, importer, or manufacturer in compliance with certain background check and recordkeeping requirements.
Handgun Trigger Safety Act of 2021 This bill establishes a framework to regulate handguns as consumer products. The bill establishes two general requirements: (1) new domestically manufactured handguns must be personalized handguns, and (2) handguns distributed in commerce must be personalized handguns or retrofitted personalized handguns. A personalized handgun allows only an authorized user to fire the handgun. The bill directs the National Institute of Justice to make grants to develop technology for personalized handguns. It also requires gun manufacturers to retrofit, at an owner's request, a domestically manufactured handgun that is not a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun. The bill authorizes the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to issue safety standards for personalized handguns. The CPSC and states may enforce violations, which are treated as violations under the Consumer Product Safety Act. The bill retains civil liability protections for gun manufacturers for harms resulting from the misuse of a handgun, but only if the handgun is a personalized handgun or retrofitted personalized handgun.
