Preserving Direct Seller Independence Act This bill excludes a real estate agent or a direct seller of consumer products from the definition of an employee for the purpose of applying the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938.
Border Security for America Act of 2021 This bill addresses border security and related issues. For example, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume all activities to construct a border barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border that were underway or planned prior to January 20, 2021; requires DHS to deploy, in addition to physical barriers, tactical infrastructure and technology to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the southwest border; authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out a program to acquire innovative commercial items through a competitive selection of proposals; imposes certain requirements for DHS border security technology acquisition programs that have a total expenditure of at least $300 million; requires CBP to implement certain technologies, including a program to establish a biometric exit data system at ports of entry; requires CBP to increase or maintain certain staffing levels for agents, officers, processing coordinators, and other positions; requires CBP to implement a workload staffing model for the U.S. Border Patrol and for CBP's Air and Marine Operations; and provides statutory authority through FY2026 for Operation Stonegarden, a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that provides grants to states and territories involved in certain active CBP border security operations.
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 20 21 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
Empowering Local Curriculum Act This bill specifies that nothing in federal education law shall be construed to require the use, teaching, promotion, or recommendation of any academic discipline, program, or activity that holds certain principles related to race or sex.
Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act This bill establishes demonstration grants to train students, teachers, and school personnel how to better understand, recognize, prevent, and respond to human trafficking and the exploitation of children and youth. Eligible grantees include nonprofits, state and local educational agencies, and elementary and secondary schools. The Office on Trafficking in Persons within the Administration for Children and Families must award the grants.
Refuge System Protection Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice (DOJ), at the request of the Department of the Interior, to bring in a district court a civil action against any individual or entity that destroys, causes the loss of, causes Interior to make risk mitigation efforts with respect to, or injures any resource that is within the boundaries any land or water that is managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The bill also authorizes DOJ, at the request of Interior, to bring in a district court an in rem action against any instrumentality (e.g., a vessel, vehicle, or aircraft) that destroys, causes the loss of, causes Interior to make risk mitigation efforts with respect to, or injures any such system resource. Among others, it shall be an affirmative defense in either type of action that the destruction of, loss of, risk mitigation regarding, or injury to a system resource was caused by an otherwise legal act or omission that occurred outside the boundaries of the resource. In either type of action, the court may award response costs and damages.
Resilient Federal Forests Act This bill modifies and sets forth provisions regarding forest management activities on National Forest System, public, and tribal lands. The bill provides for, among other things the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) and Interior to conduct fireshed management projects in fireshed management areas, certain categorical exclusions for various purposes, the balancing of the short- and long-term effects of forest management activities while considering injunctive relief, USDA and Interior to establish their own discretionary arbitration pilot programs as an alternative dispute resolution process for forest management activities, increasing the maximum term for a stewardship end result contract to 20 years, demonstration projects to support the development and commercialization of biochar on Indian forest lands or rangelands and in nearby communities by providing reliable supplies of feedstock from federal lands, the decommissioning of certain Forest Service Roads within designated high fire-prone areas, repealing of the Eastside Screens requirements on National Forest System lands, making the Northwest Forest Plan Survey and Manage Mitigation Measure Standards and Guidelines inapplicable to any National Forest System lands or public lands, development of a protection plan for giant sequoia trees on National Forest System lands and public lands, and permanent rights of access to the Oregon and California Railroad grant lands and the Coos Bay Wagon Road grant lands for private landowners issued reciprocal road rights-of-way.
Local Law Enforcement Protection Act of 2021 This bill requires state and local governments to certify that they provide a certain level of qualified immunity to law enforcement officers in order to be eligible for (1) funds under the Community Development Block Grant program, and (2) loans under the Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program. Qualified immunity is a judicially created legal doctrine that shields government officials from civil liability in cases involving the deprivation of statutory or constitutional rights.
Twenty-First Century Dams Act This bill addresses dam infrastructure and safety. First, the bill provides resources for programs related to state dam safety, the rehabilitation of high hazard potential dams, and the inspection of dams. In particular, the bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the National Dam Safety Program. In addition, the bill reauthorizes through FY2026 a program related to the rehabilitation of structural measures and a program related to water infrastructure. Next, the bill allows a new tax credit for maintaining and enhancing hydroelectric dams that is equal to 30% of the basis of any qualified dam safety, environmental, and grid resilience enhancement property placed in service in a taxable year. It also allows a 30% credit for qualified obsolete river obstruction removal expenditures for demolishing and removing certain nonpowered or hydroelectric dams. The bill directs the Department of the Army to establish a program to carry out dam removal projects. Further, the bill establishes the Dam Removal Council to (1) coordinate with participating federal agencies to annually notify all known dam owners of the availability of dam removal funding and provide guidance on the existing programs of participating agencies; (2) evaluate and submit to Army recommendations for dam removal projects, technical assistance programs, and funding allocations; and (3) develop a dam removal strategy. The bill requires certain dam assessments, including a joint assessment by the U.S. Geological Survey and the Department of Energy. The bill also authorizes specified federal agencies to undertake certain activities related to federal dam infrastructure.
This resolution impeaches Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Nicholas Mayorkas for high crimes and misdemeanors related to his actions regarding border security and immigration.
This resolution establishes a House Permanent Select Committee on Aging.
Ensuring Medicaid Continuity for Children in Foster Care Act of 2021 This bill allows states to receive federal Medicaid payment for services provided to foster care children in qualified residential treatment programs (i.e., programs with trauma-informed treatment models that address the needs of children with serious emotional or behavioral disorders or disturbances).
