Fair Trade with China Enforcement Act This bill revises trade, finance, and tax provisions with respect to China. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to prohibit the export of certain U.S. technology and intellectual property to China, and it places a shareholder cap on Chinese investments in certain U.S. corporations. The bill prohibits federal agencies from using or procuring telecommunications equipment or services from Huawei Technologies Company, ZTE Corporation, or any other entity reasonably believed to be owned or controlled by China. Further, the bill requires the U.S. Trade Representative to list certain Chinese products that receive support pursuant to China's Made in China 2025 policy. The bill expedites the countervailing duty process (i.e., the imposition of duties to offset a subsidy by a foreign government) for products on this list. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to (1) repeal certain reduced withholding rates for residents of China, and (2) provide for the taxation of income received by China on certain U.S. investments.
Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Policy Act of 2021 This bill addresses the manufacturing capacity of the United States. The bill establishes the Office of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation Policy, led by the Chief Manufacturing Officer, to serve as a source of manufacturing and industrial innovation analysis and judgment for the President with respect to the major policies, plans, and programs of the federal government. The office must establish a national strategic plan for manufacturing and industrial innovation that identifies critical needs to the manufacturing sector, including emergency readiness and resilience. The Government Accountability Office must report on the efforts of the office along with recommendations for improvements. The bill also establishes the Federal Strategy and Coordinating Council on Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation within the executive branch to be chaired by the President to coordinate manufacturing and industrial innovation policy. Finally, the bill establishes the National Medal of Manufacturing and Industrial Innovation to be awarded for outstanding contributions to knowledge in manufacturing and industrial innovation.
This bill directs the Department of State to include additional information in its annual reports concerning Taiwan's participation at the World Health Organization's World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer. The report shall describe changes and improvements to the State Department's plan to support Taiwan's observer status at the WHA, following any meetings at which Taiwan did not participate under such status. (China has opposed Taiwan's participation in the WHA.)
This resolution expresses the sense that the current influx of migrants at the southern land border constitutes a crisis.
This resolution observes the 10th anniversary of the Syrian uprising wherein hundreds of Syrians assembled to call on their leadership for democratic reforms and respect for their fundamental freedoms. Further, the resolution commends the bravery of Syrian human rights defenders, affirms U.S. policy with respect to Syria, and calls on the United States to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria and to expand humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.
This resolution denounces the Nicolás Maduro regime's most recent legislative elections as fraudulent and illegitimate, does not recognize the legitimacy of the new Venezuelan National Assembly, and joins members of the international community in rejecting the elections. Further, it urges that elections in Venezuela be conducted as soon as possible according to international standards for free, fair, and transparent electoral processes. Additionally, the resolution calls on the Maduro regime to cease its persecution of Venezuala's independent political parties and release all political prisoners, and it calls for Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his regime to be held accountable for their actions.
This resolution recognizes the efforts of the Trump Administration and Operation Warp Speed in the development of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine. Operation Warp Speed is an interagency partnership that coordinates federal efforts to accelerate the development, acquisition, and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19.
Housing Accountability Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the requirement that a property owner receiving low-income housing assistance payments for an existing public housing unit must maintain decent, safe, and sanitary conditions for the housing structure. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must survey tenants of these structures semiannually to identify problems with the structures or with management. A structure must be referred to HUD for remediation if consistent or persistent problems are identified. HUD may impose penalties on an owner of a structure that violates this bill.
This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.
Reassurance On Commitments Act of 2021 or the ROC Act This bill prohibits using funds made available to the Department of State for FY2022 to implement or enforce any policy that restricts representatives of Taiwan (such as members of Taiwan's armed forces or representatives of its government) or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office from displaying symbols of Taiwan's sovereignty for official purposes.
Toxic Health Threat Warning Act of 2021 This bill requires the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), before releasing water from a flood risk management project, to determine whether the water is contaminated with cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) based on tests conducted by the USACE, another federal agency, or the state in which the project is located. If the water is contaminated, the USACE must notify the public and affected governments of the contamination, its planned release, and the potential effects on human health.
