Sen. Elizabeth Warren

Background Check Expansion Act This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.

This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that it is the duty of the federal government to expand and strengthen the care economy. The care economy consists of child care, home health, and similar sectors where caregiving is a predominant feature of the work.

This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain, and the Architect of the Capitol to permanently install in the U.S. Capitol or on the U.S. Capitol Grounds, a monument honoring Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ultra-Millionaire Tax Act of 2021 This bill imposes a tax on the net value of all taxable assets of the taxpayer on the last day of any calendar year (wealth tax). The amount of such tax shall be equal to the sum of 2% of the amount of taxpayer assets exceeding $50 million but not in excess of $1 billion, plus the applicable percentage (3% or 6% if certain legislation is in effect) of the net value of such taxable assets exceeding $1 billion. There is no tax on the net value of taxable assets not in excess of $50 million. The bill defines net value of all taxable assets as the value of all property of the taxpayer, real or personal, tangible or intangible, wherever situated reduced by any debts (including secured debts) owed by the taxpayer. The definition excludes property with a value of $50,000 or less, tangible personal property, certain property used in a trade or business, and collectibles. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) must audit annually not less than 30% of taxpayers required to pay the tax imposed by this bill. The bill provides funding to the IRS for FY2022-FY2032 for enforcement of the requirements of this bill, taxpayer services, and for business system modernization.

Student Loan Tax Relief Act This bill modifies tax provisions allowing an exclusion from gross income for income arising from discharges of student loan debt after January 31, 2020. This includes loans for postsecondary educational expenses, private education loans, and loans made by tax-exempt educational organizations. The bill eliminates the temporary expiration date for the exclusion and the death or total and permanent disability requirement for a discharge.

Mental Health Justice Act of 2021 This bill creates a grant program for states and local governments to train and dispatch mental health professionals to respond, instead of law enforcement officers, to emergencies that involve people with behavioral health needs. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must manage the program in consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ). SAMHSA may cancel grants that increase incarceration or institutionalization. Grantees must use funds for purposes including de-escalation and anti-racism training. The Department of Health and Human Services and the DOJ must evaluate this program.

Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill expands data collection and reporting on demographic information and disparities related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). During the COVID-19 emergency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must publish data on COVID-19 testing, treatment, vaccinations, and outcomes on the CDC website. They must update the data daily and disaggregate it by race, ethnicity, and other demographic factors. In addition, the Indian Health Service must consult with tribal nations about COVID-19 data collection and reporting. The Department of Health and Human Services must make a summary of final statistics related to COVID-19 publicly available and report specified information to Congress within 60 days of the end of the COVID-19 emergency. The bill also establishes the Commission on Ensuring Data for Health Equity. The commission must determine approaches to using data to reduce disparities in health outcomes, including specifically with respect to COVID-19. In addition, it must provide recommendations to improve demographic data collection and use in future public health emergencies.

Ending Qualified Immunity Act This bill eliminates the defense of qualified immunity in civil actions for deprivation of rights. Qualified immunity is a judicially created doctrine that protects government employees or those acting with state authority from being held personally liable for constitutional violations. The bill provides that under the statute allowing a civil action alleging deprivation of rights under color of law, it shall not be a defense or immunity to any such action that (1) the defendant was acting in good faith or believed that his or her conduct was lawful at the time it was committed; (2) the rights, privileges, or immunities secured by the Constitution or federal laws were not clearly established at the time of their deprivation; or (3) the state of the law was such that the defendant could not reasonably have been expected to know whether his or her conduct was lawful.

Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act This bill prohibits a predispute arbitration agreement from being valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of an employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights dispute.

This concurrent resolution (1) affirms, on the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first slave ship, that the nation owes a debt of remembrance not only to those who lived through the injustices of slavery but also to their descendants; and (2) urges the establishment of a U.S. Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation to properly acknowledge, memorialize, and be a catalyst for progress, including toward permanently eliminating persistent racial inequities.