Real Time Transparency Act of 2021 This bill revises the notification requirement for campaign contributions of $1,000 or more. Specifically, the bill applies this requirement to (1) any political committee, not just a candidate's principal campaign committee; and (2) cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more during a calendar year, instead of only single contributions that are received by a committee less than 20 days but more than 48 hours before the day of an election. Only the Federal Election Commission (FEC) must be notified within 48 hours of receiving these contributions, instead of the FEC and others. Any amount transferred by a joint fundraising committee established by a candidate's authorized committee to any other authorized committee of that candidate shall be treated as a contribution.
Ethics in Public Service Act This bill provides statutory authority for provisions of the executive order titled Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel , which was issued on January 21, 2009, by President Barack H. Obama. The order required political appointees in the executive branch to sign an ethics pledge that restricted lobbying and related activities during and after government employment, including prohibitions on appointees communicating with their former agencies for two years post-employment and on lobbying agencies for the remainder of the presidential administration. The order was eventually revoked and replaced with executive orders from subsequent administrations. On January 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued an executive order titled Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel , which requires appointees to sign an ethics pledge with both similar and different provisions. For example, the order's pledge (1) prohibits post-employment lobbying, including lobbying on behalf of foreign governments, for the remainder of a presidential administration or for two years after appointments end, whichever is later; and (2) restricts appointees from accepting cash payments or non-cash benefits from former employers that are contingent on government employment (also known as golden parachutes ).
Election Technology Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act This bill prohibits a voting system used in a federal election from connecting to the internet. Further, it prohibits a voting system from directly tabulating a ballot that was transmitted online.
Accelerating Carbon Capture and Extending Secure Storage through 45Q Act or the ACCESS 45Q Act This bill extends the tax credit for carbon oxide sequestration through 2035 and allows taxpayers an election to receive payments in lieu of the credit. The bill also permits an allowance of the carbon oxide tax credit against the base erosion minimum tax. The base erosion minimum tax is a tax on large corporation that is calculated after adding back to taxable income certain deductible payments made to related foreign persons.
Carried Interest Fairness Act of 2021 This bill modifies the tax treatment of carried interest, which is compensation that is typically received by a partner of a private equity or hedge fund and is based on a share of the fund's profits. (Under current law, carried interest is taxed as investment income rather than at ordinary income tax rates.) This bill includes provisions that set forth a special rule for the inclusion in gross income of partnership interests transferred in connection with the performance of services, treat as ordinary income the net capital gain with respect to an investment services partnership interest except to the extent such gain is attributable to a partner's qualified capital interest, exempt income from investment services partnership interests from treatment as qualifying income of a publicly traded partnership, exempt certain family partnerships from the application of this bill, increase the penalty for underpayments of tax resulting from failure to treat income from an investment services partnership interest as ordinary income, and include income and loss from an investment services partnership interest for purposes of determining net earnings from self-employment and applicable self-employment taxes. The bill defines investment services partnership interest as any interest in a partnership held by a person who provides services to a partnership by (1) advising the partnership about investing in, purchasing, or selling specified assets; (2) managing, acquiring, or disposing of specified assets; or (3) arranging financing with respect to acquiring specified assets.
America Votes Act of 2021 This bill permits the use of sworn written statements to meet identification requirements for voting in federal elections. Specifically, an individual who is required to present identification as a condition of voting in a federal election may meet this requirement by presenting a sworn written statement attesting to the individual's identification and that he or she is registered to vote in the election. An individual who wants to vote by mail may submit such a statement with the ballot. States with an identification requirement must make copies of a preprinted version of the statement available for individuals to complete. Additionally, states must provide these individuals with a regular ballot instead of a provisional ballot. The bill does not apply to first-time voters registering by mail.
This resolution impeaches President Donald John Trump for high crimes and misdemeanors. Specifically, the resolution sets forth an article of impeachment stating that President Trump incited an insurrection against the government of the United States. The article states that prior to the joint session of Congress held on January 6, 2021, to count the votes of the electoral college, President Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the presidential election results were fraudulent and should not be accepted by the American people or certified by state or federal officials; shortly before the joint session commenced, President Trump reiterated false claims to a crowd near the White House and willfully made statements to the crowd that encouraged and foreseeably resulted in lawless action at the Capitol; members of the crowd, incited by President Trump, unlawfully breached and vandalized the Capitol and engaged in other violent, destructive, and seditious acts, including the killing of a law enforcement officer; President Trump's conduct on January 6, 2021, followed his prior efforts to subvert and obstruct the certification of the presidential election, which included a threatening phone call to the Secretary of State of Georgia on January 2, 2021; President Trump gravely endangered the security of the United States and its institutions of government, threatened the integrity of the democratic system, interfered with the peaceful transition of power, and imperiled a coequal branch of government; and by such conduct, President Trump warrants impeachment and trial, removal from office, and disqualification to hold U.S. office.
COVID-19 in Corrections Data Transparency Act This bill requires the Bureau of Prisons, the U.S. Marshal Service, and state and local correctional facilities to publish on their websites and report to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention certain data on COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) cases, vaccinations, and outcomes.
Protecting Providers Everywhere in America Act or the PPE in America Act This bill makes temporary changes to the management of the inventory of diagnostic testing supplies and personal protective equipment in the Strategic National Stockpile. Through FY2026, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must source a certain amount of those products from domestic manufacturers. Additionally, HHS must periodically assess and take steps to manage the inventory of those products. This includes, as appropriate, transfers or sales to federal agencies and health care facilities. The bill also provides HHS with additional authorities to manage the inventory. For example, HHS may enter into arrangements with manufacturers to establish revolving stockpiles to mitigate the risk of products expiring. HHS must report on its efforts to maintain the stockpile's inventory of testing supplies and personal protective equipment.
Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act of 2021 This bill removes the presumption of pretrial detention for an individual who is charged with a federal drug offense for which the maximum term of imprisonment is 10 years or more.
Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2021 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to make the online redemption of benefits, including the acceptance of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, more widely available by requiring the implementation of online SNAP purchasing in every state and providing funding for an online redemption portal and a technical assistance center. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award on a competitive basis one or more contracts to develop an EBT Online Redemption Portal to (1) allow program participants to use online or mobile electronic benefits transactions to purchase program foods from, and make online payments to, authorized program retailers under SNAP; and (2) facilitate food purchase delivery for program participants using such electronic benefits transactions. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must award competitive grants or enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities to establish a SNAP Online Purchasing Technical Assistance Center to provide state agencies, authorized program retailers, and program participants information on and technical assistance with accepting SNAP benefits through online transactions and use of the portal. In providing technical assistance, the center must give priority to entities that are small and limited-resource retailers. The bill provides funding for both the online redemption portal and the technical assistance center. USDA must maintain on its website a publicly available listing, organized and searchable by region, locality, and state, of all approved retail food stores accepting benefits from recipients of SNAP, including through online transactions.
Ensuring Seniors' Access to COVID Treatments Act This bill requires prescription drug plans under Medicare and Medicare Advantage to cover drugs that are approved to treat COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) without cost-sharing during the public health emergency.
