This resolution calls on the government of Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians. The resolution also urges the Department of State to engage with Azerbaijani authorities to bring about this result.
This resolution supports the vision, mission, and goals of the Global Partnership for Education, and it affirms the role of the United States in improving access to quality public education and improved learning outcomes for children and adolescents (particularly for girls) in the poorest countries.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that it is U.S. policy to officially recognize and remember the Semele Massacre (the 1933 killing of up to 3,000 Assyrian Christian men, women, and children by the government of Iraq), to reject efforts to associate the U.S. government with denial of the massacre, and to encourage education and public understanding of the massacre and its relevance to modern-day crimes against humanity.
This resolution encourages the recognition of the collective history and achievements of people of African descent and reaffirms the importance of their equal participation in all aspects of political, economic, social, and cultural life. The resolution also recognizes that many Black Europeans have experienced injustices in the public and private sector and welcomes European efforts to promote racial equality and combat discrimination. Further, the resolution urges the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development to support efforts to promote equality.
This resolution condemns Iranian state-sponsored terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and officials and Iranian dissidents and expresses support for the people of Iran who are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against the Iranian regime.
HIV Epidemic Loan-Repayment Program Act of 2021 or the HELP Act of 2021 This bill directs the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to carry out a loan repayment program for certain health care providers who agree to provide HIV treatment or HIV dental care in (1) a designated health professional shortage area, (2) a clinical site that is funded under the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, or (3) an area that meets requirements specified by HRSA. For each qualifying year of service, HRSA pays one-fifth of the principal and interest on any eligible loan, with total loan repayment after five years; repayment is capped at $250,000 per borrower.
Toll Credit Marketplace Act of 202 1 This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish and implement a toll credit exchange pilot program to identify the extent of the demand to purchase toll credits, identify the cash price of toll credits through bilateral transactions between states, analyze the impact of the purchase or sale of toll credits on transportation expenditures, test the feasibility of expanding the pilot program to allow all states to participate on a permanent basis, and identify any other repercussions of the toll credit exchange. In carrying out the pilot program, DOT must provide that an originating state may transfer or sell to a recipient state a credit not previously used by the originating state. DOT must also make available a public website on which originating states must post the amount of toll credits that are available for sale or transfer to a recipient state. DOT may terminate the pilot program or the participation of any state in the pilot program if the program is not serving a public benefit or it is not cost effective.
Closing Loopholes for Oil and other Sources of Emissions Act or the CLOSE Act This bill repeals exemptions from the Clean Air Act under which (1) emissions from oil and gas wells and pipeline facilities are excluded from aggregation with emissions from other similar units for purposes of determining major sources, and (2) the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) excludes oil and gas production wells from being listed as area sources. Additionally, the bill requires the EPA to issue a final rule adding hydrogen sulfide to the list of hazardous air pollutants under the Clean Air Act and revising such list to include categories and subcategories of major sources and area sources of hydrogen sulfide, including oil and gas wells.
Reinvesting in Essential Partnerships And Infrastructure for Rural America Act or the REPAIR Act This bill revises the fixed guideway capital investment grant program to include rural start projects within the program. It also directs the Department of Transportation to establish an innovative mobility and technology deployment grants program to assist states, local governments, or publicly owned operators of public transportation with financing certain public transportation projects. The bill also provides additional funding and flexibility for other transportation projects, including for projects in areas that are designated as medically underserved.
Small Community Transit Improvement Act of 20 21 This bill increases the amount of certain public transportation grants to be apportioned to urbanized areas with populations of less than 200,000 that meet or exceed one or more performance categories for small transit intensive cities.
Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act of 2021 This bill imposes a fee on the carbon content of fuels, including crude oil, natural gas, coal, or any other product derived from those fuels that will be used so as to emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The fee is imposed on the producers or importers of the fuels and is equal to the greenhouse gas content of the fuel multiplied by the carbon fee rate. The rate begins at $15 per metric ton of CO2-e in 2021, increases by $10 each year, and is subject to further adjustments based on the progress in meeting specified emissions reduction targets. The bill includes exemptions for fuels used for agricultural or nonemitting purposes, exemptions for fuels used by the Armed Forces, rebates for facilities that capture and sequester carbon dioxide, and border adjustment provisions that require certain fees or refunds for carbon-intensive products that are exported or imported. The fees must be deposited into a Carbon Dividend Trust Fund and used for administrative expenses and dividend payments to U.S. citizens or lawful residents. The fees must be decommissioned when emissions levels and monthly dividend payments fall below specified levels.
International Human Rights Defense Act of 2021 This bill establishes in the Department of State a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or intersex) Peoples who shall serve as the principal State Department advisor regarding human rights for LGBTQI people and represent the United States in diplomatic matters relevant to the human rights of LGBTQI people. The special envoy shall periodically provide Congress with a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to criminalization, discrimination, and violence against LGBTQI people. The State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development may provide assistance to prevent and respond to such activities against LGBTQI people. The bill also requires that annual country reports on human rights practices include information on criminalization, discrimination, and violence based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
