This resolution expresses strong support for the goals and theme of 2021 National Crime Victims' Rights Week: Support Victims. Build Trust. Engage Communities.
Gay and Trans Panic Defense Prohibition Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits a federal criminal defendant from asserting, as a defense, that the nonviolent sexual advance of an individual or a perception or belief of the gender, gender identify or expression, or sexual orientation of an individual excuses or justifies conduct or mitigates the severity of an offense.
Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act or the AMIGOS Act This bill makes Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas if the government of Portugal provides similar nonimmigrant status to U.S. nationals. The bill also imposes additional requirements on such visas. An E-1 visa is for individuals entering the United States to engage in international trade, while an E-2 visa is for individuals investing a substantial amount of capital in the United States. Both are limited to nationals from countries that have a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States. Furthermore, under this bill, if an alien who has never received an E visa became the national of an E visa-eligible foreign country by making a financial investment in that foreign country, that alien must have been domiciled in that foreign country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying for an E visa.
Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality Act of 2021 or the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act of 2021 This bill creates grants for state and local governments to combat hate crimes. It also authorizes additional penalties for hate crime offenses. Specifically, it establishes grants for states to create state-run hate crimes reporting hotlines. It also authorizes grants for states and local governments to implement the National Incident-Based Reporting System and to conduct law enforcement activities or crime reduction programs to prevent, address, or respond to hate crimes. Finally, in the case of an individual convicted of a hate crime offense and placed on supervised release, the bill allows a court to order that the individual participate in educational classes or community service as a condition of supervised release.
Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act This bill makes previously unused immigrant visas available to nurses and physicians who petition for such a visa before the date that is 90 days after the end of the declared national emergency relating to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak. The number of visas available shall be the total number of unused employment-based immigrant visas from FY1992-FY2020, up to 40,000. Of such visas, 25,000 shall be reserved for nurses and 15,000 for physicians. Certain family members may accompany the principal beneficiary of a visa provided under this bill, and visas for such family members shall (1) be made available from the unused visas from FY1992-FY2020, and (2) not be counted against the 40,000 cap. Visas provided under this bill shall be exempt from per-country limitations.
Cybersecurity Opportunity Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish a grant program to promote cybersecurity training and education at institutions of higher education with an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions.
Revising and Expediting Actions for the Crisis Hotline for Veterans Act or the REACH for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update training and procedures for call responders of the Veterans Crisis Line. Specifically, the VA must enter into an agreement with an outside organization to review the training for crisis line call responders. The VA must update the training if any deficiencies are identified after the review. Among other requirements, the VA must develop guidelines on retraining and quality management for when a call responder has an adverse event or needs improvement, annually perform a common cause analysis for identified callers to the crisis line who died by suicide in situations where the crisis line was the last point of contact, develop enhanced guidance and procedures to respond to calls to the crisis line related to substance use and overdose risk, review the current emergency dispatch standard operating procedure of the crisis line, and solicit feedback from veterans service organizations on how to conduct outreach regarding the move to 988 as the new suicide and mental health crisis hotline. Each call responder must be subject to at least two calls per month that are silently monitored by a supervisor to check for quality of conduct. The Veterans Crisis Line, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the VA, and National Center for Patient Safety of the VA must establish quality management processes and expectations for staff of the crisis line.
This resolution condemns Belarusian authorities' assault on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus since the August 2020 presidential election. The resolution also calls for the immediate release of journalists, cultural figures, and dissidents currently held as political prisoners in Belarus. Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Biden Administration to support initiatives to assist survivors of torture and other human rights violations from Belarus, including by working with allies in the region to grant them protection and providing avenues for them and their families to access safety in the United States; examine all available accountability options for violators of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and demand that Belarus cooperate fully with international partners and organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, the resolution supports the aspirations of the Belarusian people in their struggle for freedom and human rights.
This resolution honors the millions of Poles who lost their lives during the invasion and occupation of Poland. It also calls for a strengthening and broadening of ties between the United States and Poland.
This resolution condemns the atrocities against religious and ethnic minority women in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. It also calls on China to end all coercive policies, including coercive population-control practices, and to release all individuals detained in internment camps and forced-labor programs.
