This bill permits a borrower to discharge in bankruptcy a nonprofit, government, or private student loan, or an obligation to repay an educational benefit, scholarship, or stipend.
Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits federal agencies and private businesses from publicly posting the personally identifiable information (e.g., home addresses) of federal judges and their immediate family members. It also (1) requires information to be removed upon written request from the federal judge concerned, (2) prohibits data brokers from purchasing or selling such information, and (3) establishes programs to protect such information at the state and local level and to enhance security for judges.
Repatriate Our Patriots Act This bill protects certain veterans of the Armed Forces from removal from the United States and provides such veterans with an expedited procedure for naturalization. The bill applies to special veterans , defined as persons who served in the active Armed Forces who were (1) honorably discharged or released; (2) not convicted of various crimes, including voluntary manslaughter, murder, rape, or terrorism; and (3) not a child abuser or pedophile. Special veterans shall not be removed from the United States, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall cancel any pending removal proceedings or orders against any such veterans. DHS shall establish a program to permit such veterans who were already removed from the United States to return to as an alien with permanent residence status. Special veterans shall be naturalized upon filing an application, paying the relevant fees, and taking an oath of allegiance. DHS shall take steps to ensure such naturalization applications are pending for no longer than 90 days.
Inclusive Elections Act of 2021 This bill requires courts, when hearing challenges to election laws, to consider whether the law has a disparate impact on members of a protected class of citizens. Specifically, the bill requires courts to consider whether (1) the challenged standard, practice, or procedure imposes a disparate burden on members of a protected class of citizens; and (2) the disparate burden is related to social and historical conditions that produce discrimination against members of the protected class.
Drug Policy Reform Act of 2021 or the DPR Act of 2021 This bill transfers federal regulatory authority over controlled substances, eliminates federal penalties for some drug-related offenses, and removes some collateral consequences for certain criminal convictions. A collateral consequence is a penalty (e.g., a restriction on access to a program or service) imposed on an individual in addition to the penalty associated with the sentence. Specifically, the bill transfers regulatory authority over controlled substances from the Department of Justice to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Additionally, the bill directs HHS to establish a commission to determine a benchmark amount of a controlled substance for personal use supply. The bill eliminates federal criminal and civil penalties for simple possession of a controlled substance in an amount equal to or less than the benchmark. Finally, the bill removes the collateral consequences of certain convictions. For example, the bill removes some restrictions on eligibility for federal assistance and benefits for individuals who are convicted of certain drug-related offenses, reinstates the right to vote in federal elections for persons convicted of criminal offenses, and repeals the requirement for states to revoke or suspend driver's licenses of individuals who are convicted of drug offenses as a condition of receiving a full allocation of certain federal grant funds.
Disarm Hate Act The bill expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving or possessing a firearm. Specifically, it prohibits firearm sale or transfer to and receipt, possession, shipment, or transport by a person (1) who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or (2) who has received an enhanced hate crime misdemeanor sentence.
Greater Leadership Overseas for the Benefit of Equality Act of 2021 or the GLOBE Act of 2021 This bill contains provisions related to (1) the protection of LGBTQI individuals globally; and (2) immigration protections for vulnerable individuals. The bill establishes (1) an interagency group to respond to urgent threats to LGBTQI people in foreign countries, and (2) a permanent Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQI Peoples in the Department of State. The President shall impose visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons responsible for violating the human rights of individuals based on sexual orientation, gender identity, or sex characteristics. The State Department shall establish the Global Equality Fund to provide assistance to nongovernmental organizations working to advance and protect human rights. The U.S. Agency for International Development shall establish the LGBTQI Global Development Partnership to work with the private sector and nongovernmental organizations to support LGBTQI rights. The bill removes prohibitions against providing foreign assistance to nongovernmental organizations that offer certain medical services (e.g., abortion-related services) using non-U.S. government funds. The bill contains several immigration-related provisions, such as those establishing that persecution based on sexual orientation or gender identity may form the basis of an asylum request, allowing certain applicants to file asylum claims more than a year after their arrival in the United States, including a permanent partnership between two partners as a marriage for immigration law purposes, providing for free counsel in certain immigration proceedings, and granting U.S. citizenship to a child born abroad through assistive reproductive technology from a U.S. citizen who is the child's nonbiological parent.
No Trace Act of 2021 This bill establishes a framework to prohibit federal, state, and local entities from obtaining geolocation information about U.S. persons without a warrant. At the federal level, it generally prohibits federal agencies from obtaining geolocation information about a U.S. person without first obtaining a warrant. State and local governments must generally have in effect substantially similar policies to be eligible for funds under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program and the Community Oriented Policing Services program. Additionally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study the compliance of federal agencies and state and local governments.
Keeping Our Promise Act This bill authorizes issuing visas to certain individuals who were previously refused a diversity immigrant visa or admission into the United States because of certain executive orders or the COVID-19 public health emergency. (Diversity immigrant visas are available to eligible immigrants from countries with relatively low rates of immigration to the United States.) Specifically, this bill applies to individuals who were refused such a visa solely due to certain executive orders from 2017 to 2020, including orders which suspended the entry of individuals from certain countries. The bill also applies to diversity visa applicants who, because of the COVID-19 emergency, were (1) unable to receive a visa interview despite requesting one, or (2) unable to be admitted into the United States despite being approved for a visa. The Department of State must notify each individual covered under this bill of the individual's visa eligibility. To retain eligibility, an individual must respond to the State Department's notice within one year of the notice. An individual may also lose eligibility if the State Department determines that the applicant fails to meet certain requirements. The bill also relaxes certain annual numerical limits for individuals obtaining a visa under this bill. An individual who was a child when initially selected for a visa shall be treated as a child for the purposes of a visa application under this bill.
Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act This bill modifies the Conrad 30 Waiver program, which incentivizes qualified foreign physicians to serve in underserved communities. It also extends statutory authority for the program for three years from this bill's enactment. Aliens coming to the United States under a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to receive medical training typically must leave the country and reside for two years abroad before being eligible to apply for an immigrant visa or permanent residence. The Conrad program waives this requirement for individuals who meet certain qualifications, including serving for a number of years at a health care facility in an underserved area. The bill increases the number of waivers that a state may obtain each fiscal year from 30 to 35 if a certain number of waivers were used the previous year, and provides for further adjustments depending on demand. An alien physician may be employed at an academic medical center to meet the Conrad program's employment requirements if the alien's work is in the public interest, even if the medical center is not in an underserved area. Employment contracts for alien physicians under the Conrad program shall contain certain information, such as the maximum number of on-call hours per week the physician shall have to work. Certain alien physicians (along with the physician's spouse and children) shall be exempt from the direct annual numerical limits on immigration, including those physicians that have met certain requirements related to visas for physicians to serve in underserved areas.
