Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act This bill modifies the process and policy related to the disposition of charges and convening of courts-martial for certain sexual assault cases and other specified offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Among other elements, the bill provides that the determinations on the preferral, disposition, and referral of charges for specified offenses under the UCMJ must be made by a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces who is designated as a court-martial convening authority (in grade O-6 or higher) and who is available for detail as trial counsel, has significant trial experience, and is outside the chain of command of the member subject to the charges.
Rep. Brian J. Mast
Sponsored bills
Foreign Gain-of-Function Research Prevention Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to conduct or support gain-of-function research involving potential pandemic pathogens by China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, or other foreign adversaries. Gain-of-function research is any research that is anticipated to confer an attribute on a pathogen to enhance its pathogenicity or transmissibility in mammals. If the Department of State finds that an entity has used funds for prohibited research, the entity may not receive any federal funding for a period of five years.
National Ocean and Coastal Security Improvements Act of 2021 This bill funds through FY2030 and expands the National Ocean and Coastal Security Fund. The fund must be used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to award grants for protecting, conserving, restoring, and using ocean, coastal, or Great Lakes resources, including coastal infrastructure.
Blue Carbon for Our Planet Act This bill addresses the protection and restoration of coastal blue carbon ecosystems, which are vegetated coastal habitats and include mangroves, tidal marshes, and other tidal or salt water wetland that have the ability to sequester and store carbon. Specifically, the bill establishes the Interagency Working Group on Coastal Blue Carbon to (1) develop and maintain a map of these ecosystems, (2) assess the impediments to the protection and restoration of these ecosystems, and (3) establish national protection and restoration priorities regarding these ecosystems. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must chair the group and establish a national goal for conserving ocean and coastal blue carbon ecosystems within the territory of the United States and set targets to restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems as appropriate. NOAA must also (1) establish integrated pilot programs to restore degraded coastal blue carbon ecosystems, and (2) enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to assess the long-term effects of geologic stores of carbon dioxide in a deep seafloor environment. Finally, the bill establishes requirements concerning the stewardship and standardization of blue carbon data in the Coastal Carbon Data Clearinghouse.
Puppy Protection Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to expand standards that govern the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of animals to include new requirements for commercial dog dealers. Specifically, the standards must require dog dealers to provide to dogs adequate housing, exercise, and veterinary care; appropriate and nutritious food; continuous access to potable water; and meaningful socialization with humans and compatible dogs for at least 30 minutes each day. The standards must also include requirements for breeders to use safe breeding practices and make all reasonable efforts to find humane placement for retired breeding dogs.
Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2021 This bill exempts traditional large and premium cigars from Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulation and FDA-assessed user fees.
This bill prohibits the United States from rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) until the President makes specified certifications regarding Iran, including actions taken by Iran relating to its nuclear program. The JCPOA is an agreement, signed by Iran and several other world powers (including the United States), that places restrictions on Iran's nuclear program in exchange for certain sanctions relief. The United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018.
Nicaragua Free Trade Review Act of 2021 This bill requires the U.S. Trade Representative to submit a report on the manner and extent to which Nicaragua is in compliance with the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement.
Reopening to address Every COmplete Record request for Devoted Servicemembers Act of 2021 or the RECORDS Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to take specified steps to address record request backlogs. Specifically, the office must take actions to ensure that (1) the number of individuals employed by the National Personnel Records Center is equal to or exceeds the number of such individuals employed on March 2, 2020, and (2) the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person is equal to or exceeds the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person on that date. The office shall submit to specified congressional committees a report that provides a comprehensive plan to address the record request backlog of the National Personnel Records Center and improve the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at the center, identifies measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals, and describes strategies to prevent future record request backlogs.
Defending Domestic Produce Protection Act This bill establishes a process by which a core seasonal industry may petition for countervailing and antidumping duties. A core seasonal industry means the producers (1) of a domestic like product that is a raw agricultural product, (2) whose collective output constitutes a majority of the total production in any state or group of states that accounts for a major portion of the total production during a discrete season or cyclical period of time, and (3) that make substantially all of their sales during that season or time period. The bill also provides that this process shall apply with respect to goods from Canada and Mexico.