Water Quality Certification Improvement Act of 2021 This bill limits the authority of states with respect to water quality certifications. Specifically, the bill limits the authority of states to review federally permitted activities that may result in discharges into navigable waters.
Surface Transportation Advanced through Reform, Technology, and Efficient Review Act 2.0 or the STARTER Act 2.0 This bill addresses provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, innovation, and resiliency programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT). It also sets forth requirements for the operation of railroad freight cars in the United States. For example, the bill extends FY2020 enacted levels through FY2026 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs. DOT must provide competitive grants for projects to provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on the federal-aid highway system; establish a discretionary program to award competitive grants for eligible projects that encourage economic viability of the nation, a metropolitan area, or a region; create a public awareness campaign to reduce instances of driving while under the influence of prescription and over-the-counter medications; and promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21. The bill also establishes new competitive grant programs to spur innovation of connected vehicle applications into operational deployments and to test the safe integration of automated driving system technologies into the on-road transportation system. Additionally, the bill addresses projects to improve the resiliency of federal-aid highways and bridges on and off the National Highway System. Further, the bill prohibits the operation of railroad freight cars in the United States that have been manufactured or assembled by certain foreign countries or that contain sensitive technology from such countries.
Protecting Striking Workers Act This bill revises the provisions addressing the prevention of unfair labor practices to specify that the National Labor Relations Board has the authority to order the reinstatement of, and to provide other remedies for, employees who are discriminated against by their employer for participating in a lawful strike to protest an unfair labor practice.
Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Service Company, known as the Ghost Army , collectively, in recognition of its service during World War II.
Rural STEM Education Research Act This bill specifies federal scientific research and development efforts towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) workforce development and rural STEM education. (Sec. 3) The bill amends the objectives of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to include the provision to secondary schools of information about the job skills needed in manufacturing companies, and the promotion and expansion of certification systems offered through local high schools. The activities of a manufacturing extension center are expanded to include local high schools in the facilitation of collaborations and partnerships between manufacturing companies and schools to help those entities better understand the specific needs of manufacturers and to help manufacturers better understand the skill sets that students learn in school programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must award prizes to stimulate research and development of creative technologies in order to deploy affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities. NIST may award not more than a total of $5 million in prizes. (Sec. 4) The Office of Science and Technology Policy must establish a broadband research and development working group to address national research challenges and opportunities for improving broadband access and adoption across the United States. (Sec. 5) The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy of Sciences agrees to evaluate aspects of STEM education and workforce development in rural areas. (Sec. 6) The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural populations in federal STEM programs. (Sec. 7) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) programs shall consider modifications to award structures to increase the capacity of rural communities to provide quality STEM education and STEM workforce development programming to students and teachers. (Sec. 8) The NSF must award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for (1) research and development to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools, (2) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education, (3) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM studies, and (4) research on online STEM education courses for rural communities. The NSF may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas to provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in grades Pre-K through 12 in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry.
Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 or the RPM Act of 2019 [ sic ] This bill authorizes the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls for vehicles that are not legal for operation on a street or highway and are used solely for competition.
Violence Against Women Extension Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes for FY2022 various programs and activities authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 and subsequent legislation and administered by the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice.
Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2021 This bill creates a four-year safe harbor from antitrust laws for print, broadcast, or digital news companies to collectively negotiate with online content distributors (e.g., social media companies) regarding the terms on which the news companies' content may be distributed by online content distributors.
STOP Straw Purchases Act This bill establishes new criminal offenses and penalties to deter straw purchases of firearms (i.e., firearm purchases from a licensed gun dealer by one person on behalf of another person). Current law prohibits and imposes penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to 10 years, or both—for making false statements in connection with the acquisition of a firearm from a federally licensed dealer. This bill increases the statutory maximum prison sentence—from 10 years to 25 years—for a violation by a person who is acting as a straw purchaser. Under this bill, a straw purchaser is a person who makes false statements involving deception about the identity of the actual buyer and knows or has reasonable cause to believe the actual buyer intends the firearm to be (1) used in a crime of violence or drug trafficking crime, or (2) transferred to a prohibited person. Additionally, the bill establishes new related criminal offenses. Specifically, it prohibits and imposes penalties for inducing another person, as a leader of a straw purchasing ring, to act as a straw purchaser in a continuing series of transactions from which the person obtains income or resources; or obtaining a firearm by inducing another person to act as a straw purchaser. Finally, the bill directs the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to include in the Firearms Transaction Record form a statement outlining penalties for acting as a straw purchaser.
Adoptee Citizenship Act of 2021 This bill provides for the automatic acquisition of citizenship for certain individuals adopted by a U.S. citizen. A child born outside the United States and adopted by a U.S. citizen shall automatically acquire citizenship upon meeting certain requirements, regardless of when the adoption was finalized. Currently, adoptees who were over the age of 18 on February 27, 2001, do not automatically acquire citizenship. An individual born outside the United States and residing in the United States shall automatically acquire citizenship if the individual (1) was adopted by a citizen before becoming 18 years old, (2) was physically present in the United States in the citizen parent's custody pursuant to lawful admission before becoming 18 years old, (3) never acquired citizenship before this bill's enactment, and (4) was lawfully residing in the United States on this bill's enactment date. An individual born outside the United States and residing outside the United States but who otherwise meets all of the requirements shall automatically acquire citizenship upon being physically present in the United States pursuant to lawful admission. Such an individual shall be subject to a background check. If the background check reveals the individual has committed a crime that was not properly resolved, the individual may not receive a visa unless the Department of Homeland Security and Department of State have coordinated with law enforcement to ensure that action was taken to resolve the issue.
