Rep. Nicole Malliotakis

Intellectual Property Violators Accountability and Transparency Act This bill requires the President to establish an interagency working group to combat the theft of U.S. intellectual property and examine ways to use foreign policy to protect U.S. intellectual property. The Department of State must, in consultation with the working group, report to Congress on issues related to the theft of U.S. intellectual property, including (1) any major foreign state-owned or state-influenced enterprises that have engaged in or benefited from such theft, and (2) authorities that Congress could provide to the President to combat such theft.

Denying Earnings to the Military Oligarchy in Cuba and Restricting Activities of the Cuban Intelligence Apparatus Act or the DEMOCRACIA Act This bill provides for asset- and visa-blocking sanctions for conduct relating to Cuba. It also establishes an interagency task force to facilitate access to uncensored internet in Cuba. The President must sanction foreign persons that provide financial support to Cuban government sectors involved in human rights abuses or terrorism (e.g., the defense sector). This includes foreign persons that (1) are military contractors or mercenaries operating on behalf of the Cuban government, or (2) violate laws restricting trade with Cuba. Specified transactions, including remittances to immediate family members (subject to some limitations) and payments related to U.S. military and diplomatic sites, are not subject to these sanctions. The President must also sanction (1) foreign persons complicit or engaged in human rights abuses or corruption, (2) foreign persons supporting such conduct, and (3) specified Cuban government officials and their affiliates. The bill provides humanitarian exceptions to these sanctions, for example, donating food or agricultural commodities to organizations or individuals unaffiliated with the Cuban government. The President may not license sanctionable conduct, and U.S. persons seeking to engage in a permitted transaction must submit a written request to the Office of Foreign Asset Control of the Department of the Treasury. The President may waive the sanctions in the interest of U.S. national security. To terminate the sanctions, the President must certify that the Cuban government has legalized all political activities and taken other steps to promote political rights and freedoms. Congress must then enact a joint resolution approving the termination.

Care for Her Act This bill allows an eligible taxpayer to claim the Child Tax Credit for the tax year preceding the year the child is born. It also sets out other activities to support parents and pregnant women. Specifically, the bill establishes the Pregnancy Support Collaborative, which consists of representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and states that elect to participate. The collaborative must maintain a clearinghouse of information on providers of pregnancy and parenting supports and services. States must identify providers in their jurisdictions who meet applicable criteria for inclusion. In addition, the collaborative must share information about education and training opportunities for parents and pregnant women and identify successful programs (including workplace policies) to support them. Furthermore, the collaborative must award grants to states for local programs to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. If a community demonstrates that its program reduces Medicaid costs, it retains a portion of those savings. If approved by the collaborative, HHS must award grants to providers in the clearinghouse for mentoring and training pregnant women and new mothers and addressing gaps in the availability of maternity housing. Additionally, HHS may award grants for pregnancy and parenting supports and services. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must jointly maintain a database of de-identified epidemiological and Medicaid claims data to evaluate the effect of maternity homes on maternal and infant health outcomes.

Havana Syndrome Attacks Response Act This bill requires the President to sanction foreign persons and governments for carrying out clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury. Specifically, the President must impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that has directed or carried out such an attack. If the President determines a foreign government carried out such an attack, the President must notify Congress and sanction that country by terminating any foreign assistance (except for humanitarian aid or food or agricultural commodities or products) and arms transactions, restricting commercial exports, and denying access to U.S. credit or other financial assistance. The President must remove these sanctions after 12 months, provided that (1) the country's government gives reliable assurances that it will not conduct future attacks, and (2) the executive branch does not have persuasive information indicating an attack occurred in the preceding six months. The bill also requires a congressional briefing and report about suspected clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury, including hypotheses concerning the identity of the perpetrators and the technical methods used to carry out the attacks.

Transparency of Migration Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make publicly available online certain information about individuals unlawfully present in the United States who are (1) apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and sent to a federal detention center or released into the United States, or (2) processed through an HHS facility. This information must be updated weekly and must include daily numbers, the country of origin of such individuals, and other details.

H-2B Returning Worker Exception Act of 2021 This bill modifies the H-2B (temporary nonagricultural workers) nonimmigrant visa program, including by exempting certain workers from an annual numerical limit on such visas and requiring civil penalties for program violations. Under this bill, if a worker seeking a H-2B visa has been counted toward the 66,000 annual cap on such visas in one of the three preceding fiscal years, that worker shall not be counted against the cap again. Furthermore, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must impose a civil monetary penalty on an employer for (1) failing to meet requirements related to an H-2B visa petition, or (2) making a willful misrepresentation of material fact in such a petition. DHS must also ensure the establishment of an electronic platform (1) for employers to submit and request approval of an H-2B petition, and (2) to act as a single point of access for applicants and the relevant government agencies. The Department of Labor must maintain a publicly available online database of all job orders by H-2B employers. Furthermore, Labor may take certain actions to enforce program requirements, such as imposing penalties and seeking injunctions. The bill provides statutory authority for the current practice of limiting the program to workers who are nationals of countries approved by DHS. DHS may make exceptions to this limitation in individual cases if it is in the U.S. interest to do so. DHS shall select approved countries based on various factors, such as the rate of overstay by H-2B visa holders from each country.

No Vaccine Passports for Americans Act This bill restricts collection and disclosure of an individual's vaccination status, including for COVID-19 vaccinations. It also makes it unlawful to discriminate based on COVID-19 vaccination status and to mandate vaccination in certain circumstances. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds to establish or collaborate with federal, state, private, or international systems that track or monitor an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status. Additionally, federal agencies must destroy existing records that contain information about an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status within 30 days. Furthermore, agencies may not issue vaccine passports or similar standardized documentation of COVID-19 vaccination status. The bill also prohibits discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccination status or willingness to provide documentation of vaccination status in employment, public accommodations, and certain public programs and services. Remedies and enforcement mechanisms available under federal civil rights laws apply to violations under this bill. In addition, federal privacy standards for health information must prohibit the disclosure of non-anonymized information about the status of any vaccination without a patient's express consent. Moreover, the bill makes anyone who requests an individual's vaccination status subject to these standards. The bill temporarily bans (1) mandates for vaccines authorized for use under emergency procedures, and (2) administration of those vaccines to minors or individuals who lack capacity to consent to vaccinations without the consent of their parent or guardian. It also prohibits public disclosure of an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status without express, written consent. Violations of these prohibitions are subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Stars and Stripes Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of State from displaying any flag or banner at a diplomatic or consular post other than specified flags. Such flags are (1) the U.S. flag; (2) the flag of the country wherein the post is located; (3) the flag of a state, territory, or possession of the United States; (4) a departmental or secretarial flag; (5) the flag of an Armed Force; or (6) a flag to honor prisoners of war or those missing in action.

Alyssa's Legacy Youth in Schools Safety Alert Act or the ALYSSA Act This bill addresses school security by requiring silent panic alarms in elementary and secondary schools and reauthorizing a program to train school resource officers. First, the bill requires that each elementary and secondary school have a silent alarm to alert local law enforcement authorities and emergency responders about a safety issue at the school. Further, the bill conditions receipt of funds by a local educational agency (LEA) upon each elementary and secondary school served by the LEA being equipped with at least one panic alarm for use in a school emergency. The bill reauthorizes for FY2021-FY2030 the school resource officers program.

Preventing Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Act This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the expedited review of anti-Semitic hate crimes and reports of anti-Semitic hate crimes. Further, the bill requires DOJ to issue guidance for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies on expanding public education campaigns to raise awareness of anti-Semitic hate crimes. Finally, the bill increases the statutory maximum prison term for an individual who is convicted of a federal hate crime offense after a prior conviction for a hate crime offense under federal law or a hate crime felony under state law.