Rep. Henry Cuellar

This bill allows permanent expensing of property used in the mining, reclaiming, or recycling of certain critical minerals and metals within the United States and of nonresidential real property used in mining such minerals and metals. Expensing is the treatment of expenditures as operating costs deductible in full in the current taxable year. The bill allows a new tax deduction for 200% of the cost of purchasing or acquiring such critical minerals and metals extracted from deposits in the United States and a 22% rate of percentage depletion for such critical minerals and metals. The bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish a pilot project grant program for the development of critical minerals and metals in the United States. A grant awarded under such program may not exceed $10 million. In awarding grants, Interior must give priority to projects determined to be economically viable over the long term and must allot not less than 30% of grants funds to the secondary recovery of critical minerals and metals.

Servicemember Safety and Security Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense to instruct each military department to review its policies and procedures for reporting members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Military installations must update the policies and procedures related to absent or missing service members with a focus on force protection, enhanced security for members living on base, and prioritizing the reporting of missing service members to local and federal law enforcement at the earliest reasonable time. The commander of each military installation must establish a protocol for sharing information with local and federal law enforcement agencies about service members who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Each military installation must submit the established protocol to the relevant installation command.

Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Specifically, it limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, and makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. The bill also increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program to provide training in negotiation skills related to compensation and equitable working conditions, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill establishes the National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. It also establishes the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to address compliance, public education, and enforcement of equal pay laws. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.

Hamas International Financing Prevention Act This bill imposes sanctions targeting Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, and any affiliate or successor groups. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of each foreign person or instrumentality that knowingly assists, provides significant support or services to, or is involved in a significant transaction with a senior member or supporter of any of the targeted groups. The President shall impose two or more sanctions on the named persons. Specifically, the person may be (1) denied credit and services from the Export-Import Bank, (2) barred from purchasing certain controlled defense articles, (3) denied exports of items on the U.S. Munitions List, (4) prevented from receiving exports of certain goods or technology controlled for national security reasons, (5) prohibited from receiving financing of more than $10 million from any U.S. financial institution, or (6) subject to property-blocking restrictions. The President shall periodically report to Congress a list of foreign governments that have repeatedly provided material support for the targeted groups' terrorist activities. The President shall bar these governments from receiving for one year (1) U.S. assistance, or (2) exports of controlled munitions. The Department of Treasury shall instruct U.S. leadership of international financial institutions to oppose the provision of assistance to an identified government for one year. The bill provides for certain exceptions and waivers, such as for transactions that would serve U.S. national interests. The President shall report to Congress and periodically provide briefings on other specified topics related to the targeted groups, such as where these groups secure financing and surveillance equipment.

Patient Access to Urgent-Use Pharmacy Compounding Act of 2021 This bill relaxes certain requirements for compounding drugs that are facing shortages. Drug compounding is the process of mixing or otherwise altering drugs to create a medication. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows for drug compounding subject to certain requirements. Generally a licensed pharmacist or physician not registered with the FDA may only compound drugs in limited quantities for prescriptions for a specific individual patient. On the other hand, an FDA-registered outsourcing facility may compound drugs in bulk for use in medical facilities but is subject to additional requirements. This bill allows a compounder not registered with the FDA to compound drugs in limited quantities for urgent medical need not involving a specific patient if, among other things, (1) the prescriber certifies that they are unable to obtain, despite reasonable attempts, certain related drugs with the same active ingredient and route of administration; (2) the compounded drug meets certain labeling requirements, including an indication that the compounded drug is provided only for urgent administration to a patient; and (3) the compounder requests and maintains certain records about patients receiving the compounded drug. Furthermore, a restriction against an unregistered compounder regularly compounding (or compounding inordinate amounts of) what is essentially a copy of a commercially available drug shall not apply if the drug is on a shortage list maintained by the FDA or the American Society of Hospital Pharmacists.

United States-Mexico Electricity Exchange Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to work with the appropriate representatives of the government of Mexico to establish a United States-Mexico Electricity Exchange Initiative that promotes the interconnection of electric transmission facilities between the U.S. southern border states and Mexico.

LymeX Authorization Act This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to carry out prize competitions to accelerate innovation in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of Lyme disease. Lyme disease is a bacterial infection carried by ticks that can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.

Children Inflicted by Lyme Disabilities Act of 2021 or the CHILD Act of 2021 This bill expands the applicability of certain special education provisions to children with Lyme disease or other tick-borne diseases. (Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease in the United States. The disease is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected blacklegged tick and, if left untreated, can spread to joints, the heart, and the nervous system.) Specifically, the bill defines child with a disability for purposes of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to include a child who needs special education and related services because the child has a health impairment resulting from Lyme disease or another tick-borne disease.

United States Army Rangers Veterans of World War II Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the U.S. Army Rangers Veterans of World War II in recognition of their dedicated service during World War II.

Defenders of Bataan and Corregidor Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the troops from the United States and the Philippines who defended Bataan and Corregidor, in recognition of their personal sacrifice and service during World War II.