Improving Child Care for Working Families Act of 2021 This bill increases the limitation on the exclusion from employee gross income for employer-paid dependent care assistance from $5,000 to $10,500.
End Child Trafficking Now Act This bill imposes restrictions related to adult aliens being admitted into the United States with a minor. An adult alien shall not be admitted with a minor unless the adult (1) presents documents and witness testimony proving that the adult is a relative or guardian of the minor, or (2) submits to a DNA test that proves such a relationship. The Department of Homeland Security shall request a DNA test only if the required relationship cannot be established by the presented documents and witness testimony. An adult alien who does not consent to a requested DNA test shall be inadmissible. If the required relationship cannot be established and the immigration officer believes the alien is guilty of a felony offense, the officer may arrest the alien adult. The bill makes it a crime for an alien adult to knowingly use a minor to whom the adult is not a relative or guardian to enter the United States.
Federal Agency Sunset Commission Act of 2021 This bill provides for the establishment of the Federal Agency Sunset Commission to submit to Congress a schedule for review and abolishment of each agency, including each advisory committee. The schedule for review shall be in the form of a joint resolution. Each agency shall be abolished unless reauthorized by Congress. For each agency, the commission must schedule a date of abolishment to occur at least once every 12 years. The commission must (1) review and evaluate the efficiency and public need for each agency using specified criteria; (2) analyze the authority claimed by the executive branch but not specifically authorized by statute; (3) recommend whether each agency should be abolished, reorganized, or continued; and (4) report to Congress on introduced legislation that would establish a new agency or a new program. The Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office, in cooperation with the Congressional Research Service, shall prepare an inventory of federal programs to assist Congress and the commission in carrying out this bill. The bill provides for expedited consideration of the schedule for review and abolishment.
Stopping Border Surges Act This bill modifies immigration law provisions relating to unaccompanied alien minors and to asylum seekers. For certain unaccompanied inadmissible alien children, generally those not at risk of being trafficking victims nor having a fear of persecution, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall repatriate the child. Currently, only inadmissible unaccompanied aliens from neighboring countries are subject to repatriation, and DHS has discretion whether to repatriate. When HHS releases an unaccompanied child to an individual, it shall provide DHS with certain information about that individual, including Social Security number and immigration status. The bill amends the definition of credible fear of persecution to require that such fear can be established by statements that are more probable than not. The bill also imposes certain rules relating to credible fear interviews, including requirements for recordings and interpreters. If an alien is granted asylum because of fear of persecution in a country, the alien shall be deemed to have renounced asylum status by returning to that country, if there has been no change in the country's conditions. The bill also (1) expands the definition of what constitutes a frivolous asylum application, (2) imposes additional limitations on eligibility for asylum, (3) shortens the deadline for applying for asylum, and (4) extends the time period an alien seeking asylum must wait before receiving employment authorization. Any individual who knowingly and willfully makes materially false statements or uses fraudulent documents in asylum-related proceedings shall be fined or imprisoned up to 10 years, or both.
Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021 This bill provides for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare. It also excludes such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system, and authorizes marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.
School Reopening and Spending Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Education to establish and update monthly a public website to track state expenditures of certain COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) education relief funds. States must report on the operating status of their public elementary and secondary schools during the 2020-2021 school year for inclusion on the website.
College Transparency Act This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by institutions of higher education; and periodically match with other federal systems of data. The bill also establishes a postsecondary student data system advisory committee.
Energy Security Cooperation with Allied Partners in Europe Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to U.S. international energy strategy. Applications to export natural gas to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, Japan, and certain other countries shall be granted on an expedited basis without modification or delay. The President shall impose sanctions on a person that provides certain equipment, investment, or services to the Russian government or related entities for constructing or servicing Russian energy export pipelines. The Department of State shall report to Congress on a strategy to enhance the energy security of NATO member countries and increase U.S. energy exports to such countries.
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2021 or the JOBS Act of 2021 This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by establishing the Job Training Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to award a job training Pell Grant to a student who does not have a degree; attends an institution of higher education (IHE); is enrolled in a career and technical education program at an IHE that provides 150 to 600 clock hours of instructional time over a period of 8 to 15 weeks and provides training aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors (i.e., job training programs); and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Pell Grant. It also specifies that any period during which a student receives a job training Pell Grant counts toward that student's Pell Grant eligibility period.
Fair Access to Banking Act This bill restricts certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks from refusing to do business with a person who is in compliance with the law. Restrictions include prohibiting the use of certain lending programs, initiating the process of terminating an institution's depository insurance, and instituting specified civil penalties.
