Sen. Bill Cassidy

Strategic Production Response Act or the SPR Act This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Interior issues a plan or updates a previously issued plan to increase the production of oil and gas on federal land. The bill defines federal land to (1) include Outer Continental Shelf land; and (2) exclude land otherwise not available for oil and gas development within the National Park System, the National Wildlife Refuge System, the National Wilderness Preservation System, a National Marine Sanctuary, or Indian land.

This bill sets forth special tax rules for determining whether financial guaranty insurance companies are qualifying insurance corporations under the passive foreign investment company rules.

Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take various actions to address transparency in pricing and contract terms in the cattle industry. Among these requirements, USDA must (1) establish regional minimum percentages of cattle that meat packers must procure through negotiated purchases or negotiated grid purchases (i.e., transactions where the price is known and negotiated at the time of the transaction), and (2) maintain a publicly available catalog of contracts offered by meat packers to livestock producers for the purchase of fed cattle.

Maddy summarySRES 451 is a commemorative Senate resolution honoring the late Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), who died November 9, 2021. The resolution recognizes his service as a Vietnam War veteran (losing both legs and an arm in combat), his 50+ years of public service including roles as Georgia State Senator, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and Administrator of the Veterans Administration, and his advocacy for veterans. It formally expresses the Senate’s "profound sorrow" and "deep regret" over his death, commemorates his legacy of service to Georgia and veterans, and requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit the resolution to his family. This is a ceremonial resolution with no policy changes or legal effect.

USACE Military Personnel Augmentation Act of 2021 This bill expands the types of Army personnel entitled to receive certain pay and allowances while assigned to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on nonmilitary public works projects. Currently, regular Corps officers and reserve Army officers assigned to the Corps are entitled to receive pay and allowances from funds appropriated for the project that they are working on. The bill entitles warrant officers and enlisted members of the Army, whether regular or reserve, to receive such pay and allowances when assigned to the Corps.

Coast Guard Combat-Injured Tax Fairness Act This bill extends the provisions of the Combat-Injured Veterans Tax Fairness Act of 2016 to the Department of Homeland Security, with respect to the U.S. Coast Guard when it is not operating in the Department of the Navy. That act directed the Department of Defense to identify (1) certain disability severance payments paid after January 17, 1991, to veterans with combat-related injuries, from which it withheld amounts for tax purposes; and (2) the individuals to whom such severance payments were made.

Claiming Losses After Disasters Act This bill revises the tax deduction for personal casualty losses arising from major federally-declared disasters. It replaces the current requirement that such losses exceed 10% of a disaster victim's adjusted gross income before a deduction can be claimed with a minimum threshold of $500 in losses per disaster.

Judgment Fund Accountability Act of 2021 This bill prohibits payments from the Judgment Fund to individuals who entered or attempted to enter the United States unlawfully. (The Judgment Fund is an account for paying judgments and settlements against the United States.)

Prohibiting Taxpayer Funded Settlements for Illegal Immigrants Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to make settlement payments to compensate any individuals for being separated from family members while detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection if the detention was (1) a result of the individual improperly entering (or attempting to improperly enter) the United States, and (2) in accordance with a Department of Justice memorandum that adopted a zero-tolerance policy for such improper entry into the United States.

Maddy summarySRES 410 is a Senate resolution recognizing October 2021 as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. It supports efforts to educate the public on practical cybersecurity steps, such as using strong passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication, and avoiding phishing scams, while encouraging collaboration between government, businesses, and individuals to improve online safety. The resolution does not create new laws or requirements but affirms commitment to raising awareness about protecting personal data and critical infrastructure from cyber threats.