Free Veterans from Fees Act This bill waives the application fee for any special use permit solely for a veterans special event at war memorials on land administered by the National Park Service in the District of Columbia and its environs.
This resolution supports the designation of October 3-October 9, 2021, as National 4-H Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of 4-H in youth development and education, and (2) encourages all citizens to recognize 4-H for the significant impact the organization and members have made and continue to make by empowering young people with the skills needed to lead for a lifetime.
SRES 421 is a symbolic Senate resolution supporting National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. It formally recognizes the goals of this observance, commends domestic violence victim advocates, service providers, crisis hotline staff, and first responders, and acknowledges survivors' strength. The resolution expresses the Senate's sense that Congress should continue raising awareness about domestic violence and supporting programs that assist survivors, hold perpetrators accountable, and prevent future violence. This resolution does not create new laws or allocate funding but serves as a statement of congressional support for existing efforts.
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate one week each year as Buddy Check Week for the purposes of organizing outreach events and educating veterans on how to conduct peer wellness checks. The VA shall ensure that the Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for handling the potential increase in calls that may occur during such week.
This Senate resolution (SRES 409) symbolically designates the week beginning October 17, 2021, as "National Character Counts Week." It encourages schools, families, youth organizations, and communities to focus on character education during this week, highlighting traits like trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, and caring. The resolution does not create new laws or policies but calls for voluntary observance through ceremonies and activities to promote character development in young people. It is a non-binding, commemorative measure aimed at raising awareness about character education.
This resolution designates September 2021 as National Democracy Month.
One-Stop Pilot Program Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to conduct a pilot program at not more than six foreign last point of departure airports to permit passengers and their accessible property to bypass domestic security rescreening at a connecting airport in the United States. Screening may be bypassed if (1) the country of departure has an aviation screening agreement with the United States setting standards and protocols comparable to those in the United States; (2) passengers cannot access their checked baggage until arriving at their final destination; and (3) upon arrival in the United States, passengers do not come into contact with other arriving international passengers (or their property) or persons who have not been screened. The TSA must ensure there is no reduction in the level of security or specific aviation security standards and requirements for screening passengers and their property prior to boarding an international flight bound for the United States, including standards or requirements regarding (1) high risk passengers; and (2) weapons, explosives, and incendiaries. If the TSA determines that the foreign countries participating in the screening agreements have not maintained and implemented comparable standards and protocols to those in the United States, it must ensure that passengers and their property arriving from the foreign airports are rescreened in the United States before they are permitted into sterile areas of the airports. The pilot program shall terminate six years after the enactment of the bill.
Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act of 2021 or the EQUAL Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the federal sentencing disparity between drug offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Currently, different threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine (e.g., 28 grams of crack cocaine and 500 grams of powder cocaine) trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. This bill eliminates the lower quantity thresholds for crack cocaine offenses. Under the bill, the same threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. The change applies to future cases and cases pending on the date of enactment. With respect to past cases, the bill authorizes a sentencing court to impose a reduced sentence on a defendant who was convicted or sentenced for a specified crack cocaine offense before this bill's enactment. A defendant does not have to be present at the sentence reduction hearing. Finally, the bill prohibits the reduction of a sentence that was previously reduced.
This resolution honors the life of Robert Dove, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.
This resolution designates September 20-September 24, 2021, as National Clean Energy Week.
This resolution honors the contributions of small businesses in the United States and supports the designation of National Small Business Week.
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself; or 3 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years and the state administers the elections. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the extent of any history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
