Berta Caceres Human Rights in Honduras Act This bill prohibits U.S. assistance to the police or military of Honduras. The Department of the Treasury shall instruct U.S. representatives of multilateral development banks to vote against providing loans to the Honduran police or military. The prohibition shall be lifted if the Department of State certifies to Congress that various conditions have been met, including that the Honduran government has (1) pursued all legal avenues to reach verdicts in specified crimes, such as the killings of indigenous land-rights activist Berta Caceres and of 100 small-farmer activists in the Aguan Valley; (2) investigated and prosecuted members of the military and police who have violated human rights; and (3) taken effective steps to establish the rule of law.
Special Drawing Rights Oversight Act of 2021 This bill imposes additional restrictions on the U.S. government's authority to vote on Special Drawing Rights (SDR) allocations at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (The SDR is an international reserve asset maintained by the IMF based on contributions from IMF member countries. SDRs may be exchanged between member countries and may also be exchanged for currencies.) Under current law, U.S. representatives to the IMF may not vote for SDR allocations to the United States beyond an amount authorized by statute unless Congress authorizes such a vote. This bill further reduces the allocation amount that U.S. representatives to the IMF may vote for without congressional approval. Furthermore, U.S. representatives to the IMF may not vote for SDR allocations to a country if the President finds that the country's government has (1) committed genocide in the last 10 years, or (2) repeatedly supported international terrorism.
No Social Media Accounts for Terrorists or State Sponsors of Terrorism Act of 2021 This bill bars access to certain social media platforms by individuals designated as terrorists or senior officials of a government that is a state sponsor of terrorism. Specifically, the bill requires the President to prohibit providers of social media platforms (i.e., platforms that allow users to generate and share content and that have over 100,000 active users) from making such platforms available to barred individuals or officials. The bill does, however, allow officials to use these platforms solely for legitimate emergency alert purposes. Violations of this prohibition are subject to civil and criminal penalties. In addition, the President may waive the prohibition in the interests of U.S. national security. The Department of the Treasury must report to Congress on (1) the status and impact of the prohibitions of this bill, and (2) efforts to facilitate the free flow of information and access to communications technologies by civil society and democratic activists in Iran, Syria, North Korea, Cuba, and other countries controlled by authoritarian regimes.
Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act of 2021 or the RISE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support may be used to provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution, national laboratory, or individual that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; issue awards to research the effects of the current pandemic and potential future pandemics; and provide flexibility on awards to account for facility closures or other limitations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible. Provided funds shall remain available through FY2021.
Federal Insurance Office Abolishment Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the Federal Insurance Office (FIO) within the Department of the Treasury. The bill also removes the FIO director as a nonvoting member of the Financial Stability Oversight Council.
This bill invalidates certain provisions of the District of Columbia Municipal Regulations as added by the final rulemaking of the State Superintendent of Education of the District of Columbia issued on December 7, 2016, that require a staff member of a child development facility to have a degree, a certificate, or a minimum number of credit hours from an institution of higher education. The requirements of this rulemaking apply to personnel including child development center directors, teachers, and assistant teachers; expanded child development home caregivers; and out-of-school time program directors and group leaders.
Iran Nuclear Deal Advice and Consent Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to rejoin the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action—commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal—unless the President commits to submit any successor agreement to the Senate for advice and consent as a treaty.
Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Act This bill authorizes grants to expand training and support services for families and caregivers of individuals living with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. The Department of Health and Human Services may award these grants to community organizations and health care and social service providers.
This resolution directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make specified corrections in the engrossment of H.R. 1319 (American Rescue Plan Act of 2021).
This resolution expresses support for the designation of COVID-19 Victims and Survivors Memorial Day to memorialize the lives lost to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Earmark Elimination Act of 2021 This bill establishes a point of order in the Senate against considering legislation that includes an earmark. An earmark is generally any congressionally directed spending, tax benefit, or tariff benefit that benefits a specific entity, state, locality, or congressional district other than through a statutory or administrative formula or competitive award process. The point of order may be waived by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the Senate. If the point of order is successfully raised and sustained, the earmark must be stricken from the legislation.
Military Spouses Retirement Security Act This bill allows a small business employer a tax credit for each employee who is a military spouse and eligible to participate in the employer's defined contribution retirement plan.
