Big Tech Accountability for Broadband Act This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to promulgate regulations requiring covered businesses to contribute to the federal universal service support mechanism. A covered business is a business offering an online platform (e.g., a social media platform) that has (1) more than 30 million U.S. users or 300 million worldwide users, and (2) more than $10 billion in global revenue. The federal universal service support mechanism collects money from telecommunications companies and uses it to expand broadband access and infrastructure, especially in unserved and underserved areas. In promulgating such regulations, the FCC must consider including a mechanism that prohibits a telecommunications carrier from requiring a customer to pay charges related to universal service support contributions if the customer is considered unserved or underserved with respect to broadband internet access.
Community Vehicle Charging Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program to expand access to electric vehicle infrastructure in communities that consist primarily of minority, low-income, or tribal populations that experience (or are at risk of experiencing) greater adverse human health or environmental effects than other populations. The Department of Transportation must award the grants to community-based organizations; nonprofits; state, tribal, regional, or local governments; metropolitan planning organizations; or other entities responsible for local transportation planning and projects. Grant funds may be used for projects that include (1) developing or implementing plans to install publicly available electric vehicle charging infrastructure, (2) supporting shared electric mobility and micro-mobility options (e.g., electric bicycles), and (3) providing electric vehicle chargers and funding for their installation to community residents.
American Grown Act This bill prohibits the official display of a cut flower or green in any public area of a building of the Executive Office of the President, the Department of State, or the Department of Defense unless it is produced in the United States. The prohibition does not apply to any cut flower or green used by a federal officer or employee for personal display.
Protect Women's and Girls' Rights in Afghanistan Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on the conditions of women and girls in Afghan civil society following the departure of U.S. and NATO forces. The reports shall also assess the status of assurances made by the Taliban related to preserving the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women and its impact on women, families, and the nation, and reaffirms Congress' support for ensuring equal pay and closing the gender wage gap.
Equal Pay for Equal Work Act This bill establishes the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to improve enforcement of equal pay laws.
This resolution expresses the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of the Honorable Carl Levin, former Senator for Michigan.
Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act This bill allows a nurse practitioner or physician assistant to fulfill documentation requirements for coverage, under Medicare, of special shoes for diabetic individuals. Under current law, such requirements may be satisfied only by a physician.
Battery Material Processing and Component Manufacturing Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish grant programs to support, enhance, and sustain a domestic supply chain for batteries, including grants to facilities for processing, manufacturing, and recycling batteries.
Quiet Communities Act of 2021 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to reestablish an Office of Noise Abatement and Control to promote the development of local noise control programs, carry out research, and develop and disseminate educational materials, among other duties.
The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance Act of 2021 or the PASTEUR Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into subscription contracts for critical-need antimicrobial drugs, provides $11 billion in appropriations for activities under the bill, and contains other related provisions. A manufacturer of a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimicrobial drug may apply to HHS to have the drug designated as a critical-need antimicrobial, and HHS may enter into a subscription contract for such a critical-need antimicrobial. The bill imposes certain requirements related to such contracts, including a mechanism to lower payments under the contract in certain instances to limit the manufacturer's revenue from the drug. Furthermore, HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shall award grants to support efforts to encourage the appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs and efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. The CDC shall also track and assess data relating to antibacterial resistance and human antibiotic use and make such data publicly available. HHS shall also establish a Committee on Critical Need Antimicrobials. The committee shall develop a list of prioritized infections for which new antimicrobial drug development is needed, among other duties. Within six years of the bill's enactment, the Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress a study on the bill's effectiveness in developing priority antimicrobial drugs.
Lonnie Kilpatrick Central Pacific Relief Act This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents to veterans who served on (1) Guam or American Samoa, or in the territorial waters thereof, between January 9, 1962, and July 31, 1980; or (2) Johnston Atoll or a ship that went to Johnston Atoll between January 1, 1972, and September 30, 1977. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. Additionally, the bill expands eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to veterans with a disability associated with exposure to certain herbicides during specified times of military service on Guam, American Samoa, or Johnston Atoll.
