Providing Americans with LNG Safely Act or the PALS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing any regulation or order that (1) prohibits the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail, or (2) restricts the transportation of LNG by rail in DOT-113 tank cars. The bill does not limit the authority of DOT to issue short-term emergency orders related to the transportation of LNG by rail.
Veteran Suicide Prevention Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to complete a review of the deaths of all covered veterans who died by suicide during the five-year period preceding the enactment of this bill. Covered veterans are those who received VA hospital care or medical services during the five-year period preceding the death of the veteran. The VA shall report on the results of the review and make such report publicly available.
Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act or the VETS Safe Travel Act This bill makes certain veterans eligible for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck Program at no cost if they meet the program's background check and security requirements. Veterans who are eligible for this fee waiver are those who are in the annual patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and require the use of a wheelchair, prosthetic limb, or other assistive device to aid with mobility due to (1) loss, or loss of use, of a limb; (2) full or partial paralyzation; or (3) permanent blindness. The VA and the TSA must develop and implement a process to provide disabled veterans effective outreach about TSA programs that are designed to improve the screening process for passengers with disabilities.
VA Billing Accountability Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to waive the requirement that a veteran make co-payments for medications, hospital care, nursing home care, and medical services in certain situations. Specifically, a veteran may have such co-payments waived if (1) an error committed by the VA or a non-VA facility delayed co-payment notification to the veteran, and (2) the veteran received such notification later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. In requiring a veteran to make a co-payment for care or services provided at a VA or a non-VA medical facility, the VA shall notify the veteran not later than 180 days (18 months in the case of a non-VA facility) after the date on which the veteran received the care or services. If the VA does not provide notification by such date, it may not collect the payment, including through a third-party entity, unless the veteran is provided with (1) information about applying for a waiver and establishing a payment plan with the VA, and (2) an opportunity to make a waiver or establish a payment plan. Finally, the bill requires the VA to review and improve its co-payment billing internal controls and notification procedures.
Ethan's Law This bill establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels. At the federal level, the bill establishes statutory requirements for firearms on residential premises to be safely stored if a minor is likely to gain access without permission or if a resident is ineligible to possess a firearm. An individual who violates the requirements is subject to criminal penalties. A firearm stored in violation of the requirements is subject to seizure and forfeiture. At the state and tribal levels, the bill requires the Department of Justice to award grants to implement functionally identical requirements for the safe storage of firearms.
Mutual Fund Litigation Reform Act This bill specifies burden-of-proof and complaint requirements with respect to certain actions for breach of fiduciary duty against an investment adviser. Specifically, complaints must state certain facts with particularity, and a security holder has the burden of proving a breach of fiduciary duty by clear and convincing evidence.
Heartbeat Protection Act of 2021 This bill makes it a crime for a physician to knowingly perform an abortion (1) without determining whether the fetus has a detectable heartbeat, (2) without informing the mother of the results, or (3) after determining that a fetus has a detectable heartbeat. It provides an exception for an abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical (but not psychological or emotional) disorder, illness, or condition. A physician who performs a prohibited abortion is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. A woman who undergoes a prohibited abortion may not be prosecuted for violating or conspiring to violate the provisions of this bill.
Recognition of Local Interests in NEPA Decision Making This bill sets forth requirements for determining the venue for judicial review of an agency action under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). Specifically, the bill requires a proceeding for judicial review of an agency's compliance with NEPA to be brought in the U.S. district court for a district in which the authorized activity is proposed to be carried out or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Senior abuse Training and Offense Prevention Act or the STOP Act This bill directs the Department of Justice to award competitive grants to state or local governments, Indian tribes, or other entities to support law enforcement personnel, corrections personnel, and other first responders in elder justice matters.
Abby Honold Act This bill directs the Office on Violence Against Women within the Department of Justice to make competitive grants to law enforcement agencies and victim services organizations to implement evidence-based, trauma-informed approaches in responding to and investigating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.
Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere Act of 2021 or the JUSTICE Act This bill addresses policies and issues regarding policing practices and law enforcement accountability. The bill funds state and local grants, incentivizes state and local reporting on the use of certain policing practices, creates new federal offenses for certain misconduct, and establishes best practices and training requirements. The bill funds state and local grants, including to support the use of body-worn cameras, to implement information sharing systems for disciplinary records of law enforcement officers, and to prohibit officers from engaging in sexual acts under color of the law. Further, it requires state and local governments that receive grants under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program to report information related to use-of-force incidents and the use of no-knock warrants. At the federal level, the bill establishes new criminal offenses related to falsifying police reports and engaging in sexual acts under color of law. The bill directs the Department of Justice to develop training on de-escalation tactics, behavioral health crises, alternatives to the use of force, and the duty to intervene when another officer uses excessive force. Finally, the bill establishes and funds the National Criminal Justice Commission. Among other tasks, the commission must develop best practices for policing tactics and procedures.
Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act This bill establishes requirements for the degree of care a health care practitioner must provide in the case of a child born alive following an abortion or attempted abortion. Specifically, a health care practitioner who is present must (1) exercise the same degree of care as would reasonably be provided to any other child born alive at the same gestational age, and (2) ensure the child is immediately admitted to a hospital. Additionally, a health care practitioner or other employee who has knowledge of a failure to comply with the degree-of-care requirements must immediately report such failure to law enforcement. A health care practitioner who fails to provide the required degree of care, or a health care practitioner or other employee who fails to report such failure, is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. An individual who intentionally kills or attempts to kill a child born alive is subject to prosecution for murder. The bill bars the criminal prosecution of a mother of a child born alive under this bill and allows her to bring a civil action against a health care practitioner or other employee for violations.
