This resolution expresses the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of the Honorable Mike Enzi, former Senator for Wyoming.
Alexander Lofgren Veterans in Parks (VIP) Act This bill makes the America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available, without charge, to members of the Armed Forces, veterans, and Gold Star Families. The pass covers the entrance fee and standard amenity recreation fee for all federal recreational lands and waters.
This resolution revises the eligibility criteria for the Senate Employee Child Care Center. For FY2022, and each fiscal year afterwards, the Senate shall reimburse the Senate Employee Child Care Center for the cost of the basic pay paid to the Executive Director and the Assistant Director of the center. As a condition of receiving such reimbursement, the center must terminate the enrollment of a child at the center within 120 days of the date on which the child does not have a parent or guardian who is serving as an employee of the Senate, an employee of the center, a congressional employee, or a federal employee. As a condition of receiving reimbursement under this resolution, the center shall provide enrollment first, to a child of an individual serving as a Senate employee or as an employee of the center; second, to a child of an individual serving as a congressional employee; and third, to a child of a federal employee if certain conditions are met. Under the resolution, the center may provide enrollment to the child of a federal employee if there is an enrollment slot available; no child of an individual serving as an employee of the Senate, as an employee of the center, or as a congressional employee accepts the slot; and no currently enrolled child is ready to transition to the class in which the slot is available.
This resolution suspends a rule that prohibits the taking of pictures in the Senate Chamber to permit the Senate Photographic Studio to photograph the Senate in actual session on July 27, 2021.
This resolution supports proceeding with the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games in a safe and secure environment. The resolution commends the government of Japan and the Tokyo metropolitan government for their efforts to commit resources to provide such an environment.
Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021 or the Allies Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of special immigrant visas available to qualified Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. government or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions in Afghanistan. The bill also relaxes certain qualifications for such visas. Specifically, this bill makes available an additional 8,000 visas for principal aliens under this special visa program, to be available until all such visas have been issued. (The numerical limitations in this program apply only to the principal alien who applies for the visa, not to any accompanying spouse or child.) Under this bill, an alien may qualify based on a credible basis for concern about the possibility of an ongoing serious threat in Afghanistan due to their work with the U.S. government or a NATO mission, where currently the alien must have experienced such a threat. The bill also eliminates a requirement for each applicant to submit a credible sworn statement describing that threat. Furthermore, for an applicant qualifying for a visa by performing duties for U.S. military personnel stationed with a NATO mission, this bill eliminates a requirement that the duties performed qualify as sensitive and trusted duties. If an alien submits a visa application that included an accompanying spouse or child but the alien passes away before the application is granted, the surviving spouse or child shall remain eligible to receive a visa under that application. Currently, a surviving spouse or child retains eligibility only if the application was approved before the alien passed away.
Consumer Protection and Recovery Act This bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to seek monetary relief in federal court from businesses that engage in unlawful commercial practices such as false advertising, consumer fraud, and anticompetitive conduct. Specifically, the FTC may seek restitution in these cases for losses, rescission or reformation of contracts, refund of money, return of property, or disgorgement of unjust enrichment. On April 22, 2021, the Supreme Court held in AMG Capital Management, LLC v. Federal Trade Commission that the Federal Trade Commission Act does not authorize the FTC to seek, or a court to award, such relief.
Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State, when providing overseas assistance for refugees, to ensure the provision of safe and secure access to sanitation facilities, with a special emphasis on women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
Desert Locust Control Act This bill requires the President to establish an interagency working group to (1) coordinate the U.S. response to the ongoing desert locust outbreak in the East Africa region and its impact on food security and political stability, including in the context of restrictions relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019); (2) review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral efforts to eradicate the desert locust outbreak; and (3) develop and implement a plan to control the desert locust outbreak.
This resolution calls on the United States and North Korea to begin the process of reuniting Korean Americans with their immediate relatives in North Korea. (Many families were divided after the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, which divided the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea.)
This resolution reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to media diversity and expresses its pledge to eliminate barriers to such diversity.
Divided Families Reunification Act This bill directs the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on its consultations with South Korea on potential opportunities to reunite Korean Americans with family in North Korea. The State Department's Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues shall periodically report to Congress on its consultations with representatives of Korean Americans with family in North Korea on reunification efforts.
