Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021 This bill sets out programs and otherwise directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to carry out activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally. In coordination with relevant federal agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, partner countries, and other stakeholders, the USAID may scale up programs for preventing and treating malnutrition globally. This includes focusing on interventions for the populations most susceptible to severe malnutrition (e.g., pregnant and lactating women and children younger than five years of age). The USAID must select countries based on specified malnutrition-related indicators for purposes of targeting malnutrition prevention and treatment programs and update the selection within five years. To support these programs, the USAID must leverage additional private sector resources in priority countries, including by considering opportunities within the Development Finance Corporation's impact framework for supporting improved nutrition outcomes. The USAID must provide Congress with an implementation plan and annual reports concerning its programs for preventing and treating malnutrition. The bill also establishes the Nutrition Leadership Council, comprised of various USAID bureaus and offices, to coordinate agency activities to prevent and treat malnutrition. The bill's provisions terminate seven years after its enactment.
This bill requires the President to report to Congress a determination as to whether certain specified Russian persons meet the criteria to be subject to sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. Russian persons specified in this bill include businessperson Roman Abramovich, Minister of Health Mikhail Murashko, and Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.
Re-using Equipment for Environmental Fortification Act or the REEF Act This bill requires the Department of the Navy to notify Congress when a vessel that is a viable candidate for artificial reefing (intentionally sinking a vessel to promote marine life) is to be stricken from the Naval Vessel Register. Specifically, the Navy must provide such notice not later than 90 days before the viable candidate is to be stricken from the register.
Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021 This bill extends liability protection for harm caused by acts or omissions by volunteer health care professionals in the course of providing certain health care services during specified public-health or national emergencies or major disasters. However, such liability protection shall not apply if (1) the harm was caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; or (2) the health care professional provided services under the influence of alcohol or an intoxicating drug.
Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by unNaturalized Emigrants or the BE GONE Act This bill expands, for immigration purposes, the definition of aggravated felony to include sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence. (Under current law, a conviction for an aggravated felony is grounds for deportation and may bar an individual from other immigration-related benefits.)
Foreign Adversary Risk Management Act or the FARM Act This bill places the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, and it requires the committee to review any investment that could result in foreign control of any U.S. agricultural business. Further, it includes agricultural systems and supply chains in the definitions of critical infrastructure and critical technologies for the purposes of reviewing such investments. The Department of Agriculture and the Government Accountability Office must each analyze and report on foreign influence in the U.S. agricultural industry.
SRES 407 is a non-binding Senate resolution designating October 3-9, 2021, as "Religious Education Week" to recognize the role of religious education in the U.S. It celebrates schools and organizations providing religious instruction, which the resolution states supports civic and moral development. The resolution calls on all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia to accommodate public school students who wish to attend religious classes during school hours (a practice permitted under court rulings like *Zorach v. Clauson*). It does not create new laws or policies but symbolically affirms the value of religious education as highlighted by historical figures and legal precedents.
Blocking Joseph Robinette Biden's Overreaching Vaccine Mandates Act This bill restricts implementation and enforcement of COVID-19 vaccine mandates, including in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services may not require, as a condition of participation in the programs, that providers mandate COVID-19 vaccination for their employees, or otherwise penalize participating providers that do not mandate such vaccination. The bill also prohibits the use of federal funds to implement or enforce a COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
C yber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2021 This bill requires reporting and other actions to address cybersecurity incidents, including ransomware attacks. Entities that own or operate critical infrastructure must report cybersecurity incidents (e.g., ransomware attacks) within specified time frames while other entities may voluntarily report incidents. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) must (1) carry out rulemaking to implement the reporting requirements, and (2) establish an office to receive and analyze such reports. To the extent practicable, CISA must align its rules with existing requirements related to the reporting of cybersecurity incidents. The bill limits the use and disclosure of reported information. The information may be shared (subject to protections and restrictions) with federal agencies or to address cybersecurity threats. However, shared information may not be used as a basis for certain regulatory enforcement. Additionally, an entity may not be liable for submitting required reports. Further, reports are not subject to laws governing release of federal or other governmental records. The bill authorizes CISA to take specified action (e.g., issuing subpoenas) if an entity fails to submit a required report. CISA may share subpoenaed information with a regulator or the Department of Justice for regulatory enforcement or criminal prosecution.
This resolution urges Major League Baseball to reverse the planned closure of the Miken Sports production facility in Caledonia, Minnesota, and to buy products that are made in America.
Protecting Financial Privacy Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a federal agency from creating, implementing, or administering a program that requires financial institutions or individuals to report on the balances of, transactions involving, or transfers into and out of financial accounts. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on September 1, 2021, or to the Bank Secrecy Act (laws that require financial institutions and other entities to report on certain financial transactions to prevent money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and other criminal activity). This prohibition does apply, however, to regulations issued under the Bank Secrecy Act after September 1, 2021.
Health Freedom for All Act This bill prohibits the Department of Labor from issuing an emergency temporary occupational safety or health standard requiring employers to ensure that their employees receive a COVID-19 vaccine or undergo COVID-19 testing.
