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.
Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 This bill revises requirements under the food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture, such as the school lunch and breakfast programs. For example, the bill permanently provides free meals to all school children regardless of income. The bill increases the reimbursement rate for school food authorities participating in the food and nutrition programs. The bill also prohibits school food authorities from (1) physically segregating or otherwise discriminating against any child participating in the free breakfast program, or (2) overtly identifying a child participating in the program with a special token or announcement. Additionally, the bill expands the summer food service program by making all children eligible for participation in the program. Further, the bill revises eligibility determinations for measuring poverty to include runaway or homeless youth, foster children, migratory children, and children participating in specified programs (e.g., Head Start).
This resolution declares that the Pledge of Allegiance has been a valuable part of life for the people of the United States for generations and defends its constitutionality.
This resolution denounces socialism and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.
Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the award of federal funds to an institution of higher education (IHE) that hosts or is affiliated with a school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to its students or to employees of the IHE or the site. An IHE that hosts or is affiliated with a site must, in order to remain eligible for federal funds, annually certify that the site does not provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the award of federal funds to an institution of higher education (IHE) that hosts or is affiliated with a school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to its students or to employees of the IHE or the site. An IHE that hosts or is affiliated with a site must, in order to remain eligible for federal funds, annually certify that the site does not provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
DHS Medical Countermeasures Act This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish a medical countermeasures program to facilitate personnel readiness and protection for DHS employees and working animals in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives attack, naturally occurring disease outbreak, or pandemic, and to support DHS mission continuity. The Chief Medical Officer of DHS shall (1) provide programmatic oversight of the program, (2) establish a medical countermeasures working group, and (3) develop and submit to DHS an integrated logistics support plan for medical countermeasures.
Domains Critical to Homeland Security Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to conduct research and development to identify U.S. critical domains for economic and homeland security and evaluate the extent to which disruption, corruption, exploitation, or dysfunction of any such domain poses a substantial threat to homeland security. The bill defines United States critical domains for economic security as the critical infrastructure and other associated industries, technologies, and intellectual property, or any combination thereof, that are essential to U.S. economic security. DHS may conduct additional research into high-risk critical domains under specified circumstances.
State and Local Cybersecurity Improvement Act This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to establish the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program to address cybersecurity risks and threats to the information systems of state, local, or tribal organizations. Eligible grant applicants (i.e., states and certain Indian tribes) must submit a cybersecurity plan—to be approved by CISA as a condition of disbursement—that describes how the applicant will use the funds to address cybersecurity risks and threats to their information systems. Grant funds must be used to implement, develop, or revise the applicant's cybersecurity plan or to assist with activities that address imminent cybersecurity risks or threats. CISA must establish a State and Local Cybersecurity Resilience Committee to provide state, local, and tribal stakeholder expertise, situational awareness, and recommendations to CISA on how to address cybersecurity risks and threats. CISA must develop and maintain a resource guide for state, local, tribal, and territorial government officials to assist with identifying, preparing for, detecting, protecting against, responding to, and recovering from cybersecurity risks, threats, and incidents. In addition, CISA must develop and make publicly available a Homeland Security Strategy to Improve the Cybersecurity of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Governments. Finally, CISA must assess the feasibility of implementing a short-term rotational program to detail approved state, local, tribal, and territorial government employees to CISA in cyber workforce positions.
Strengthening Local Transportation Security Capabilities Act of 2021 This bill addresses threat information sharing and law enforcement training regarding the enhancement of security for surface transportation assets. A surface transportation asset includes facilities, equipment, or systems used to provide transportation services by a public transportation carrier, railroad carrier, or an entity offering scheduled, fixed-route transportation services by bus. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prioritize the assignment of officers and intelligence analysts from the Transportation Security Administration and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis to locations with fusion centers in jurisdictions with high-risk surface transportation assets to enhance the security of such assets, including by improving timely sharing of classified information regarding terrorism and other threats. The bill also authorizes DHS to develop a training program to enhance the protection, preparedness, and response capabilities of law enforcement agencies with respect to terrorism and other threats at a surface transportation asset.
Transportation Security Preparedness Act of 2021 This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to survey its workforce regarding the TSA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It must also develop and biennially review a transportation security preparedness plan for addressing future outbreaks of communicable diseases. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report to Congress that contains the results of a study assessing the plan, including an analysis of (1) whether such plan aligns with relevant federal plans and strategies for communicable disease outbreaks, and (2) the extent to which the TSA is prepared to implement the plan.
DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to maintain certain capabilities to identify and address threats to industrial control systems. Specifically, the bill requires CISA's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to ensure that its activities address the security of both information and operational technology, including industrial control systems. Additionally, CISA must maintain capabilities to identify and address threats and vulnerabilities to products and technologies intended for use in the automated control of critical infrastructure processes by (1) leading efforts to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats to industrial control systems; (2) maintaining threat hunting and incident response capabilities to respond to cybersecurity risks and incidents; (3) providing cybersecurity technical assistance to stakeholders; and (4) collecting, coordinating, and providing vulnerability information to the industrial control systems community. CISA shall provide to the homeland security committees a briefing on its industrial control systems capabilities at specified intervals. The Government Accountability Office must review and report on implementation of the bill's requirements.
