Sen. Tom Cotton

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.)

This resolution commends the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on leading the commemoration of the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

This bill extends the deadline, from 270 days to 390 days, for the Commission on Combating Synthetic Opioid Trafficking to submit the final report on its activities and recommendations to combat the flow of synthetic opioids into the United States.

Providing Officers With Electronic Resources Act or the POWER Act This bill authorizes the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to make grants to law enforcement agencies to purchase a chemical screening device and to train personnel to use, and interpret data collected by, such device.

Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions involving Afghanistan and addresses related issues. The President must impose, with certain exceptions, visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that (1) provides support to any terrorist group in Afghanistan, (2) is responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan, or (3) plays a significant role in international narcotics trafficking centered in Afghanistan. The President may also impose such sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that provides certain support for (1) the Taliban or any Taliban member, or (2) any agency of the Taliban-controlled government of Afghanistan. Additionally, the Department of State must (1) require U.S. representatives to the United Nations to advocate and vote to maintain sanctions against the Taliban, and (2) encourage allies and partner countries to impose sanctions against the Taliban. The State Department may suspend the sanctions imposed under this bill upon certifying to Congress that the Taliban has taken certain actions, such as breaking all ties with other terrorist groups. The State Department must establish a task force to (1) implement a strategy relating to the evacuation of Afghanistan, and (2) identify individuals in Afghanistan who have sought admission into the United States as a refugee or humanitarian parolee. The bill requires various reports, including on (1) a revised strategy for engagement with South and Central Asian countries after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, (2) a counterterrorism strategy for Afghanistan, and (3) the extent of Taliban human rights abuses.

This resolution honors the life of Robert Dove, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.

This bill requires the Department of State to designate the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization. (Among other things, such a designation allows the Department of the Treasury to require financial institutions to block transactions involving the organization.)

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2021 This bill changes the source of funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from Federal Reserve System transfers to annual appropriations. Under current law, the transfers from the Federal Reserve System permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process.

No Harbor for Terror Act This bill repeals authority granted to the President to except Iran's energy, shipping, and shipbuilding sectors from sanctions in order to provide for reconstruction assistance or economic development in Afghanistan.

This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.