This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the case of Peng Shuai is directly related to broader international concerns around the freedom of speech and safety of athletes participating in the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. The resolution also expresses that the role of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in legitimizing China's claims about Peng's safety raises questions about the IOC's ability and willingness to protect the rights of athletes participating in the 2022 Olympic and Paralympic games in Beijing. Finally, the resolution expresses that China should (1) provide independent and verifiable proof of Peng's whereabouts and that she is safe, (2) allow Peng to engage directly with the Women's Tennis Association and the United Nations to independently verify her safety and explain her absence from public life since making her allegation, (3) open an independent and transparent investigation into Peng's allegations against former senior Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, (4) publicly commit to holding sexual violence abusers accountable, (5) cease all censorship of reporting and discussions of Peng's case, and (6) allow Peng to leave China if she so desires and not retaliate against her family members who remain there.
VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to report on the costs of its Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, including by describing all expenses driven by the program.
High Rise Fire Sprinkler Incentive Act of 2021 This bill classifies any automatic fire sprinkler system retrofit property as 15-year property for purposes of accelerated depreciation.
Food Date Labeling Act of 2021 This bill addresses food waste by establishing requirements to standardize the quality date and discard date labels on food packaging.
Critical Infrastructure Manufacturing Feasibility Act This bill requires the Department of Commerce to study and report on products that are in high demand across the critical infrastructure sectors. Critical infrastructure sectors are those whose assets, systems, and networks are vital to national security, the economy, public health or safety, or any combination of those matters. The study must (1) identify the products in high demand across those sectors that are being imported due to manufacturing, material, or supply chain constraints; and (2) analyze the costs, benefits, and feasibility of manufacturing those products in the United States.
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.
Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act of 2021 This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to accredited education programs to increase diversity in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology professions. Grants may be used to provide scholarships or to support recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups.
Reaching Every Homeless Veteran Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Labor, in administering homeless veterans reintegration programs, to (1) consider grant applications from entities in all states (to the extent practicable), and (2) conduct an outreach and education program in states where no entity has been awarded a grant to ensure communities are aware of homeless veterans reintegration programs.
This resolution expresses that it is the sense of the Senate that the Department of State should lead a coordinated effort to extract U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents from Afghanistan, support Afghan citizens in their efforts to safely leave Afghanistan, and maintain open lines of contact and help with individuals remaining in Afghanistan under the Taliban. The resolution urges the United States to work with the United Nations (U.N.) to establish humanitarian corridors from and to countries bordering Afghanistan and work with such countries to ensure the efficient and safe reception and processing of Afghan refugees. The resolution urges the U.N. to appoint an independent, nongovernmental human rights monitor, who should have continued free access throughout Afghanistan to ensure the Taliban is not brutalizing individuals and families living in Afghanistan, and report to the U.N. Security Council in an ongoing fashion on the human rights and humanitarian situation on the ground in Afghanistan. The resolution urges the United States to convene a high-level summit to identify and consult with countries willing and able to receive Afghan refugees. Finally, the resolution discourages the U.S. government from engaging with the Taliban in any way that would grant the Taliban benefits typically afforded to legitimate governments or would otherwise legitimize the Taliban.
Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act This bill expressly prohibits health care providers and other entities involved in matching donated organs with recipients from denying or restricting an individual's access to organ transplants solely on the basis of the individual's disability, except in limited circumstances. Specifically, these entities may consider an individual's disability when making decisions about transplants only if a physician finds, based on an individualized evaluation, that the individual's physical or mental disability is medically significant to the provision of the transplant. A disability shall not be considered medically significant if the individual has an adequate support system in place to comply with transplant-related medical requirements. These entities must also make reasonable changes to their policies to make transplants and related care more available to individuals with disabilities. Aggrieved individuals may bring claims of discrimination to the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services or before a federal court. The bill provides for expedited resolutions of these claims.
Strengthening the Office of Personnel Management Act This bill provides statutory authority for the mission of the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), establishes the Chief Management Officer and the OPM Advisory Committee on Human Capital Management, and specifies additional requirements for the appointment of the OPM Director and the removal of the OPM Director or Deputy Director.
Veteran and Beginning Farmers Assistance Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2028 and makes other changes to a technology transfer program for assisting agricultural producers in rural areas. Among the changes, the bill (1) incorporates a specific focus on beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers; and (2) expands the scope of the assistance to include improving farm viability, strengthening supply chains, and increasing resilience to extreme weather through conservation practices.
