Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act or the ARTS Act This bill directs the Copyright Office to waive various copyright registration-related fees for works that win certain competitions sponsored by the Congressional Institute or established by Congress. To qualify for the fee waiver, the copyright registration application must be filed within a specified time frame, but the Copyright Office may waive fees for a qualifying work even if the application is filed outside the time frame.
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises several programs and activities relating to newborn screening for certain conditions and genetic, endocrine, and metabolic diseases. Among its changes, the bill reauthorizes and makes mandatory the Hunter Kelly Research Program at the National Institutes of Health, and national surveillance activities conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill also aligns statutory requirements for research on non-identified newborn blood spots with federal regulations governing research on human subjects. These blood spots are collected as part of newborn screening programs, and some states make them available for biomedical and public health research. Under current regulations, research on non-identified bio-specimens such as blood spots is not considered to be research on human subjects, to which additional protections apply.
This resolution sets forth rules for the consideration of H.R. 2062 to amend the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 and other laws to clarify appropriate standards for employment discrimination and retaliation claims; H.R. 239 to provide for limitations on copayments for contraception furnished by the Department of Veterans Affairs; H.R. 1443 to amend the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to require the collection of small business loan data related to LGBTQ-owned business; S.J. Res 14 providing for congressional disapproval of the Environmental Protection Agency Rule relating to Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources Review ; and S.J. Res 15 providing for congressional disapproval of the Office of Comptroller of Currency rule relating to National Banks and Federal Savings Associations as Lenders . The resolution also adopts H.E. Res 485 that provides amounts for the expenses of the Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth for the 117th Congress.
This bill repeals the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002.
VA Police Improvement and Accountability Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish policies and procedures related to the accountability and staffing of its police force. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to publish specified summaries, statistics, and contact information related to the activities of VA police officers from the previous five-year period. The VA must ensure that each of its police forces is able to provide VA employees and members of the public who contact the force with contact information to directly contact the police force regarding the arrest, ticketing, detainment, use of force, or other police matters pertaining to the individual. The bill requires VA police officers to wear body cameras that record and store audio and video. Additionally, the VA's guidance on the use of body cameras must be made publicly available. Under the bill, the VA is required to track and analyze the following information regarding its police force: arrests made and tickets issued; prosecutions, ticketing, and other actions relating to such arrests; the use of force and weapon discharges; and complaints, investigations, and disciplinary actions. The VA must ensure each incident of the use of force is promptly reported to the Assistant Secretary with responsibility for operations, preparedness, security, and law enforcement functions. The Assistant Secretary must review and investigate each incident (including allegations) of the use of force by a VA police officer, including such situations where any person receives medical attention. The VA must develop a plan that establishes minimum standards for police staffing at its facilities.
This resolution designates June 19, 2021, as Juneteenth Independence Day to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States.
American Dream and Promise Act of 2021 This bill provides certain aliens with a path to receive permanent resident status and contains other immigration-related provisions. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) shall provide conditional permanent resident status for 10 years to a qualifying alien who entered the United States as a minor and (1) is deportable or inadmissible, (2) has deferred enforced departure (DED) status or temporary protected status (TPS), or (3) is the child of certain classes of nonimmigrants. The bill imposes various qualifying requirements, such as the alien being continuously physically present in the United States since January 1, 2021, passing a background check, and being enrolled in or having completed certain educational programs. DHS shall remove the conditions placed on permanent resident status granted under this bill if the alien applies and meets certain requirements, such as completing certain programs at an educational institution, serving in the military, or being employed. Furthermore, DHS and DOJ shall cancel the removal of certain aliens who had TPS, were eligible for TPS, or were eligible for DED status on certain dates. Such an alien shall receive permanent resident status upon meeting certain requirements and applying for such status within three years of this bill's enactment. For an alien seeking permanent resident status under this bill, DHS may (1) waive certain grounds of inadmissibility, or (2) provisionally deny the application if the alien poses a danger to public safety or has knowingly participated in certain offenses involving a criminal street gang. An alien shall have the right to administrative and judicial review of a denial or revocation of permanent resident status granted under this bill. An alien seeking judicial review of a provisional denial shall be appointed counsel upon request. An alien who appears to be prima facie eligible for relief under this bill shall receive a reasonable chance to apply for such relief and may not be removed until there is a final decision on that application for relief. DHS may not use information from applications filed under this bill or for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status for immigration enforcement purposes. DHS shall establish a grant program for nonprofit organizations that assist individuals with certain immigration-related issues. This bill also repeals a restriction that bars a state from providing higher education benefits to undocumented aliens unless those benefits are available to all U.S. nationals without regard to residency in the state.
This resolution condemns the recent rise in anti-Semitic violence and harassment targeting Jewish Americans. The resolution (1) recommits to combating anti-Semitism in all forms; and (2) calls on elected officials, faith leaders, and civil society leaders to denounce and combat all manifestations of anti-Semitism. The resolution urges the President to continue the leadership role of the United States in combating anti-Semitism internationally, advance accurate Holocaust education and counter Holocaust denial and distortion, ensure the physical security of Jewish institutions and organizations, and produce an analysis that accounts for the level and scope of the threat that anti-Semitism poses to the people of the United States. The resolution urges law enforcement agencies to fully participate in the data collection process of the Federal Bureau of Investigation to improve anti-Semitic hate crime data collection.
This resolution authorizes (1) Nicole Meservey, and any other current or former employee of Senator Mark Warner's office from whom relevant evidence may be necessary, to testify and produce documents in the case of United States v. Taylor (except concerning matters for which a privilege should be asserted); and (2) the Senate Legal Counsel to represent the Senator and any current or former employees of his office in connection with the case.
This resolution authorizes (1) Laura Bowen, and any other employee of the Senate Post Office from whom relevant evidence may be necessary, to testify and produce documents in the case of United States v. Dodd (except concerning matters for which a privilege should be asserted); and (2) the Senate Legal Counsel to represent any employees of such office in connection with the case.
United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 This bill addresses U.S. technology and communications, foreign relations and national security, domestic manufacturing, education, trade, and other matters. Among other provisions, the bill provides funding for FY2022-FY2026 to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security; provides funding for wireless supply chain innovation; establishes a Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation; extends through 2025 the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lease its non-excess real property and related personal property; authorizes various programs and policies related to space exploration; authorizes various international affairs programs and activities, including foreign assistance for the Indo-Pacific region; requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States; imposes sanctions on China for cybersecurity and human rights abuses; requires the Department of Health and Human Services to consider national security risks associated with sensitive genetic information; includes initiatives related to elementary and secondary education, including those to increase computer science education; contains provisions related to higher education, including those reauthorizing through FY2027 international education programs and addressing China's influence on institutions of higher education; modifies and expands the schedule for graduated merger filing fees; prohibits federal funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology; requires the U.S. Trade Representative to take certain actions related to digital trade and censorship practices; and extends through 2027 the Generalized System of Preferences.
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex, which is defined to include pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics. Specifically, it limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, and makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages. The bill also increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program to provide training in negotiation skills related to compensation and equitable working conditions, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill establishes the National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. It also establishes the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to address compliance, public education, and enforcement of equal pay laws. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
