Disclosing All Spending That Ensures Relief Act or the DISASTER Act This bill requires federal agencies to track and disclose on a centralized website certain data on funding, outlays, and financial damages relating to disasters and emergencies.
U.S. Trade Leadership in the Indo-Pacific and China Act This bill requires the U.S. Trade Representative to annually report on the economic and trade relationship between the United States and China, including a comprehensive review of the current tariffs in place against China.
Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction Act or the DETOUR Act This bill prohibits large online operators from manipulating their product to mislead consumers into providing personal information or giving consent. The bill further prohibits these operators from studying the behavioral patterns of subsets of users without first obtaining informed consent, and it prohibits designing online products that lead to compulsive usage by children. If meeting certain requirements, an association of large online operators may register with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as a professional standards body to develop and promote best practices and guidance for complying with the requirements of this bill. The bill provides authority for the FTC to enforce the requirements of this bill.
Maternal Vaccination Act This bill includes a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals in existing public health activities to increase vaccination rates. First, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must incorporate a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals, including by disseminating information to obstetric health care providers, into its existing public awareness campaign about the importance of vaccinations. Second, the bill expressly allows certain project grants for preventive health services to be used for activities to increase vaccination rates of pregnant and postpartum individuals (and their children).
This resolution supports (1) the goals and ideals of World AIDS Day, including the goal to achieve zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths; (2) efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States and around the world by 2030; (3) continued funding for prevention, care and treatment services, and research programs for communities impacted by HIV and people living with HIV in the United States and globally; and (4) continued leadership by the United States in domestic, bilateral, multilateral, and private sector efforts to fight HIV. Finally, the resolution urges other members of the international community to sustain and scale up their support for, and financial contributions to, efforts around the world to combat HIV.
This Senate resolution (SRES 464) expresses symbolic support for National Adoption Month (November) and National Adoption Day (November 20), encouraging public awareness of children awaiting adoption. It does not create new laws or allocate funding but urges U.S. citizens to consider adoption and support efforts to provide safety and permanency for children in foster care. The resolution highlights challenges like the pandemic's impact on foster care systems while affirming that every child deserves a permanent family. It directly affects no specific group through policy changes - it is a non-binding statement of support endorsed by 30+ senators.
This resolution commemorates the 125th anniversary of the National Grain and Feed Association. It also recognizes the National Grain and Feed Association for 125 years of promoting the noble purpose of its members in transforming the American farmer's bounty into safe, nutritious, sustainable, and affordable human and animal food.
Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 This bill expands liability protections for the donation of food and grocery products. Specifically, the bill expands the liability protections to include donations of an apparently fit grocery product or apparently wholesome food for which the recipient is charged a good Samaritan reduced price that is no greater than the cost of handling, administering, and distributing the food or product; or that is donated directly to a needy individual by a retail grocer, wholesaler, agricultural producer, restaurant, caterer, school food authority, or institution of higher education. The Department of Agriculture must issue regulations that clarify the quality and labeling standards that food products donated under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act must meet to be eligible for liability protection.
Smaller Class Sizes for Students and Educators Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants for local educational agencies to reduce class sizes in the early elementary grades (grades K-3) in targeted public elementary schools by recruiting, hiring, and supporting qualified teachers.
Strength in Diversity Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.
Providing Opportunities for Wider Economic Revitalization Act or the POWER Act This bill authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to release, without reimbursement or other consideration, a reversionary interest acquired by the United States when the National Nuclear Security Administration made a grant to support the acquisition of real property and construction of infrastructure located at 4170 Allium Court in Springfield, Ohio. The authority of DOE to release such reversionary interest is conditioned on, and may be exercised only after, the acquisition of title to the real property by the Community Improvement Corporation of Clark County.
Conscience Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain protections for health care providers that refuse to participate in abortions based on religious beliefs or other convictions. Health care providers include individual professionals, medical facilities, health insurance organizations, and social services providers that refer clients to health care services. The federal government and entities that receive federal funding for health-related activities, including state and local governments, may not discriminate against a health care provider that refuses to be involved in, or provide coverage for, abortions. Currently, similar requirements apply to various related activities, including certain employment or personnel decisions (the Church Amendments), abortion services training (the Coats-Snowe Amendment), qualified health plans offered through health insurance exchanges, and annual appropriations bills for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other federal agencies (the Weldon Amendment). The HHS Office for Civil Rights must investigate complaints of this kind of discrimination. Furthermore, HHS may terminate or reduce HHS funding for health-related activities if a person or entity fails to comply with nondiscrimination requirements. Additionally, the Department of Justice or any entity adversely affected by such discrimination may bring a civil action to obtain appropriate relief. A plaintiff does not need to seek or exhaust administrative remedies before bringing the action. A plaintiff may also bring an action, including one for money damages, against a governmental entity. In many cases, principles of sovereign immunity shield states and some localities from these kinds of actions.
