Sen. Mark Kelly

Officer Eugene Goodman Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman for his actions to protect the Senate chamber during the security breach at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Border Business COVID-19 Rescue Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration to establish a loan program to assist border businesses that are directly impacted by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. For the purposes of this bill, the term border business refers to a business that (1) is eligible for an economic injury disaster loan, (2) has its principal office located in the contiguous United States and is located within 25 miles of the U.S. border, (3) has fewer than 50 employees and annual revenue of $1 million or less, and (4) demonstrates a reduction in revenue from specified prior periods. Recipients must use loan funds for purposes related to COVID-19 such as (1) providing sick leave to employees, (2) meeting increased costs arising from interrupted supply chains, or (3) paying for logistical expenses associated with border closures.

This bill expands the purposes for which the Department of Commerce is authorized to make economic adjustment grants to include travel promotion, and it authorizes Commerce to cover up to 100% of the cost of a travel promotion project. Further, the bill authorizes the appropriation of $2.25 billion to make these grants to cover costs associated with promoting safe and healthy travel practices and economic recovery in communities impacted by a decline in travel and tourism as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).

End Diaper Need Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands programs to provide low-income families and other vulnerable groups with access to diapers and related supplies. Specifically, it provides additional funding for FY2022-FY2025 to meet the diapering needs of certain low-income families and adults through the Social Services Block Grant Program. This grant program provides a flexible funding stream to states and territories to support social services for vulnerable children, adults, and families. The bill exempts these funds from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, across-the-board reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. In particular, these funds must be used to meet the diapering needs of low-income families with one or more infants, toddlers, or medically complex children (i.e., children who are age three or older and diagnosed with a serious condition such as bowel or bladder incontinence); and low-income adults and adults with disabilities who rely on diapers and other adult incontinence materials. Additionally, the bill permits states to use Medicaid funds to provide medically necessary diapers and supplies to low-income families with one or more medically complex children. It also allows individuals to buy medically necessary diapers and supplies with funds from health savings accounts and other tax-advantaged accounts for health care expenses.

Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act of 2021 or the RISE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, Health and Human Services, and Transportation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support may be used to provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution, national laboratory, or individual that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; issue awards to research the effects of the current pandemic and potential future pandemics; and provide flexibility on awards to account for facility closures or other limitations during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible. Provided funds shall remain available through FY2021.

Invest in Child Safety Act This bill modifies the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes within the Executive Office of the President a new office—the Office to Enforce and Protect Against Child Sexual Exploitation—to coordinate federal efforts to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and treat victims of child exploitation. Additionally, it establishes the Child Sexual Exploitation Treatment, Support, and Prevention Fund to make grants and fund federal efforts to treat and support victims of child sexual exploitation and evidence-based programs and services to prevent child sexual exploitation. Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each involved individual and increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.

Emergency Family Stabilization Act This bill establishes a competitive grant program within the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) for family stabilization agencies to provide emergency relief to children, youth, and families experiencing homelessness. These agencies include current ACF grantees or subgrantees, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, Native Hawaiian organizations, and other organizations with expertise providing direct services to those experiencing homelessness. Recipients may use grant funds for, among other purposes, personnel costs, personal protective equipment, and other supplies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), as well as payments for security deposits and other housing-related needs. Additionally, the ACF must award the grants based on factors including the need for the services in the area served by the agency and specified allocation and prioritization requirements.

Southern Border Communities Reimbursement Act of 2021 This bill authorizes reimbursement to jurisdictions and organizations for the costs of providing humanitarian relief to aliens, including the cost of emergency preparedness activities. The reimbursement authorized under this bill shall be for FY2021-FY2023 and shall be distributed by the Emergency Food and Shelter Program National Board.

Real Economic Support That Acknowledges Unique Restaurant Assistance Needed To Survive Act of 2021 or the RESTAURANTS Act of 2021 This bill temporarily establishes and provides funding for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, from which the Department of the Treasury shall make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors to cover specified costs such as payroll, operational expenses, and paid sick leave. For the grant program's initial period, Treasury must (1) prioritize awarding grants to marginalized and underrepresented communities, and (2) only award grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors with annual revenues of less than $1.5 million in 2019. For tax purposes, grant amounts are excluded from the recipient's gross income. An entity that received a loan under the Paycheck Protection Program established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) may not apply for or use a restaurant revitalization grant for the same expenses for which the entity received the paycheck protection loan. Further, a grant applicant may request an additional amount to cover the cost of providing 10 days of paid sick leave to its employees. Treasury must report a list of grant recipients with the amount each recipient received, as well as demographics and other specified information.

Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) 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, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) 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 for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (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 also establishes the Secretary of Labor's 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. 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.