Sen. Chuck Grassley

This resolution recognizes the Senate's observation of Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month in April 2021. It also urges the United States to lead in raising awareness about the devastating impact of international child abduction.

This resolution extends condolences to the family and friends of former Vice President Walter Mondale. The resolution acknowledges Mondale's lifetime service to the United States, including as a U.S. Senator and as the first presidential candidate from a major party to select a woman, Geraldine Ferraro, as his running mate.

Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2021 This bill establishes transparency and public accountability standards for federal agencies with respect to (1) certain civil actions seeking to compel agency action, and (2) related consent decrees and settlement agreements. For example, an agency must publish a complaint filed against it within 15 days. Additionally, settlement proceedings must be conducted through mediation or an alternative dispute resolution program of the court, and those proceedings must include intervening parties. The bill also creates a presumption in favor of a motion to intervene in settlement proceedings. Further, at least 60 days prior to entering a consent decree or settlement agreement, an agency must publish, and accept and respond to public comment on, the proposed agreement or decree. An agency also must provide the court with the administrative record, a summary of the public comments, and access to the record of any public hearings on the proposed decree or agreement. The Department of Justice, or the agency litigating a matter independently, must certify to the court its approval of certain terms included in an agreement or decree, including terms that convert a discretionary authority into a nondiscretionary duty. A court may not approve a consent decree or settlement agreement unless the agency has sufficient time and procedures to comply with federal administrative procedures, other rulemaking statutes, and applicable executive orders. Finally, courts must review a consent decree or settlement if an agency files a motion to modify the decree or agreement on the basis of changed facts or circumstances.

Temporary Extension of Fentanyl Scheduling Act of 2021 This bill extends until July 6, 2022, the temporary scheduling order issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration to place fentanyl-related substances in schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. The temporary order expires on May 6, 2021.

This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to request assistance from any appropriate party with an interest in imported merchandise when determining whether the merchandise is imported in violation of certain trademark and copyright laws. To permit the party to conduct examination and testing, CBP must provide them with specified information that appears on the merchandise, including its packaging and packing materials (including labels).

Protect Funding for Women's Health Care Act This bill prohibits federal funding of Planned Parenthood Federation of America or its affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics.

E Visa Integrity Act of 2021 This bill imposes additional requirements to acquire an E visa (for an investor or trader who is a national of a foreign country with a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States, or an Australian specialty worker). Specifically, if an alien became the national of a foreign country with a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States through a financial investment in that foreign country and the alien had not previously received an E visa, the alien must have been domiciled in that foreign country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying for an E visa.

Preserving Innovation for the Next Generation Act or the PING Act This bill expresses the sense of the Senate that the current restrictions prohibiting the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from negotiating the prices or establishing a formulary for drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit should not be repealed. The bill also prohibits the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation from testing any model that would repeal or require a waiver of such restrictions.

This resolution honors the memory of U.S. Capitol Police Officer William Francis "Billy" Evans for the selfless acts of heroism he displayed on April 2, 2021.

Childhood Outcomes Need New Efficient Community Teams or the CONNECT Act This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the Department of Justice, to award grants jointly to state child welfare and juvenile justice agencies to collaborate on data collection related to, and address the needs of, dual-status youth and their families. These are children who have come into contact with both child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Among other application requirements, the agencies must identify senior officials from their agencies and other relevant youth- and family-serving entities that will manage and oversee grant activities.