Temporary Family Visitation Act This bill establishes a new nonimmigrant visa classification for an alien temporarily entering the United States to visit a relative who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. The maximum period of stay for a family visitor visa shall be 90 days. An alien seeking such a visa must have health insurance for the duration of the stay. An alien who holds such a visa may not change to another nonimmigrant visa classification except in certain limited instances. If an alien has been approved for a family-based immigrant visa and is waiting for one to become available, the alien may obtain a family visitor visa if the alien meets the eligibility requirements.
Cherokee Nation and Chickasaw Nation Criminal Jurisdiction Compacting Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Cherokee Nation and the Chickasaw Nation to each enter into intergovernmental compacts with Oklahoma for the state to exercise its criminal jurisdiction within Indian country. The bill outlines the requirements for such compacts, including that they must define the categories of criminal offenders or offenses within the reservation over which Oklahoma may exercise its jurisdiction. The Department of Justice must, upon the request of a nation, consult with and provide technical assistance for developing or implementing a compact. A nation may require an offender who is sentenced to a term of imprisonment of more than six months to serve such a sentence in the nearest appropriate federal facility. The Department of the Interior must publish a compact that it receives from a nation. Interior must also report on the development and implementation of compacts and make recommendations to support and enhance the criminal justice system of each nation.
Vietnam Human Rights Act This bill requires actions related to human rights in Vietnam and addresses related issues. The Department of State must assist eligible individuals and entities working to secure the release of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam. The Office of Internet Freedom within the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the State Department shall prioritize (1) the immediate distribution of censorship circumvention tools for computers and smartphones in Vietnam; and (2) projects to ensure the safety and privacy of bloggers, journalists, and human rights defenders in Vietnam. Foreign assistance may not be used to assist any unit of the Vietnamese government engaged in cyberespionage activities. The State Department may establish programs to (1) monitor and halt sex trafficking of women from Vietnam and other Asian countries, and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity. The bill also requires various reports to Congress, including reports on (1) persons subject to U.S. sanctions for human rights violations in Vietnam, (2) a strategy to promote internet freedom in Vietnam, and (3) cyberespionage activities sanctioned by the Vietnamese government targeting Vietnamese dissidents and human rights advocates living outside of Vietnam.
Protecting America's First Responders Act of 2021 This bill makes changes to the Public Safety Officers' Benefits (PSOB) program. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty or permanently disabled as a result of catastrophic injuries sustained in the line of duty. Among the changes, the bill expands the public safety officers eligible for coverage under the PSOB program to include firefighters whose primary duty during an emergency response is to secure the scene or manage traffic and cadets or trainees in candidate-officer training; extends coverage under the PSOB program to certain public safety officers responding outside their jurisdiction; increases the interim benefit amount payable on a claim for death benefits and requires the interim amount to be adjusted annually for inflation; increases the benefit amount payable on a death or disability claim that has been pending for more than 365 days on the date of the final determination; allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use investigative tools, including subpoenas, to expedite the processing of claims and obtain information or documentation from third parties (e.g., public agencies); specifies that an injury resulting from a neurocognitive disorder qualifies as a catastrophic injury for the purposes of disability benefits; requires (currently, authorizes) DOJ to provide retroactive education benefits to qualifying children and spouses; specifies that hearing officers appointed to review claims are special government employees (i.e., employees who perform temporary duties for a limited period of time) and are authorized to conduct examinations; and allows responders to the World Trade Center or their surviving family members to file claims for death or disability benefits in certain circumstances.
This resolution recognizes the importance of gig workers (i.e., workers hired on a per-project basis) and other independent contractors to the economy.
This bill terminates the Interagency Task Force on the Reunification of Families and addresses related issues. (The task force's duties include identifying children separated from their families on the U.S.-Mexico border between January 20, 2017, and January 20, 2021.) Specifically, the bill rescinds (1) the February 2, 2021, executive order that established the task force; and (2) all policy and legal decisions issued, settlement agreements (or consent decrees) entered into, and immigration benefits provided pursuant to that executive order. Furthermore, the Department of Justice (DOJ) may not enter into a settlement agreement pertaining to specified issues, such as the separation of family members by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, unless the Government Accountability Office certifies that the agreement complies with federal law and regulations concerning the collection and compromise of federal claims. The Office of Personnel Management must withhold the salaries of all federal employees who serve on the task force and deposit the amounts into an account for paying judgments against the United States. The withholding must continue until the deposited amount is equal to the amount paid to aliens under settlements entered into pursuant to the executive order. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) must publicly publish a report on the task force with information such as an accounting of the task force's incurred costs and all communications between task force members and nongovernmental entities. DOJ and the OMB must also publicly publish all settlement agreements entered into pursuant to the executive order.
Judgment Fund Accountability Act of 2021 This bill prohibits payments from the Judgment Fund to individuals who entered or attempted to enter the United States unlawfully. (The Judgment Fund is an account for paying judgments and settlements against the United States.)
Truckers Responding At National Shipping Ports Overcoming Retail Turmoil Act or the TRANSPORT Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award grants to motor carriers and motor private carriers for transporting goods from ports during declared national emergencies or when DOT determines a port is at least 50% congested. DOT may use unobligated funds available under specified COVID-19 relief laws for the grants.
Options Over Terminations Act This bill exempts a federal employee or contractor from any federal mandate requiring a vaccine for COVID-19 if the employee or contractor provides proof of COVID-19 antibodies.
Prohibiting Taxpayer Funded Settlements for Illegal Immigrants Act This bill prohibits using federal funds to make settlement payments to compensate any individuals for being separated from family members while detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection if the detention was (1) a result of the individual improperly entering (or attempting to improperly enter) the United States, and (2) in accordance with a Department of Justice memorandum that adopted a zero-tolerance policy for such improper entry into the United States.
WALL Act of 2021 This bill appropriates $25 billion for the construction of a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and addresses other issues related to immigration. As offsets to this spending, the bill restricts the child tax credit, earned income credits, and lifetime learning credits to those with Social Security numbers and not prohibited from employment in the United States. Also, individuals who file taxes using an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) instead of a Social Security number must pay a fee ($300 for each individual on the tax return who was issued an ITIN). The bill restricts eligibility for certain federally-funded benefits, including unemployment compensation, supplemental nutrition assistance, and housing benefits, to those eligible to work in the United States. Agencies administering such benefits must use the E-Verify program to confirm the eligibility of applicants for such benefits. This bill also sets fines for aliens who improperly enter the United States or overstay their visas.
Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act This bill requires the Department of State to submit to Congress a detailed report indicating whether the Muslim Brotherhood meets the criteria to be designated a foreign terrorist organization. If the report determines that the Muslim Brotherhood does not meet such criteria, it must provide a detailed justification as to which criteria have not been met.
