Assuring You Uniform Dietary Assistance (AYUDA) Act of 2021 This bill makes the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).
Living Donor Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits certain insurance carriers from discriminating against, and provides other protections for, living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, or otherwise impose conditions on policies for life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on live organ donation to include information about the benefits of live organ donation and about access to insurance for living organ donors.
Duty To Report Act This bill requires political committees, candidates for federal office, and other individuals to report to the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) any offers of prohibited contributions, including offers of nonpublic information regarding other candidates, by foreign nationals. Specifically, political committees and candidates must report to the FEC within 24 hours any (1) offers of prohibited contributions from foreign nationals, and (2) meetings with foreign governments or their agents. In addition, the bill requires political committees, candidates, immediate family members of candidates, and individuals affiliated with a campaign (e.g., employees and independent contractors) to report to the FBI within 24 hours any offers of prohibited contributions from foreign nationals. Further, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly and willfully failing to comply with this reporting requirement. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years, or both. Such reported information may not be used to enforce certain immigration provisions related to the removal of undocumented aliens.
Honduras Human Rights and Anti-Corruption Act of 2021 This bill temporarily imposes sanctions and other penalties on Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernandez and the government of Honduras for systemic corruption and human rights violations, with particular focus on the Honduran police and military. Specifically, the President must impose asset- and visa-blocking sanctions on Juan Orlando Hernandez due to his corrupt practices, including the use of the state apparatus to protect and facilitate drug trafficking. Additionally, the President must prohibit, within 30 days, the issuance of licenses to export defense articles and services and specified munitions to the Honduran police or military. The bill also (1) makes Honduras ineligible for security assistance to equip and train police and military, and (2) requires U.S. representatives at multilateral development banks to oppose any loans for Honduran police or military. Furthermore, the Department of the Treasury must instruct U.S. leadership of international financial institutions and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to promote human rights due diligence and risk management in any loan, grant, policy, or strategy related to Honduras. The sanctions and other penalties put in place under this bill terminate in five years but may be lifted earlier if specified conditions are met.
Protection of Kids in Immigrant Detention Act or PROKID Act This bill establishes the Office of the Ombudsperson for Immigrant Children in Government Custody within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The office shall ensure that if government detention of an immigrant child is necessary, that child is held in the least restrictive setting. The office shall also advocate for (1) the quick and safe release of such a detained child, and (2) a child who was detained with family to be released concurrently with a parent or legal guardian. The office's duties shall include (1) monitoring facilities with immigrant children held in government custody to ensure compliance with applicable laws and standards, (2) investigating claims of mistreatment and complaints against foster care providers, (3) reviewing contested decisions about the placement of an immigrant child, and (4) reviewing data from HHS and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) relating to such children. The office may also offer individual case assistance to such a detained child who requires expedited processing or elevated attention. The office may also issue subpoenas with HHS approval. DHS and HHS must ensure that the office has the ability to conduct investigative and monitoring activities, including by providing unobstructed access to any detention facility with immigrant children. The office and DHS shall enter into a memorandum of understanding to coordinate oversight between DHS and HHS. The bill also establishes an expert advisory committee to assist the office and an interagency working group to identify and discuss concerns related to detained immigrant children.
Strengthening Local Processing Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions related to meat and poultry processing establishments, including smaller establishments (i.e., those with between 10 and 500 employees) and very small establishments (i.e., those with fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million). For example, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish a searchable database of peer-reviewed validation studies for use in developing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans for smaller and very small establishments. The bill increases the maximum federal cost share from 50% to 65% that USDA may provide to assist states in creating meat and poultry inspection programs. Additionally, USDA must conduct outreach with states that have meat and poultry inspection programs, but that do not have Cooperative Interstate Shipment programs. The Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows state-inspected facilities to operate as federally-inspected facilities and ship their products in interstate commerce and internationally. USDA must also award competitive grants for activities to adapt production, processing, distribution, and sales systems to respond to and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including activities that support (1) the health and safety of meat and poultry plant employees, suppliers, and customers; (2) increased processing capacity; and (3) the resilience of the small meat and poultry processing sector. Further, the bill establishes grant programs to (1) establish or expand career training programs at community colleges, vocational schools, and universities related to meat and poultry processing; and (2) support smaller and very small establishments by offsetting the cost of training new meat and poultry processors.
Electric Credit Access Ready at Sale Act of 2021 or the Electric CARS Act of 2021 This bill modifies and extends tax credits for electric cars and alternative motor vehicles. The bill extends the tax credit for new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles through 2031. In addition, the bill modifies the credit to remove the limitation on the number of vehicles per manufacturer that are eligible for the credit, allow a taxpayer to assign the credit to a financing entity, and allow an unused credit to be carried forward for five years. The bill also extends through 2031 the tax credits for (1) alternative fuel vehicle refueling property, and (2) alternative motor vehicles.
Equality Act This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services. The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.
Congressional Oversight to Secure Transparency of Relocations Act or the COST of Relocations Act This bill requires a federal agency seeking to relocate more than 5% of its employees or more than 100 employees to conduct and make public a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the proposed change. Specifically, the agency must conduct such analysis and submit it to the agency's office of inspector general for review and submission to Congress. The report must include the anticipated outcomes and improvements that will result from the proposed relocation, the metrics for measuring whether the proposed relocation results in the anticipated outcomes and improvements, a timeline of past and future engagements with stakeholders regarding the proposed relocation, a comprehensive strategy for accomplishing the proposed relocation, and an assessment of the short- and long-term effects of the proposed relocation on the agency's mission.
ABLE Age Adjustment Act This bill increases from 26 to 46 the age threshold for tax-favored ABLE (Achieving a Better Life Experience) accounts. (ABLE accounts are designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save for and pay for disability-related expenses. To establish an account, an individual must have a qualifying impairment that began before the individual attained the age threshold.)
Confederate Monument Removal Act This bill prohibits a state from providing for display in National Statuary Hall a statue of a person who voluntarily served with the Confederate States of America, and it provides for the removal, return, and replacement of any statue currently on display that depicts such a person.
Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and expands the Full-Service Community Schools program. The program provides support for full-service community schools that serve children and their families, particularly for children who attend high-poverty elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to eligible entities to plan, implement, expand, and support full-service community schools. An eligible entity is a consortium of (1) one or more local educational agencies or the Bureau of Indian Education; and (2) one or more community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or other entities. A community school refers to a public elementary or secondary school that incorporates the four pillars of community schools. These four pillars are defined by the bill as (1) integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning (e.g., medical care and assistance with housing, transportation, or nutrition); (2) expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities (e.g., before- and after-school programs); (3) family and community engagement (e.g., adult education); and (4) collaborative leadership and practices, which must include a school-based leadership team, a community school coordinator, and a community-wide leadership team. Further, the bill directs ED to award grants to states to plan, implement, and expand community schools. A state educational agency that receives a grant must meet certain requirements, such as providing subgrants to local educational agencies, establishing a state-level steering committee, and establishing goals for the implementation and expansion of community schools throughout the state.
