Sen. Richard Blumenthal

This bill provides funds for assistance to homeowners to prevent mortgage defaults, foreclosures, and displacements of individuals and families experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. The Department of the Treasury must disburse the funds to state housing finance agencies, territories, and Indian tribes for the provision of such assistance.

Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act or the FAMILY Act This bill entitles every employee to a family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) monthly benefit payment of two-thirds of the employee's regular pay, limited to a maximum of $4,000, for not more than 60 days of qualified caregiving. The bill establishes the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration to administer the FMLI program. An FMLI benefit payment must be coordinated with any periodic benefits received under a state or local temporary disability insurance or family leave program. The bill imposes a tax on employers, employees, and self-employed individuals to fund FMLI benefits. It also establishes the Federal Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund to hold tax revenues.

All Dependents Count Act of 2021 This bill extends the 2020 recovery rebates of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act to all taxpayer dependents.

COVID-19 Whistleblower Protection Act This bill establishes whistleblower protections for government contractors and private sector workers who may witness waste, fraud, or abuse or be victims of misconduct with respect to a COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic-related program, project, or activity. Specifically, employers may not discharge, demote, or otherwise discriminate against such protected individuals who disclose information concerning fraud, misuse, or other misconduct related to COVID-19 program funds. A protected individual may submit to the Department of Labor a complaint alleging a violation of these protections and Labor may adjudicate such complaints and award relief in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service whistleblower procedures.

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.

Supporting State and Local Leaders Act This bill repeals the prohibition against granting state and local governments a tax credit for paid sick and paid family and medical leave.

Competition and Antitrust Law Enforcement Reform Act of 2021 This bill revises antitrust laws applicable to mergers and anticompetitive conduct. Specifically, the bill applies a stricter standard for permissible mergers by prohibiting mergers that (1) create an appreciable risk of materially lessening competition, or (2) unfairly lower the prices of goods or wages because of a lack of competition among buyers or employers (i.e., a monopsony). Under current law, mergers that substantially lessen competition are prohibited. Additionally, for some large mergers or mergers that concentrate markets beyond a certain threshold, the bill shifts the burden of proof to the merging parties to prove that the merger does not violate the law. The bill also prohibits exclusionary conduct that presents an appreciable risk of harming competition. The bill also establishes monetary penalties for violations, requires annual reporting for certain mergers and acquisitions, establishes within the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) the Office of the Competition Advocate, and sets forth whistleblower protections. The Government Accountability Office must report on (1) the success of merger remedies required by the Department of Justice or the FTC in recent consent decrees; and (2) the impact of mergers and acquisitions on wages, employment, innovation, and new business formation.

Protecting Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence Act This bill allows an abused spouse or child whose immigrant status is derived from another alien (the principal alien) to obtain immigrant status independent of the principal alien. Current law provides a path to immigrant status to abused individuals who derive their status from a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, but not to those who derive their status from another alien. Such an abused spouse or child must be accompanying or following to join the principal alien and have been subject to battery or extreme cruelty by the principal alien. An abused individual with immigrant status shall receive employment authorization, be eligible for renewal or extension of status, and become an alien lawfully admitted for permanent residence under certain conditions.

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.

Spotlight Act This bill renders null and void final Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations published on May 28, 2020, relating to the reporting requirements of tax-exempt organizations. The bill requires tax-exempt organizations that fall under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., social welfare organizations, labor organizations, business leagues) to disclose the names and addresses of all substantial contributors (persons who contribute more than $5,000 per year to such organizations) on their information returns. The bill also eliminates the authority of the IRS to provide exceptions to the disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations. This provision does not apply to determinations made by the IRS before July 16, 2018.