Visa Security Act This bill limits the validity period of B-1 (business visitor) and B-2 (tourist) visas issued to Chinese nationals until the Department of State makes certain certifications to Congress regarding the Chinese government. Specifically, the State Department may not issue such a visa with a validity period of more than one year unless it certifies to Congress that the Chinese government has taken certain actions, including (1) stopping its campaign of economic and industrial espionage against the United States; (2) ending its provocative and coercive behavior towards Taiwan; (3) withdrawing its national security law in Hong Kong and upholding its obligations to respect Hong Kong's autonomy; and (4) ending its systematic oppression of minority ethnic groups in China, including the Uyghurs and Tibetans. (Currently, such visas may be valid for up to 10 years.) These restrictions shall not apply to visa applicants from Taiwan or certain applicants from Hong Kong, generally those Hong Kong residents that the State Department has no reason to believe are acting on behalf of the Chinese government. (Taiwan is self-governing but the Chinese government considers it a part of China, while Hong Kong is a part of China but is supposed to have a largely separate legal and economic system.)
Sponsored bills
National Right-to-Work Act This bill repeals those provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act that permit employers to make an agreement with a labor union to require employees to join such union as a condition of employment. Currently, at least 27 states have enacted laws prohibiting employers from compelling employees to become members of a union as a condition of employment.
EAGLES Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes the National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) within the U.S. Secret Service. It reauthorizes the functions of NTAC through FY2025 and expands them to include the establishment of a national program on targeted school violence prevention.
This bill modifies the time limit from 150 days to 90 days to file a petition for judicial review of a permit, license, or approval for a highway or public transportation capital project.
No Taxpayer Funding for Paris Climate Agreement Act This bill prohibits the use of any funds to take action providing for the United States to become a party to the Paris Agreement.
Federal Permitting Modernization Act of 2021 This bill revises environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for certain infrastructure projects. Specifically, this bill establishes deadlines for federal agencies to complete the environmental review of such projects. A court may not issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against an agency or a project sponsor in connection with the review or authorization of an infrastructure project unless the court determines that (1) the environmental review has failed substantially and materially to comply with the requirements of NEPA, and (2) the failure cannot be cured by supplementing the environmental document or other mitigation and monitoring measures.
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the Paris Agreement is considered a treaty and that President Biden should submit the agreement to the Senate for advice and consent.
Saving America's Vulnerable and Endangered Species Act or the SAVES Act This bill amends the Endangered Species Act of 1973 to prohibit a living nonnative species from being listed as a threatened or endangered species.
Retirement Freedom Act This bill allows an individual to opt out of Medicare hospital services benefits without also having to opt out of Old Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance benefits and without having to repay Medicare hospital services benefits already received. The bill also allows an individual to opt back in with no penalty.
Public Water Supply Invasive Species Compliance Act of 2021 This bill addresses transfers between Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana of water that contains invasive species. The bill exempts certain water transfers between public water supplies in Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana from prohibitions on illegal trade of plants and wildlife. Specifically, the prohibitions do not apply to covered water transfers containing prohibited species if the species are present in both public water supplies before the transfer, the water is subject to effective mitigation measures, and the water is transferred directly between the supplies; or the water is transferred in a closed conveyance system, such as a pipe system, and sent directly to treatment facilities where the species will be destroyed. The costs of the mitigation measures must be borne by the entity that sells the water for financial gain. Finally, the bill establishes notification requirements for water transfers.