DHS Industrial Control Systems Capabilities Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to maintain certain capabilities to identify and address threats to industrial control systems. Specifically, the bill requires CISA's National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center to ensure that its activities address the security of both information and operational technology, including industrial control systems. Additionally, CISA must maintain capabilities to identify and address threats and vulnerabilities to products and technologies intended for use in the automated control of critical infrastructure processes by (1) leading efforts to identify and mitigate cybersecurity threats to industrial control systems; (2) maintaining threat hunting and incident response capabilities to respond to cybersecurity risks and incidents; (3) providing cybersecurity technical assistance to stakeholders; and (4) collecting, coordinating, and providing vulnerability information to the industrial control systems community. CISA shall provide to the homeland security committees a briefing on its industrial control systems capabilities at specified intervals. The Government Accountability Office must review and report on implementation of the bill's requirements.
Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State, when providing overseas assistance for refugees, to ensure the provision of safe and secure access to sanitation facilities, with a special emphasis on women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
Desert Locust Control Act This bill requires the President to establish an interagency working group to (1) coordinate the U.S. response to the ongoing desert locust outbreak in the East Africa region and its impact on food security and political stability, including in the context of restrictions relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019); (2) review the effectiveness of regional and multilateral efforts to eradicate the desert locust outbreak; and (3) develop and implement a plan to control the desert locust outbreak.
This resolution calls on the United States and North Korea to begin the process of reuniting Korean Americans with their immediate relatives in North Korea. (Many families were divided after the signing of the Korean War Armistice Agreement, which divided the Korean Peninsula into North and South Korea.)
This resolution reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to media diversity and expresses its pledge to eliminate barriers to such diversity.
Divided Families Reunification Act This bill directs the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on its consultations with South Korea on potential opportunities to reunite Korean Americans with family in North Korea. The State Department's Special Envoy on North Korean Human Rights Issues shall periodically report to Congress on its consultations with representatives of Korean Americans with family in North Korea on reunification efforts.
This resolution designates July 2021 as Plastic Pollution Action Month.
Department of Defense Climate Resiliency and Readiness Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to address climate resiliency and energy and resource efficiency. Each DOD contract for the procurement of property or services entered into on or after October 1, 2021, must include specified information related to energy consumption and energy sources. When deciding whether to enter into a contract, DOD must consider whether the contractor verifiably produces as much renewable energy as the total energy it consumes and whether there is any order against the contractor for a violation of an environmental law or regulation. Among other elements, the bill requires DOD to achieve aggregate net zero energy in use of energy by non-operational sources by December 31, 2031; DOD to give preference to contractors and small businesses that use green manufacturing technology; DOD to administer the Energy and Climate Resiliency Fund established by the bill; DOD and the military departments to consider climate change risks when making strategic decisions related to any military installation; DOD and other relevant federal agencies to incorporate climate change into the National Defense Strategy, the National Military Strategy, and DOD's operational plans; and DOD to conduct a program of research, development, and demonstration of hybrid microgrid systems and electric grid energy storage. The Government Accountability Office must report on the individual and aggregate uses of DOD's authority to give preference to contractors that use green manufacturing technology and small businesses that verifiably use green manufacturing technology or operate with net zero energy.
Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Social Determinants Accelerator Interagency Council to increase coordination among health and social service programs and provide technical assistance to increase the impact of such programs. The council must also assist the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award up to 25 grants to state, local, or tribal health or human services agencies for social determinants accelerator plans. These plans must address at least one health and one social outcome for a specified target population.
This resolution designates June 2021 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27, 2021, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. The resolution supports (1) the education of members of the Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and the public about post-traumatic stress; and (2) efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to foster cultural change around the issue of post-traumatic stress. The resolution also encourages the leadership of the Armed Forces to support treatment of members of the Armed Forces who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
Protecting Consumers from Unreasonable Credit Rates Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a creditor from extending credit to a consumer under an open end consumer credit plan (i.e., credit card) for which the fee and interest rate exceeds 36%. The bill also sets forth criminal penalties for violations and empowers state Attorneys General to enforce the bill. Credit card billing statements must include the fee and interest rate, displayed as FAIR , instead of the total finance charge expressed as an annual percentage rate (APR).
Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up a national technical assistance center and grant program to support the direct care workforce and family caregivers. HHS must consult with the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on these efforts. Specifically, HHS must establish a national technical assistance center to develop recommendations for curricula to educate and train direct care workers and family caregivers, disseminate strategies to strengthen the direct care workforce, and carry out related activities. Additionally, HHS must award grants for recruiting, training, and retaining direct care workers and supporting family caregivers. Eligible grantees include state and tribal governments, certain labor unions and employers, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofits, as well as partnerships of such entities. Grant recipients must agree to consult with the state Medicaid agency unless that agency receives the grant directly or as part of a partnership.
