Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 20 21 This bill modifies, expands, and reauthorizes through FY2026 the Family Violence and Prevention Services program, which funds emergency shelters and supports related assistance for victims of domestic violence. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants and enter cooperative agreements with state and tribal domestic violence coalitions, and community-based organizations, to support prevention services. Depending on the type of organization, grant recipients must use funding to (1) provide technical assistance; (2) promote evidence-informed prevention strategies; (3) implement coordinated, community responses to reduce risk factors for family violence; and (4) develop prevention partnership strategies. Further, HHS must award specified grants to organizations that provide population-specific services in underserved communities and to community-based organizations that provide culturally specific domestic violence services to racial and ethnic minority groups. The bill also establishes a grants program for tribal domestic violence coalitions to support the provision of local, tribal, family domestic or dating violence services and requires HHS to award a grant for the administration of a hotline dedicated to serving Indians affected by domestic violence. In addition, the bill modifies certain program-wide definitions; changes the requirements for specified grant applications, eligibility criteria, and use of funds; and makes other technical revisions.
Free Veterans from Fees Act This bill waives the application fee for any special use permit solely for a veterans special event at war memorials on land administered by the National Park Service in the District of Columbia and its environs.
Advancing Mutual Interests and Growing Our Success Act or the AMIGOS Act This bill makes Portuguese nationals eligible for E-1 and E-2 nonimmigrant visas if the government of Portugal provides similar nonimmigrant status to U.S. nationals. The bill also imposes additional requirements on such visas. An E-1 visa is for individuals entering the United States to engage in international trade, while an E-2 visa is for individuals investing a substantial amount of capital in the United States. Both are limited to nationals from countries that have a treaty of commerce and navigation with the United States. Furthermore, under this bill, if an alien who has never received an E visa became the national of an E visa-eligible foreign country by making a financial investment in that foreign country, that alien must have been domiciled in that foreign country for a continuous period of at least three years at any point before applying for an E visa.
This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 - October 15, 2021; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
SRES 411 designates October 6, 2021, as "Energy Efficiency Day" to celebrate the economic and environmental benefits of energy efficiency policies and private sector innovation. The resolution calls on the American public to observe the day with programs and activities highlighting how these efforts have saved consumers billions annually in energy costs and reduced energy waste. It references decades of bipartisan support for energy efficiency, including federal policies that have driven significant energy savings and job growth in the sector. The bill does not create new regulations but serves as a symbolic recognition of existing achievements in energy conservation.
This Senate resolution designates September 2021 as National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. It requests federal, state, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to observe the month with public awareness programs focused on childhood cancer risks. The resolution also encourages ongoing medical and psychosocial care for childhood cancer survivors and recognizes childhood cancer as a public health priority. As a symbolic resolution, it does not create new laws or funding but aims to raise public awareness.
This resolution designates September 2021 as National Democracy Month.
This resolution commends the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on leading the commemoration of the Centennial of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
This resolution recognizes September 28, 2021, as National Voter Registration Day and encourages those eligible to vote to register, verify their personal information on record with local election officials, and vote.
Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act of 2021 or the EQUAL Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the federal sentencing disparity between drug offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Currently, different threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine (e.g., 28 grams of crack cocaine and 500 grams of powder cocaine) trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. This bill eliminates the lower quantity thresholds for crack cocaine offenses. Under the bill, the same threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. The change applies to future cases and cases pending on the date of enactment. With respect to past cases, the bill authorizes a sentencing court to impose a reduced sentence on a defendant who was convicted or sentenced for a specified crack cocaine offense before this bill's enactment. A defendant does not have to be present at the sentence reduction hearing. Finally, the bill prohibits the reduction of a sentence that was previously reduced.
Libya Stabilization Act This bill provides for sanctions and aid related to the conflict in Libya. The bill provides statutory authority for an April 19, 2016, executive order imposing property- and visa-blocking sanctions on persons contributing to the violence in Libya. The President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that (1) knowingly supports or engages in a significant transaction with a foreign person knowingly operating in Libya on behalf of Russia in a military capacity, (2) engages in significant actions threatening peace or stability in Libya, (3) misappropriates Libyan state assets or natural resources, or (4) is knowingly responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Libya. These sanctions shall expire on December 31, 2026. Further, the President is authorized to expand educational and cultural exchange programs with Libya. The bill urges the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide humanitarian assistance to individuals and communities in Libya, including health assistance, food, shelter, and support for an effective COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response. The Department of State must work to strengthen Libya's democratic governance, including by providing assistance to (1) unify Libya's financial and governing institutions, and (2) ensure free and credible future elections in Libya. The Department of the Treasury must vote and argue for international financial institutions to support an economic recovery in Libya that complements the establishment of democratic institutions and rule of law.
This resolution honors the life of Robert Dove, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.
