This bill requires the Office of the Inspector General in the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the number of (1) firearm transfer denials issued by the National Instant Criminal Background Check System that are referred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) for investigation; (2) prosecutions resulting from such investigations; and (3) firearms recovered by the ATF in cases in which a denial was issued by the system after a firearm was transferred.
Protect Patriot Spouses Act This bill makes certain alien military spouses eligible for adjustment to permanent residence status. An eligible alien shall be an individual who is or was a spouse of a U.S. citizen who serves or served in the Armed Forces, either on active duty or in a reserve component. If the U.S. citizen has been discharged from the Armed Forces, such discharge must be under honorable conditions. Certain factors that would otherwise make an alien inadmissible, such as having entered the United States without being admitted, shall not make such an alien spouse inadmissible or ineligible for permanent residence status under the bill. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may also waive certain factors that would otherwise make an alien inadmissible, such as having misrepresented a material fact to secure a visa, if the alien does not pose a threat to the public and has not committed any crimes that are unrelated to immigration status. The bill also requires DHS and the Department of State to allow a qualifying alien spouse to (1) apply for an immigrant visa to enter the United States under this bill; and (2) enter and stay in the United States to reunite with their U.S. citizen spouse while the application is pending, if the alien spouse does not pose a threat to the public or national security.
This bill makes it unlawful for a person who is not a licensed gun dealer to transfer a firearm at a gun show. The prohibition does not apply to a transfer to a licensed manufacturer, importer, dealer, or collector. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term, or both.
Venezuela TPS Act of 2021 This bill permits nationals of Venezuela to qualify for temporary protected status, which prevents their removal from the United States and allows them to obtain employment and travel authorization. Such status shall be available to qualifying nationals of Venezuela for 18 months starting from this bill's enactment.
Preventing Future Pandemics Act of 2021 This bill establishes measures to address global public health risks posed by wildlife markets, which are commercial markets that sell or slaughter wildlife for human consumption as food or medicine in communities where alternative nutritional or protein sources are available. Specifically, the bill prohibits importing, exporting, purchasing, or selling live wild animals in the United States for human consumption as food or medicine. The Department of the Interior must hire, train, and deploy at least 50 new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement attachés around the world, and the U.S. Agency for International Development must increase specified activities to address the threats and causes of zoonotic (animal-to-human transmission) disease outbreaks. Additionally, the United States must work with other United Nations member states to urge a global ban on commercial wildlife markets and enforcement of laws to end wildlife trafficking. Further, the President may impose sanctions against a foreign country or foreign nationals that the Department of State has determined are taking certain actions that enable or facilitate commercial wildlife markets. Among other reports required by the bill, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine must conduct a study and submit a report that includes an evaluation of (1) the impact that consumption of terrestrial wildlife as food or medicine has on the transmission of novel viral and other pathogens, (2) the role of consuming terrestrial wildlife as food or medicine in the transmission of microbes from animals to humans, and (3) the conditions at live wildlife markets that lead to this transmission.
This concurrent resolution calls for the removal of retired Lieutenant General Russel Honoré, U.S. Army, from his interim role investigating the events at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Further, it urges the Speaker of the House of Representatives to appoint a nonpartisan, bicameral panel of former Members of Congress, law enforcement officials, and military servicemen to investigate those events.
This resolution requests that the President transmit to the Senate documents related to the amount of funding that was provided in specified laws regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and is currently unspent. The specified laws include the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act); the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; and Division N of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.
This resolution supports the designation of National Small Business Workplace Solutions Week in recognition of the essential services provided by the workplace solutions industry and its efforts to promote safety and support for our communities.
Government Spectrum Valuation Act This bill requires estimation of the value of federal electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, the bill requires (1) the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the Office of Management and Budget, to estimate the value of spectrum assigned or allocated to each federal agency; and (2) each agency to report, in its annual budget and financial statement, the estimated value of the spectrum that has been assigned or allocated to it.
Providing Responsible Oversight of Trusts to Ensure Compensation and Transparency for Asbestos Victims Act of 2021 or the PROTECT Asbestos Victims Act of 2021 This bill modifies several aspects of the asbestos bankruptcy trust system. An asbestos bankruptcy trust is established when a company subject to asbestos-related liability files for bankruptcy under chapter 11. The bill allows the U.S. Trustee Program within the Department of Justice to investigate the administration and operation of asbestos bankruptcy trusts. Additionally, it creates new criminal offenses for making a false representation to, or a false claim for payment by, an asbestos bankruptcy trust. Finally, an administrator of an asbestos bankruptcy trusts must report any Medicare benefits entitled to a claimant to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Student Loan Reform Act This bill requires the Department of Education to carry out a program that allows participating institutions of higher education (IHEs) to cosign certain Federal Direct Loans made to its enrolled students. An IHE that participates in the program assumes the obligation to repay the outstanding balance of principal and interest due on the loan over 10 years if the borrower defaults on the loan.
Build America's Libraries Act This bill establishes and provides funds through FY2024 for the Build America's Libraries Fund, from which the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) must allocate funding to states and, through them, need-based grants to libraries to make long-term improvements to library facilities. The IMLS must also award grants to Indian tribes and organizations that primarily serve and represent Native Hawaiians. Specifically, the bill requires each state that receives an allocation, and each library that receives a grant, to carry out certain activities to improve library facilities. These activities include constructing and renovating library facilities, investing in infrastructure projects to improve internet access and connectivity, improving indoor air quality, and making facilities accessible to individuals with disabilities. The bill also outlines administrative and oversight provisions, including by requiring library projects to use iron and steel products that are produced in the United States.
