Robust International Response to Pandemic Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury and each U.S. Executive Director at an international financial institution to take certain actions in support of the global response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, each U.S. Executive Director at an international financial institution (e.g., the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or the International Finance Corporation) must seek the suspension of debt service payments to the institution and the relaxation of fiscal targets for certain programs, oppose programs or loan agreements that would reduce countries' health care spending or other spending related to their responses to COVID-19, and require approval of all Special Drawing Rights (a currency support tool) allocation transfers from wealthier member countries to countries that are emerging or developing to ensure the allocations are used for the public good and in response to the global pandemic. Further, the U.S. Governor at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) must advocate for the issuance of Special Drawing Rights so that governments may access additional resources to finance their responses to COVID-19. Of these Special Drawing Rights allocated to the United States, Treasury must lend a specified amount to the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust or other special purpose vehicle of the IMF to help eligible low-income countries respond to COVID-19. Treasury must also advocate for an extension of the current moratorium on debt service payments to official bilateral creditors by the world's poorest countries.
Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act This bill expands the definition of law enforcement officer under provisions of the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). Specifically, the bill expands the definition to include (1) federal employees whose duties encompass the investigation or apprehension of suspected or convicted criminals and who are authorized to carry a firearm; (2) Internal Revenue Service employees whose duties are primarily the collection of delinquent taxes and the securing of delinquent returns; (3) U.S. Postal Inspection Service employees; (4) Department of Veterans Affairs police officers; and (5) certain U.S. Customs and Border Protection employees who are seized-property specialists with duties relating to custody, management, and disposition of seized and forfeited property. The bill deems service performed by an incumbent law enforcement officer on or after the enactment date of this bill to be service performed as a law enforcement officer for retirement purposes. The past service of such incumbents shall be treated as service performed by a law enforcement officer for retirement purposes only if a written election is submitted to the Office of Personnel Management within five years after the enactment of this bill or before separation from government service, whichever is earlier. An incumbent who makes an election before the enactment of this bill may pay a deposit into the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund to cover prior service. A law enforcement officer shall not be subject to mandatory separation during the three-year period beginning on the enactment of this bill.
Small Business Succession Planning Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to establish a program to assist small businesses with developing and implementing business succession plans. The bill also provides a tax credit for a business that establishes a succession plan or that successfully carries out such a plan. A business succession plan identifies who will assume the ownership responsibilities of a small business upon the owner's death or retirement, and it includes an operational description of the small business to ensure the continuation of operations. To carry out the program, the SBA must develop and make publicly available a toolkit to assist small business with succession planning. Further, it must train resource partners on the toolkit, educate small businesses about the program, and ensure that each SBA district office and each resource partner employs someone to counsel small businesses on using the toolkit.
Safe Bases Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Defense (DOD) to allow a service member to carry a concealed firearm while on any military installation. DOD must establish a single authority within the department to issue permits for this purpose. To be eligible for a permit, the service member must be on active duty and must not be prohibited under federal law from purchasing, owning, or possessing a firearm.
Religious Insignia on Dog Tags Act This bill directs the Department of Defense (DOD) to allow trademarks owned or controlled by DOD to be combined with religious insignia on commercial identification tags (i.e., dog tags) and to be sold by lawful trademark licensees. The bill applies retroactively to September 13, 2013.
This bill authorizes the Department of Transportation (DOT) to award maritime career training grants to institutions of higher education and postsecondary vocational institutions for the purpose of developing, offering, or improving educational or career training programs for American workers related to the maritime workforce. Each awarded grant may not exceed $20 million. DOT must award grants based on a determination of the merits of the grant proposal submitted by the institution of higher education or postsecondary vocational institution to develop, offer, or improve maritime educational or career training programs to be made available to workers; an evaluation of the likely employment opportunities available to workers who complete a maritime educational or career training program that the institution proposes to develop, offer, or improve; an evaluation of prior demand for training programs by workers in the community served by the institution, as well as the availability and capacity of existing maritime training programs to meet future demand for training programs; and any prior designation of the institution as a Center of Excellence for Domestic Maritime Workforce Training and Education.
No Taxpayer Funding for the Chinese Communist Party Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Justice to report to Congress on the extent to which China has benefited from U.S. taxpayer-funded research. The report shall also contain information including (1) a list of U.S. government-funded entities that have hired Chinese nationals; and (2) a list of U.S. government programs in the science, technology, engineering, and math fields that have cooperated or affiliated with research institutions in China or Chinese Communist Party entities.
Lessening Regulatory Costs and Establishing a Federal Regulatory Budget Act of 2021 This bill establishes procedures and provides statutory authority to reduce the number of federal regulations. Specifically, it requires each agency to establish a regulatory reform task force chaired by a designated regulatory reform officer. Each task force must, among other duties (1) review each existing agency regulation; (2) estimate the potential cost savings of repealing or modifying each regulation; and (3) identify regulations that are appropriate for repeal, replacement, or modification based on cost, effectiveness, and impact on employment. The bill further provides statutory authority for the executive order prohibiting agencies from issuing a new regulation with an economic impact of at least $100 million without identifying two regulations for repeal that will offset the cost of the proposed new regulation. Agencies also must submit a list of all planned regulatory actions for inclusion in the semiannual Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions, including (1) the estimated economic effect of each action, and (2) proposed deregulatory actions to offset the cost of each proposed new regulation. Additionally, the Office of Management and Budget must establish an annual regulatory budget for each federal agency that specifies the net allowable increase in regulatory costs for each agency during the next fiscal year.
This bill extends for two years the election and capital gain deferral periods for qualified opportunity zones. An opportunity zone is an economically-distressed community where private investments, under certain conditions, may be eligible for capital gain tax incentives.
No taxpayer funding for United Nations Human Rights Council Act This bill prohibits the Department of State from making contributions to the United Nations Human Rights Council, either as a percentage of the U.S. contribution to the regular budget of the United Nations or as a voluntary contribution to the council.
COVID-19 Language Access Act This bill requires each federal agency that receives federal assistance related to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic to translate any English language written material prepared for the general public relating to the pandemic, including COVID-19 vaccine distribution and education, into specified languages not later than seven days after such material is made available in English. Such languages shall include, at a minimum, the following: Spanish, Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Haitian Creole, French, Hindi, Hmong, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Russian, Tagalog, Urdu, Vietnamese, Greek, Polish, Thai, and Portuguese.
"Six Triple Eight" Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of the women of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion (commonly known as the Six Triple Eight) in recognition of their pioneering military service, devotion to duty, and contributions to increase the morale of personnel stationed in the European theater of operations during World War II. The medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution and made available for display and research.
