Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the balances, transactions, or the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on the date of enactment.
This resolution addresses free speech issues at institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the resolution recognizes that free speech zones and restrictive speech codes of IHEs are inherently at odds with the freedom of speech guaranteed by the First Amendment to the Constitution. In addition, the resolution urges (1) IHEs to facilitate and recommit themselves to protecting the free and open exchange of ideas; (2) the Department of Education to promote policies that foster debate, academic freedom, intellectual curiosity, and viewpoint diversity on campuses of public IHEs; and (3) the Department of Justice to defend and protect the First Amendment across public IHEs.
Make in America to Sell in America Act of 2021 This bill requires certain actions to identify critical goods and establish minimum domestic content requirements. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to publish an annual report that identifies finished and intermediate goods that are critical for U.S. national security or the protection of the industrial base. Additionally, the bill establishes a minimum domestic content requirement for those covered goods identified in Commerce's report. A covered good may not be introduced for sale in the United States unless the domestic value content of the good is more than 50%, with limited exceptions. The President may waive this requirement under specified circumstances. Further, the bill establishes enforcement provisions, including civil penalties and investigations by the U.S. International Trade Commission.
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
Maddy summaryThis 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 bill repeals Section 230 of the Communications Act of 1934, which protects a provider or user of an interactive computer service (e.g., social media company) from liability for screening or blocking objectionable content.
Maddy summaryS 2973 establishes an Inspector General (IG) position specifically for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill amends the Inspector General Act of 1978 to add the NIH Director to the list of agency heads requiring an IG, replacing the National Reconnaissance Office reference. It mandates that the President appoint an IG for the NIH within 180 days of the bill's enactment, following the standard process outlined in the existing Act. This is a procedural bill creating a new oversight role within the NIH, directly affecting the agency's internal accountability structure.
Maddy summarySRES 407 is a non-binding Senate resolution designating October 3-9, 2021, as "Religious Education Week" to recognize the role of religious education in the U.S. It celebrates schools and organizations providing religious instruction, which the resolution states supports civic and moral development. The resolution calls on all 50 states, territories, and the District of Columbia to accommodate public school students who wish to attend religious classes during school hours (a practice permitted under court rulings like *Zorach v. Clauson*). It does not create new laws or policies but symbolically affirms the value of religious education as highlighted by historical figures and legal precedents.
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that Marine Corps Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz and his fellow Missourians who made the ultimate sacrifice during the war in Afghanistan represent the best of Missouri and the United States. The resolution also honors those service members and their families.
Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Joint Select Committee on Afghanistan as a joint committee of Congress, required to investigate the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
