Pandemic Effects on Home Safety and Tourism Act This bill requires studies and reports about the effects of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) with respect to tourism and consumer product safety. Specifically, the Consumer Product Safety Commission must report, and make available to the public, information about injuries and deaths from consumer products during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The report must be submitted every three months for the duration of the emergency. Additionally, the Department of Commerce, in consultation with appropriate stakeholders, must study and report about the effects of the pandemic on the travel and tourism industry. Commerce must consider metrics including changes in employment rate, sales, and business revenue, and it must provide the opportunity for public comment. An interim study and report must be submitted not later than three months after the enactment of this bill.
Consumer Safety Technology Act This bill requires various agencies to explore the use of emerging technologies in the context of consumer products and safety. First, the Consumer Product Safety Commission must consult with relevant stakeholders, such as data scientists and product manufacturers, and use artificial intelligence in a pilot program for a least one of the following processes: (1) tracking trends in injuries involving consumer products, (2) identifying consumer product hazards, (3) monitoring the sale of recalled consumer products, or (4) identifying consumer products that do not meet specified importation requirements related to product safety. Additionally, the Department of Commerce must consult with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and other relevant agencies to study potential applications of blockchain technology (i.e., the technology that supports digital currencies such as Bitcoin), including the use of such technology to address fraud and other unfair or deceptive practices. Finally, the FTC must report on its efforts to address unfair or deceptive trade practices related to digital tokens (i.e., transferable units of a digital currency).
This bill makes technical and conforming changes to the U.S. Code that are related to the enactment of title 41 (Public Contracts) into positive law.
This bill makes technical amendments related to title 54 (National Park Service and Related Programs), which was enacted as a new positive law title in December 2014.
Elder Abuse Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Elder Justice Initiative, which coordinates activities of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to combat elder abuse, neglect, and financial fraud. The bill requires DOJ's Elder Justice Coordinator to serve as the head of the initiative. The bill also requires the initiative to establish a national elder fraud telephone hotline, promote civil legal aid to victims of elder fraud and elder abuse, and make resources available online in English and Spanish.
Foundation of the Federal Bar Association Charter Amendments Act of 2021 This bill revises the federal charter for the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association. Specifically, the bill (1) eliminates the provision that requires the foundation to be incorporated and domiciled in the District of Columbia; and (2) requires the board of directors to decide, and specify in the bylaws, the location of the principal office. Additionally, the bylaws—not the charter—must provide for the terms of membership, the responsibilities of the board of directors, and the election of officers. A director or officer, in his or her corporate capacity, is prohibited from contributing to, supporting, or participating in political activities. The bill allows income and assets of the corporation to be used to reasonably compensate or reimburse expenses of an officer, director, or member; to award a grant to the Federal Bar Association chapter of an officer, director, or member; and to reasonably compensate employees. Furthermore, the bill expands a prohibition on loans for directors and officers to include members and employees. Finally, the bill specifies that on dissolution or final liquidation, any remaining assets must be distributed as provided by the board of directors instead of deposited in the Treasury.
Criminal Judicial Administration Act of 2021 This bill expands the authority of federal judges to reimburse defendants for expenses related to attending court proceedings. The bill also broadens the authority of magistrate court judges. Currently, when a defendant is released pending further court appearances, federal judges may order the U.S. Marshals Service to provide transportation and subsistence (food and lodging) expenses for a defendant to travel to court appearances, but not expenses during or to return home from such court appearances. This bill allows federal judges to order the Marshals Service to provide a defendant's transportation and subsistence expenses to return home from court proceedings, as well as subsistence expenses during such proceedings. Additionally, the bill authorizes magistrate court judges to rule on post-judgment motions pertaining to misdemeanor cases they tried and disposed of. Current law permits magistrate judges to try and dispose of misdemeanors in the district courts if the defendant consents.
Protecting Older Workers Against Discrimination Act of 2021 This bill revises the evidentiary standard for age discrimination by establishing an unlawful employment practice when the complaining party demonstrates that age or participation in an investigation, proceeding, or litigation related to an age discrimination claim was a motivating factor for an adverse practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice (thereby allowing what are commonly known as mixed motive claims). The bill (1) permits the complaining party to rely on any type or form of admissible evidence, which need only be sufficient for a reasonable trier of fact to find that an unlawful practice occurred; and (2) declares that the complaining party shall not be required to demonstrate that age or retaliation was the sole cause of the employment practice (thereby rejecting the Supreme Court's decision in Gross v. FBL Financial Services, Inc. , which requires the complainant to prove that age was the but-for cause for the employer's decision). The bill applies this evidentiary standard to other employment discrimination and retaliation claims, including claims under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. In a claim in which age discrimination is shown, but where the employer demonstrates that it would have taken the same action absent the motivating factor of age, the bill authorizes courts to grant declaratory and injunctive relief, but prohibits the court from awarding damages or issuing an order requiring any admission, reinstatement, hiring, promotion, or payment. This limitation also applies to claims of discrimination based on disability. The bill also includes reporting requirements for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor.
Stop Tip-overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act or the STURDY Act This bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to revise the safety standards for freestanding clothing storage units such as a dressers, bureaus, or chests of drawers. Such standards must include specified testing related to tip overs and new warning requirements for all such products entering the U.S. market.
Justice for Juveniles Act This bill exempts juvenile prisoners (i.e., inmates who are under 22 years of age) from various requirements of the inmate grievance procedure, including the requirement to exhaust administrative remedies before filing a federal lawsuit regarding the condition of their confinement.
Artistic Recognition for Talented Students Act or the ARTS Act This bill directs the Copyright Office to waive various copyright registration-related fees for works that win certain competitions sponsored by the Congressional Institute or established by Congress. To qualify for the fee waiver, the copyright registration application must be filed within a specified time frame, but the Copyright Office may waive fees for a qualifying work even if the application is filed outside the time frame.
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises several programs and activities relating to newborn screening for certain conditions and genetic, endocrine, and metabolic diseases. Among its changes, the bill reauthorizes and makes mandatory the Hunter Kelly Research Program at the National Institutes of Health, and national surveillance activities conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The bill also aligns statutory requirements for research on non-identified newborn blood spots with federal regulations governing research on human subjects. These blood spots are collected as part of newborn screening programs, and some states make them available for biomedical and public health research. Under current regulations, research on non-identified bio-specimens such as blood spots is not considered to be research on human subjects, to which additional protections apply.
