Wireless Broadband Competition and Efficient Deployment Act This bill excludes certain personal wireless facility projects from specified review requirements. Specifically, the bill excludes from specified environmental and historic preservation review a project that involves the mounting, installation, or modification of eligible personal wireless facilities (i.e., antennas, apparatuses, transmitting devices, and related equipment for the provision of personal wireless service).
Cable Transparency Act This bill modifies the term and termination of cable franchises. Specifically, the bill provides that a cable franchise shall continue without any requirement for an operator to renew such franchise until the date the franchise is revoked or terminated. Under current law, a cable operator must submit a proposal for renewal of the franchise to the franchising authority. The bill prohibits generally (1) a franchising authority from revoking a franchise, (2) a cable operator from terminating a franchise, or (3) the revocation or termination of a franchise by operation of law. However, a cable operator may terminate a franchise by submitting a written request to the franchising authority for the revocation of such franchise, and a franchising authority may revoke a franchise if it (1) finds that the cable operator has knowingly and willfully failed to meet a material requirement of the franchise, (2) provides the cable operator an opportunity to cure such failure, and (3) does not waive or acquiesce to the failure to meet the requirement. Further, during a franchise period, a cable operator may obtain the elimination or modification of a franchise requirement by submitting a request for such elimination or modification to the franchising authority. The franchising authority shall grant such request if the cable operator demonstrates good cause and shows that the services required by the franchise will be maintained.
Brownfields Broadband Deployment Act This bill excludes certain communications facility deployment or modification projects from specified review requirements. Specifically, the bill excludes from specified environmental and historic preservation review a project for the deployment or modification of a communications facility that is to be carried out entirely within a brownfield site (real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant).
This resolution urges the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to transfer the 2022 Winter Olympic Games to a site outside of China and urges the United States and other countries to withdraw from the games if the IOC does not take this action. The resolution also urges recognition and celebration of the 2022 U.S. Winter Olympic athletes, coaches, trainers, and staff.
This resolution expresses support for (1) the designation of International Flower Workers' Day to demonstrate the U.S. commitment to practices that respect labor rights in other countries, and (2) the elimination of exploitative labor practices as a key U.S. policy goal. Further, the resolution urges the governments of Colombia and other flower-producing countries to investigate and respond to the social and environmental impacts of the flower-producing industry, and it notes that the Colombian Action Plan Related to Labor Rights has not adequately strengthened or improved working conditions in Colombia. The resolution also encourages the development and implementation of new measures to uphold and fulfill the strong labor commitments made under the U.S.-Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement.
This resolution requests that the President transmit to the House of Representatives 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 bill prohibits the Department of Defense (DOD) from using funds to transfer or release within the United States (including its territories or possessions) any detainee (1) who is not a U.S. citizen or member of the U.S. Armed Forces, and (2) who is or was held by DOD at United States Naval Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on or after January 20, 2009.
Real Time Transparency Act of 2021 This bill revises the notification requirement for campaign contributions of $1,000 or more. Specifically, the bill applies this requirement to (1) any political committee, not just a candidate's principal campaign committee; and (2) cumulative contributions of $1,000 or more during a calendar year, instead of only single contributions that are received by a committee less than 20 days but more than 48 hours before the day of an election. Only the Federal Election Commission (FEC) must be notified within 48 hours of receiving these contributions, instead of the FEC and others. Any amount transferred by a joint fundraising committee established by a candidate's authorized committee to any other authorized committee of that candidate shall be treated as a contribution.
Ethics in Public Service Act This bill provides statutory authority for provisions of the executive order titled Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel , which was issued on January 21, 2009, by President Barack H. Obama. The order required political appointees in the executive branch to sign an ethics pledge that restricted lobbying and related activities during and after government employment, including prohibitions on appointees communicating with their former agencies for two years post-employment and on lobbying agencies for the remainder of the presidential administration. The order was eventually revoked and replaced with executive orders from subsequent administrations. On January 20, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. issued an executive order titled Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel , which requires appointees to sign an ethics pledge with both similar and different provisions. For example, the order's pledge (1) prohibits post-employment lobbying, including lobbying on behalf of foreign governments, for the remainder of a presidential administration or for two years after appointments end, whichever is later; and (2) restricts appointees from accepting cash payments or non-cash benefits from former employers that are contingent on government employment (also known as golden parachutes ).
Election Technology Integrity and Fraud Prevention Act This bill prohibits a voting system used in a federal election from connecting to the internet. Further, it prohibits a voting system from directly tabulating a ballot that was transmitted online.
Election Audit Transparency Act This bill prohibits the use of voting systems in federal elections that have proprietary hardware or software that does not meet the Election Assistance Commission's voluntary voting system guidelines for interoperability and auditability.
Accelerating Carbon Capture and Extending Secure Storage through 45Q Act or the ACCESS 45Q Act This bill extends the tax credit for carbon oxide sequestration through 2035 and allows taxpayers an election to receive payments in lieu of the credit. The bill also permits an allowance of the carbon oxide tax credit against the base erosion minimum tax. The base erosion minimum tax is a tax on large corporation that is calculated after adding back to taxable income certain deductible payments made to related foreign persons.
