Housing Promotes Livelihood and Ultimate Success Act of 2021 or the Housing PLUS Act of 2021 This bill modifies the requirements under which the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must award grants under the Continuum of Care Program, which provides funding for nonprofit providers and state and local governments to quickly rehouse homeless individuals and families. Specifically, the bill bars HUD from prohibiting, limiting, or restricting Continuum of Care grants to recipients that (1) require program participants to receive supportive services, (2) require program participants to be sober or drug-free, or (3) are faith-based organizations. The bill also requires that 30% of Continuum of Care grant funds be set aside for eligible grant recipients that provide or offer access to wraparound services.
Sponsored bills
Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection-Inspector General Reform Act of 2021 or the CFPB-IG Act of 2021 This bill establishes a separate Office of Inspector General for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). Currently, such oversight of the CFPB is combined with the Office of Inspector General for the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.
Fairness for Federal Contractors Act of 2021 This bill prohibits executive agencies from requiring contractors to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to study the degree to which Executive Order 14042 (Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors) caused disruptions to federal contracts, supply chains, and transportation systems.
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor emergency temporary standard for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in employment settings. Under the standard issued on November 5, 2021, employers with 100 or more employees must require their onsite employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
This concurrent resolution declares that Congress should not impose any new performance fee, tax, royalty, or other charge relating to the public performance of sound recordings on a local radio station for broadcasting sound recordings over the air, or on any business for such public performance of sound recordings.
Maddy summaryHRES 386 is a symbolic resolution introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives that expresses support for recognizing "National Police Week" each year. The resolution acknowledges law enforcement officers' sacrifices, particularly during the pandemic, and encourages the public to honor their service. As a non-binding statement, this resolution does not create new law or change policy but serves as a formal expression of support for law enforcement officers across the United States.
No Sanctuary for Criminals Act This bill addresses issues related to immigration enforcement. A government entity may not prohibit its personnel or another government entity from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement efforts or making inquiries about an individual's immigration status. Currently, a government entity is only barred from prohibiting the sharing of immigration-related information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). A noncomplying state or local government shall be ineligible for certain grants and assistance related to law enforcement, terrorism, and immigration. DHS may (1) decline to transfer a detained alien to a noncomplying government entity even if that entity has issued a writ or warrant, and (2) issue a detainer if it believes that an individual arrested for any criminal or motor vehicle offense is inadmissible or deportable. DHS may not transfer an alien with a final order of removal to a noncomplying government entity. The bill also allows a victim of certain felonies (including murder and rape) to sue a state or local government entity if that entity had refused to honor an immigration detainer request and released the individual who later committed the crime. Furthermore, the bill (1) expands the categories of offenses requiring mandatory detention, (2) provides immunity for a state or local government entity or official temporarily detaining an alien under federal authority, (3) provides that an alien may be detained without time limitation while removal proceedings are pending, and (4) restricts a detained alien's release on bond.
Stop Illegal Reentry Act or Kate's Law This bill increases criminal penalties for certain aliens who illegally reenter the United States after removal or exclusion. Generally, an alien who had been denied entry into or removed from the United States and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States without prior approval from the Department of Homeland Security shall be fined, imprisoned for up to five years, or both. Current law requires a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both, for such an alien. An alien who had been denied entry or removed three or more times and who later enters or attempts to enter the United States shall be fined, imprisoned for up to 10 years, or both. An alien who was convicted of an aggravated felony or convicted at least two times before removal or departure and who subsequently enters or tries to enter the United States shall be imprisoned at least five years and for up to twenty years, and may also be fined. Currently, there is no minimum term of imprisonment for an alien who reenters after a conviction for an aggravated felony, and there are no criminal penalties for a reentering alien who had been convicted at least two times (other than the penalties for illegal reentry generally).
Protecting America From Spies Act This bill expands the grounds for barring aliens who have engaged in acts relating to espionage or sabotage from entering the United States. Specifically, any alien shall be inadmissible if the alien has engaged in or will engage in an act that (1) violates a U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage; (2) would violate any U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage if it occurred in the United States; or (3) violates any U.S. law prohibiting the export of goods, technology, or sensitive information. Currently, an alien shall be inadmissible if the alien seeks to enter the United States to engage in such an action. Furthermore, the bill expands these grounds of inadmissibility and other security-related grounds to cover the spouse or child of the barred alien if the act occurred in the last five years. The bill also modifies the authority of the Department of Justice to waive certain security-related grounds of inadmissibility for an alien applying for a nonimmigrant visa.
Greyhound Protection Act of 2021 This bill modifies the federal criminal statute commonly known as the Wire Act. Currently, the Wire Act contains four prohibitions on the use of a wire transmission facility (e.g., the telephone or internet) for certain gambling activities. All four prohibitions apply to sports gambling. However, there have been conflicting interpretations of the applicability of the prohibitions to nonsports gambling (e.g., state lotteries). This bill amends the Wire Act to expressly state that the statute does not authorize the use of wire communications to gamble on commercial greyhound racing or permit the transport of animals for commercial dog racing or related activities.