Rep. Jake LaTurner

Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to award a Congressional Gold Medal to the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133d Signal Service Company, known as the Ghost Army , collectively, in recognition of its service during World War II.

Rural STEM Education Research Act This bill specifies federal scientific research and development efforts towards STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including computer science) workforce development and rural STEM education. (Sec. 3) The bill amends the objectives of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program to include the provision to secondary schools of information about the job skills needed in manufacturing companies, and the promotion and expansion of certification systems offered through local high schools. The activities of a manufacturing extension center are expanded to include local high schools in the facilitation of collaborations and partnerships between manufacturing companies and schools to help those entities better understand the specific needs of manufacturers and to help manufacturers better understand the skill sets that students learn in school programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) must award prizes to stimulate research and development of creative technologies in order to deploy affordable and reliable broadband connectivity to underserved rural communities. NIST may award not more than a total of $5 million in prizes. (Sec. 4) The Office of Science and Technology Policy must establish a broadband research and development working group to address national research challenges and opportunities for improving broadband access and adoption across the United States. (Sec. 5) The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy of Sciences agrees to evaluate aspects of STEM education and workforce development in rural areas. (Sec. 6) The Government Accountability Office shall conduct a study on the engagement of rural populations in federal STEM programs. (Sec. 7) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) programs shall consider modifications to award structures to increase the capacity of rural communities to provide quality STEM education and STEM workforce development programming to students and teachers. (Sec. 8) The NSF must award grants to institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations for (1) research and development to advance innovative approaches to support and sustain high-quality STEM teaching in rural schools, (2) research and development of programming to identify the barriers rural students face in accessing high-quality STEM education, (3) development of innovative solutions to improve the participation and advancement of rural students in grades Pre-K through 12 in STEM studies, and (4) research on online STEM education courses for rural communities. The NSF may establish a pilot program of regional cohorts in rural areas to provide peer support, mentoring, and hands-on research experiences for rural STEM educators of students in grades Pre-K through 12 in order to build an ecosystem of cooperation among educators, researchers, academia, and local industry.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of DIPG Awareness Day. DIPG is diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, a terminal childhood brain cancer.

Close the Double Subsidy Loophole for Electric Vehicles Act This bill reduces the allowable amount of the tax credit for a new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicle by any subsidy made available by the state in which the vehicle is registered and was placed in service.

No Subsidies for Government Purchases of Electric Vehicles Act This bill disallows a tax credit for qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles that are sold to the federal government or a state government.

Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2019 or the RPM Act of 2019 [ sic ] This bill authorizes the modification of a vehicle's air emission controls for vehicles that are not legal for operation on a street or highway and are used solely for competition.

Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 20 21 This bill revises provisions relating to congressional review of agency rulemaking. Specifically, the bill establishes a congressional approval process for a major rule. A major rule may only take effect if Congress approves of the rule. A major rule is a rule that results in (1) an annual effect on the economy of $100 million or more; (2) a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, individual industries, government agencies, or geographic regions; or (3) significant adverse effects on competition, employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. In addition, the bill establishes a congressional disapproval process for a nonmajor rule. A nonmajor rule may only take effect if Congress does not disapprove of the rule.

Home Defense and Competitive Shooting Act of 2021 This bill removes short-barreled rifles (barrels of less than 16 inches in length) from the definition of firearms for purposes of the National Firearms Act. It also eliminates the prohibition on the transportation of such rifles in interstate commerce and treats persons who acquire or possess a short-barreled rifle as meeting the registration or licensing requirements for such rifle where such requirements are determined by reference to the National Firearms Act. The bill preempts state or local laws that impose a tax or recordkeeping requirements on short-barreled rifles. The Department of Justice must destroy records relating to the registration of  certain rifles within one year after the enactment of this bill.

Lawful Interstate Transportation of Firearms Act This bill revises criminal provisions related to the interstate transportation of firearms and ammunition. An individual may transport a firearm between two places (e.g., states) where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the firearm. During transport, the firearm must be unloaded and secured or securely stored. Additionally, an individual may transport ammunition, or a detachable magazine or feeding device, between two places where it is legal to possess, carry, or transport the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device. During transport, the ammunition, magazine, or feeding device must not be loaded into a firearm and must be securely stored. The term transport includes staying in temporary lodging; stopping for food, fuel, vehicle maintenance, an emergency, or medical treatment; or any other activity incidental to the transport. The bill prohibits the arrest or detention of an individual for a state or local firearm or ammunition violation unless there is probable cause to believe the individual failed to comply with the provisions of this bill, and there is probable cause to believe the individual committed another crime.

This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that a carbon tax would be detrimental to American families and businesses and is not in the best interest of the United States.