Rep. Jake Auchincloss

Expanding Broadcast Ownership Opportunities Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take certain actions to increase diversity of ownership in the broadcasting industry and establishes a related tax incentive. Specifically, the bill requires the FCC to report to Congress regarding (1) recommendations for increasing the total number of broadcast stations that are owned or controlled by members of minority groups or women, (2) the total number of broadcast stations that are owned or controlled by members of minority groups or women, and (3) whether there is a nexus between diversity of ownership or control of broadcast stations and the diversity of the viewpoints expressed on the stations. In addition, the bill allows companies engaged in the qualifying sale of a broadcast station to receive favorable tax treatment by electing nonrecognition of the gain or loss resulting from the sale. To qualify for this treatment, the sale must result in or preserve ownership and control of a broadcast station by socially disadvantaged individuals.

The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance Act of 2021 or the PASTEUR Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to enter into subscription contracts for critical-need antimicrobial drugs, provides $11 billion in appropriations for activities under the bill, and contains other related provisions. A manufacturer of a Food and Drug Administration-approved antimicrobial drug may apply to HHS to have the drug designated as a critical-need antimicrobial, and HHS may enter into a subscription contract for such a critical-need antimicrobial. The bill imposes certain requirements related to such contracts, including a mechanism to lower payments under the contract in certain instances to limit the manufacturer's revenue from the drug. Furthermore, HHS and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shall award grants to support efforts to encourage the appropriate use of antimicrobial drugs and efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance. The CDC shall also track and assess data relating to antibacterial resistance and human antibiotic use and make such data publicly available. HHS shall also establish a Committee on Critical Need Antimicrobials. The committee shall develop a list of prioritized infections for which new antimicrobial drug development is needed, among other duties. Within six years of the bill's enactment, the Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress a study on the bill's effectiveness in developing priority antimicrobial drugs.

Protecting the Information of our Vulnerable Children and Youth Act or the Kids PRIVCY Act This bill expands the requirements for digital services when handling the personal information of children. Specifically, the bill (1) requires digital services to obtain express, affirmative consent that is specific, informed, and unambiguous before processing the personal information of a child or teenager under the age of 18; (2) prohibits certain targeted advertising; and (3) allows individuals to access, correct, or delete their personal information. The bill increases the civil penalty for violations of the children's online privacy protections and provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and a private right of action.

This resolution condemns acts of violence against Afghan women and girls and any effort to limit the ability of women and girls to participate in the civic affairs of Afghanistan. It also urges the President to ensure that Afghan women, youth, and other marginalized groups are meaningfully participating and engaging in all peace talks.

This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the murder of Alireza Fazeli Monfared should be investigated and prosecuted and that the practice of honor killings in Iran is a violation of internationally recognized human rights. Further, it urges the Department of State to rebuke Iran for this practice and to condemn Iranian human rights abuses against vulnerable populations, including abuses based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender expression.

Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Critically Endangered Animals Conservation Fund, which finances a grant program to protect critically endangered species. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of the Interior to establish the fund as a separate account in the Multinational Species Conservation Fund. Critically endangered species means any animal species categorized on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species as either endangered or critically endangered. The term also means any other animals species categorized on such list as data deficient or under a threat category lower than endangered if Interior determines that (1) the most recent IUCN Red List assessment indicates that the population is decreasing, or (2) such species is facing new or emerging threats.

This resolution (1) commits to advancing policies that will end roadway fatalities by 2050, and (2) calls on Congress and the Department of Transportation to commit to working together to achieve zero roadway fatalities by the year 2050.

Exposing Discrimination in Higher Education Act This bill requires the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights to publish prominently on its website the names of the institutions of higher education (IHEs) that request, and the names of the IHEs that receive, religious exemptions from the prohibition on sex discrimination in federally funded education programs and activities. It also requires an IHE that requests, receives, exercises, or intends to exercise such a religious exemption to publish prominently on its website certain information with respect to such exemption.

Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2021 This bill addresses the use of certain pesticides and the health and status of native bees and other pollinators. First, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Pollinator Protection Board to develop an independent review process for pesticides that pose a threat to pollinators and their habitats. All active ingredients and pesticide products that contain one or more specified neonicotinoid pesticides must be deemed to generally cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. Under the bill, the registration of all uses of neonicotinoid pesticides must be immediately and permanently canceled. The EPA must revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of a neonicotinoid pesticide, or any pesticide chemical residue that results from neonicotinoid pesticide use, in or on food. The continued sale or use of existing stocks of neonicotinoid pesticides is prohibited, and the EPA may not register any such pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The bill requires the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Agriculture to coordinate monitoring activities and report on the health and population status of native bees and other pollinators. Finally, a state or federal agency may be granted an exemption to use neonicotinoid pesticides if the board votes that use of the pesticide is warranted (1) in an emergency situation to avert significant risk to threatened or endangered species, (2) to quarantine invasive species, or (3) to protect public health.

Closing the Meal Gap Act of 202 1 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using the value of a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must (1) reevaluate and publish the market baskets of the plan by January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter, based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance; and (2) make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the excess shelter expense deduction. The bill eliminates certain work requirements for SNAP. The requirements apply to able-bodied adults who are ages 18-49 and have no dependent children. The bill allows Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to participate in SNAP. Currently, the three territories receive block grants instead of participating in SNAP.