Rep. David J. Trone

Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support Counseling Act or the COPS Counseling Act This bill sets forth requirements related to peer support counseling programs. A peer support counseling program is a program provided by a law enforcement agency that provides counseling services from a peer support specialist to a law enforcement officer of the agency. Among other things, the bill does the following: generally prohibits the disclosure of the contents of a peer support communication, and requires the Department of Justice to develop best practices and professional standards for peer support counseling programs.

Raise the Age Act This bill establishes new restrictions on the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals under 21 years of age. Specifically, this bill makes it unlawful for a licensed gun dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector to sell or deliver a semiautomatic center-fire rifle that has (or has the capacity to accept) an ammunition feeding device with a capacity of more than five rounds to an individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21. The prohibition does not apply if the individual under age 21 is a full-time law enforcement officer or active-duty member of the Armed Forces. The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on the operation of its public access line, including a description of information sharing protocols and recommendations for improving such protocols.

Public Safety Officer Support Act of 2021 This bill extends death and disability benefits under the Public Safety Officers' Benefits Program (PSOB) to certain public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or acute stress disorder following a stressful situation while on duty. The PSOB program provides death, disability, and education benefits to public safety officers and survivors of public safety officers who are killed or injured in the line of duty.

Vietnam Human Rights Act This bill requires actions related to human rights in Vietnam and addresses related issues. The Department of State must assist eligible individuals and entities working to secure the release of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam. The Office of Internet Freedom within the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the State Department shall prioritize (1) the immediate distribution of censorship circumvention tools for computers and smartphones in Vietnam; and (2) projects to ensure the safety and privacy of bloggers, journalists, and human rights defenders in Vietnam. Foreign assistance may not be used to assist any unit of the Vietnamese government engaged in cyberespionage activities. The State Department may establish programs to (1) monitor and halt sex trafficking of women from Vietnam and other Asian countries, and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity. The bill also requires various reports to Congress, including reports on (1) persons subject to U.S. sanctions for human rights violations in Vietnam, (2) a strategy to promote internet freedom in Vietnam, and (3) cyberespionage activities sanctioned by the Vietnamese government targeting Vietnamese dissidents and human rights advocates living outside of Vietnam.

Rural Area Opioid Prevention Pilot Program Act This bill expands the allowable uses of grant funds under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program administered by the Department of Justice. Specifically, the bill allows grants to be used for pilot programs for rural areas to implement community response programs that focus on alternatives to incarceration and reducing opioid overdose deaths. The bill also requires at least 10% of grants under the program to be awarded to rural areas.

Fiscal State of the Nation Resolution This concurrent resolution requires the congressional budget committees to conduct an annual joint hearing to receive a presentation from the Comptroller General regarding (1) the Government Accountability Office's audit of the financial statement of the executive branch, and (2) the financial position and condition of the federal government.

Protection of Social Security Benefits Restoration Act This bill prohibits the application of, and repeals authority for, administrative offsets to Social Security, railroad retirement, and black lung benefits. (An administrative offset is the withholding of funds payable by or held by the United States to satisfy a debt.)

Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program through which the VA identifies justice-involved veterans and provides them with access to VA services. Justice-involved veterans are those with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to conduct program outreach to justice-involved veterans, military and veterans service organizations, and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community (e.g., local law enforcement). The VA must increase the number of program specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or underserved areas. Additionally, the VA must establish performance goals, measures, and implementation time lines for the program, specialists, and providing support for research regarding justice-involved veterans. Program specialists must receive training, at least annually, on (1) veteran eligibility for the program, and (2) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community.

Col. James Floyd Turner IV U.S.M.C. GI Bill Transfer Act of 2021 This bill provides procedures for the transfer of a Post-GI Bill educational assistance entitlement in situations where an eligible individual dies after the approval of the transfer but before the entire entitlement is transferred. Specifically, the remaining entitlement must be transferred evenly between the designated transferees.

Expanding the Families of Veterans Access to Mental Health Services Act The bill expands eligibility for readjustment counseling and related mental health services, including through a Vet Center, to family members of a veteran or member of the Armed Forces who died by suicide.