Rep. Bennie G. Thompson

Original National Domestic Violence Awareness Month Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the goals and ideals of National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Further, it expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress should continue to raise awareness of and support programs to end domestic violence.

This resolution finds Stephen K. Bannon in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with a congressional subpoena. It also directs the Speaker of the House to (1) certify the related report from the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol to the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia for criminal proceedings, and (2) take all other appropriate action to enforce the subpoena.

Caring for Survivors Act of 2021 This bill increases the monthly rate of dependency and indemnity compensation payable to surviving spouses through the Department of Veterans Affairs. The bill also adjusts the amount payable to surviving spouses and children of veterans who were rated as totally disabled for a period of less than 10 years before their death.

Defending Each and Every Person from False Appearances by Keeping Exploitation Subject to Accountability Act of 2021 or the DEEP FAKES Accountability Act This bill establishes requirements for advanced technological false personation records (i.e., deep fakes) and establishes criminal penalties for related violations. Specifically, it requires producers of deep fakes to generally comply with certain digital watermark and disclosure requirements (e.g., verbal and written statements). It establishes new criminal offenses related to (1) the production of deep fakes which do not comply with related watermark or disclosure requirements, and (2) the alteration of deep fakes to remove or meaningfully obscure such required disclosures. A violator is subject to a fine, up to five years in prison, or both. It also establishes civil penalties and permits individuals to bring civil actions for damages. Additionally, it revises the criminal offense of fraud in connection with certain identification documents to include deep fakes. The bill also directs the Department of Justice to take certain actions, such as publishing a report related to deep fakes that includes a description of the efforts of Russia and China to use technology to impact elections. Software manufacturers who reasonably believe software will be used to produce deep fakes must ensure it has the technical capability to insert watermarks and disclosures. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to establish a task force to, among other things, advance efforts of the federal government to combat the national security implications of deep fakes.

Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish standards for facilities holding aliens in its custody, phases out using non-DHS facilities for such purposes, and contains other related provisions. The standards shall comply with the American Bar Association's Civil Immigration Detention Standards. The DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) shall conduct periodic unannounced inspections of each facility and shall take various actions against noncompliant facilities, including imposing fines, cancelling contracts, and closing facilities. DHS shall report to Congress any death of an alien in its custody within 24 hours and conduct an investigation within 30 days that identifies policy changes that could reduce the likelihood of such a death. DHS is prohibited from entering into contracts for third parties to operate detention facilities or alternatives to detention programs and shall terminate existing contracts within three years of the bill's enactment. The bill establishes that OIG facility inspection reports and contracts for an outside entity to operate a detention facility are records available to the public under the Freedom of Information Act. DHS shall maintain certain information relating to detained aliens, including the alien's location and whether the alien was separated from family. The bill provides for various requirements and procedures related to detaining aliens, including (1) prohibiting DHS from detaining children, (2) imposing a presumption that an alien should be released, and (3) establishing that aliens in custody shall be subject to the least restrictive conditions. The bill also abolishes mandatory detention for asylum seekers.

PrEP Assistance Program Act This bill establishes a grant program to provide pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and related services to individuals at no cost. PrEP is medication given to individuals at risk of HIV to reduce their likelihood of contracting the virus. The Department of Health and Human Services must award the grants to state, tribal, and local governments; certain health clinics; and community-based organizations.

Cybersecurity Opportunity Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish a grant program to promote cybersecurity training and education at institutions of higher education with an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions.

Reconciliation in Place Names Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the Advisory Committee on Reconciliation in Place Names to advise the Board on Geographic Names with regard to renaming geographic features with offensive place names. The board shall rename a geographic feature with an offensive name in accordance with a recommendation of the committee unless the board determines that (1) there is a compelling reason and substantial public interest in rejecting the recommendation, or (2) approving the recommendation would violate federal law. The board shall accept or reject a recommendation within three years of receiving the recommendation.

Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act or the SMART Act This bill modifies the application of a certain Medicare payment methodology for outpatient physical therapy services and outpatient occupational therapy services that are furnished by a therapy assistant. Under current law, effective January 1, 2022, payment for such services is 85% of the otherwise applicable rate. The bill delays this effective date by one year and excludes services that are furnished in rural or medically underserved areas from this payment methodology. The bill also specifies that supervision requirements for outpatient physical therapy services that are furnished through private practice may not be more stringent for purposes of Medicare coverage than under state law.

C yber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act of 2021 This bill requires reporting and other actions to address cybersecurity incidents, including ransomware attacks. Entities that own or operate critical infrastructure must report cybersecurity incidents (e.g., ransomware attacks) within specified time frames while other entities may voluntarily report incidents. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) must (1) carry out rulemaking to implement the reporting requirements, and (2) establish an office to receive and analyze such reports. To the extent practicable, CISA must align its rules with existing requirements related to the reporting of cybersecurity incidents. The bill limits the use and disclosure of reported information. The information may be shared (subject to protections and restrictions) with federal agencies or to address cybersecurity threats. However, shared information may not be used as a basis for certain regulatory enforcement. Additionally, an entity may not be liable for submitting required reports. Further, reports are not subject to laws governing release of federal or other governmental records. The bill authorizes CISA to take specified action (e.g., issuing subpoenas) if an entity fails to submit a required report. CISA may share subpoenaed information with a regulator or the Department of Justice for regulatory enforcement or criminal prosecution.