Rep. Don Bacon

Prison Camera Reform Act of 2021 This bill establishes various requirements to ensure that the security camera, radio, and public address systems used by the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) have the capabilities necessary to (1) ensure the health and safety of staff and inmates; and (2) ensure the documentation and accessibility of video evidence pertaining to misconduct, maltreatment, or criminal activity within correctional facilities. Among the requirements, the BOP must evaluate the systems currently in use at its facilities and implement a plan that addresses deficiencies in and makes upgrades to the systems.

Improving Patient Access to Care and Treatment Act This bill increases the number of days—from 14 to 60—within which a practitioner must administer certain narcotic drugs (e.g., buprenorphine) to a patient for maintenance or detoxification treatment (i.e., substance use disorder treatment) after receiving the drugs from a pharmacy.

Smarter Pretrial Detention for Drug Charges Act of 2021 This bill removes the presumption of pretrial detention for an individual who is charged with a federal drug offense for which the maximum term of imprisonment is 10 years or more.

Kerrie Orozco First Responders Family Support Act This bill establishes that a surviving spouse, child, or parent of a U.S. citizen public safety officer may be naturalized at the time of the officer's death if the death was caused by an injury incurred or aggravated by the officer's employment. The individual may be naturalized upon meeting the relevant immigration law requirements, except that no prior residence or specified U.S. physical presence shall be required. A surviving spouse seeking naturalization must have been living in marital union with the officer at the time of death. Public safety officers include law enforcement officers, firefighters, or chaplains, and certain Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees engaged in hazardous duties.

Postal Police Reform Act of 2021 This bill removes certain restrictions on U.S. Postal Service (USPS) police officers to investigate criminal matters related to the USPS and postal mail.

Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Justice to award competitive matching grants to state, local, and tribal governments to establish or maintain witness protection programs in cases involving (1) a homicide, serious violent felony, or serious drug offense; or (2) gangs or organized crime.

Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises programs and activities to support survivors of human trafficking and prevent such trafficking domestically and abroad. The bill expands and authorizes programs for survivors, including a program to prevent re-exploitation. It also extends through FY2026 a special assessment on certain persons convicted of a human trafficking offense, which funds programs for human-trafficking survivors. Additionally, the bill provides privacy and other protections for survivors, including specified financial protections and protections against retaliation for survivors who pursue civil claims against a perpetrator. The bill also allows courts to reduce sentences for certain individuals who commit human trafficking crimes as minors. To prevent trafficking domestically, federal departments must incorporate anti-trafficking efforts into contracting activities and personnel policies, and the bill supports private sector efforts to address human trafficking in its policies and services. Furthermore, the bill supports the identification, investigation, and prosecution of human trafficking crimes, with an expanded focus on forced labor. To prevent trafficking globally, the bill prohibits access to a trade program for developing countries and otherwise restricts development assistance for countries that fail to meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. It also changes the criteria for determining whether a country has met applicable standards. In addition, the bill authorizes sanctions on persons convicted of severe forms of trafficking and requires integration of counter-trafficking activities into foreign assistance programs. The bill also requires reporting by the Government Accountability Office, federal agencies, and states concerning human trafficking.

Care for Her Act This bill allows an eligible taxpayer to claim the Child Tax Credit for the tax year preceding the year the child is born. It also sets out other activities to support parents and pregnant women. Specifically, the bill establishes the Pregnancy Support Collaborative, which consists of representatives from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and states that elect to participate. The collaborative must maintain a clearinghouse of information on providers of pregnancy and parenting supports and services. States must identify providers in their jurisdictions who meet applicable criteria for inclusion. In addition, the collaborative must share information about education and training opportunities for parents and pregnant women and identify successful programs (including workplace policies) to support them. Furthermore, the collaborative must award grants to states for local programs to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. If a community demonstrates that its program reduces Medicaid costs, it retains a portion of those savings. If approved by the collaborative, HHS must award grants to providers in the clearinghouse for mentoring and training pregnant women and new mothers and addressing gaps in the availability of maternity housing. Additionally, HHS may award grants for pregnancy and parenting supports and services. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must jointly maintain a database of de-identified epidemiological and Medicaid claims data to evaluate the effect of maternity homes on maternal and infant health outcomes.

Welcoming Evacuees Coming from Overseas to Mitigate Effects of Displacement Act of 2021 or the WELCOMED Act of 2021 This bill makes certain individuals from Afghanistan eligible for any benefit that is available to a refugee, such as resettlement assistance. Specifically, this bill shall apply to a national of Afghanistan (or an individual with no nationality who last habitually resided in Afghanistan) who is temporarily paroled into the United States for urgent humanitarian reasons or significant public benefit during the four-year period beginning on July 1, 2021.

Havana Syndrome Attacks Response Act This bill requires the President to sanction foreign persons and governments for carrying out clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury. Specifically, the President must impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that has directed or carried out such an attack. If the President determines a foreign government carried out such an attack, the President must notify Congress and sanction that country by terminating any foreign assistance (except for humanitarian aid or food or agricultural commodities or products) and arms transactions, restricting commercial exports, and denying access to U.S. credit or other financial assistance. The President must remove these sanctions after 12 months, provided that (1) the country's government gives reliable assurances that it will not conduct future attacks, and (2) the executive branch does not have persuasive information indicating an attack occurred in the preceding six months. The bill also requires a congressional briefing and report about suspected clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury, including hypotheses concerning the identity of the perpetrators and the technical methods used to carry out the attacks.