Rep. Donald S. Beyer, Jr.

Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs the National Park Service to establish a program for the National Park System to reduce disposable plastic products and, if applicable, eliminate the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products. Each regional office of the National Park Service must eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic products and the sale and distribution of other disposable plastic products after consideration of several specified factors (e.g., the costs and benefits to overall operations). Each regional office must develop a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program and its implementation.

This bill designates a trail route, to be known as the September 11th National Memorial Trail Route, to link the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum in New York, New York, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and the Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The September 11th National Memorial Trail Route shall provide for a tribute to the family members and loved ones who were victims of the attack and the heroes of September 11th, including the first responders in the days, weeks, and months after the attack; be a trail of remembrance to honor the fallen in a tangible way that keeps their memories alive and reaffirms the exceptionalism of our country; and be a celebration of our nation's resilience and perseverance since September 11, 2001. The September 11th National Memorial Trail Route shall be administered by the National Park Service but not be considered to be a unit of the National Park System or a part of the National Trail System.

Unemployment Insurance Improvement Act This bill expands the list of requirements a state unemployment compensation system must follow to be compliant under federal law. Specifically, the bill requires the maximum benefit period available to an individual be at least 26 weeks. The base period used to determine unemployment eligibility must consist of at least four completed calendar quarters preceding the claim and must include the most recently completed calendar quarter. Further, compensation must not be denied to an otherwise eligible individual who earns at least $1,000 during the highest quarter and at least $1,500 during the entire base period. Finally, compensation must not be denied under an ability to work, active search for work, or refusal to accept work provision solely on the basis of the number of hours of work the individual is seeking, so long as the individual is seeking at least 20 hours of work or half the hours the individual typically worked. Employers that pay unemployment taxes to a noncompliant state system cannot claim amounts paid into the state system as a credit against federal unemployment tax due. The bill also requires states to meet specified online claim system accessibility requirements and to ensure that offline means of filing are available. A state that does not comply cannot receive federal funds for administration of its state unemployment system.

Supporting Older Workers Act This bill allows states to use allocated Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds for statewide training activities to support older workers. Specifically, the bill authorizes training activities that coordinate with existing programs for older workers, support the development of activities that enhance the skills of older individuals, or enhance economic choices available to older individuals. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to award grants to states and local areas to hire WIOA coordinators for older worker and establishes the Older Workers Bureau. The Government Accountability Office must study how well existing state and local performance accountability measures under WIOA measure the success of older individuals.

Indigenous Peoples' Day Act This bill designates Indigenous Peoples' Day as a legal public holiday in lieu of Columbus Day.

This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established for the review of discharge characterizations related to sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask, Don't Tell or a similar policy). DOD must also provide for specified relief for former members of the Armed Forces who were impacted by the discharge characterizations and ensure that DOD oral historians review related facts and receive testimony from affected individuals.

Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to take certain actions promoting the normalization of relations between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. Specifically, the State Department must develop a strategy on expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords (the term used to refer collectively to agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain marking the public normalization of relations between the two Arab countries and Israel). The strategy must include a description of how the U.S. government will encourage further normalization of relations with Israel. In addition, the State Department must report on options for U.S. international efforts to promote the strengthening of ties between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. The State Department must also report on the status of the normalization of relations with Israel, including information on (1) laws that punish individuals for people-to-people relations with Israelis (i.e., anti-normalization laws), and (2) evidence of steps taken by Arab governments toward permitting or encouraging normalized relations between their citizens or residents and Israeli citizens.

Debt Ceiling Reform Act This bill authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to increase the public debt limit. Under current law, the debt limit restricts the amount of funds that the Department of the Treasury may borrow to fund the federal government.

Solar Energy Manufacturing for America Act This bill allows a new tax credit for the production and sale of certain solar equipment produced and sold in a taxpayer's trade or business.

Chai Suthammanont Remembrance Act of 2021 This bill requires federal agencies to develop and disclose safety plans that contain certain information for on-site employees and contractors during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill requires each agency to post a safety plan on its website that includes descriptions of (1) the personal protective equipment that the agency will provide to its on-site employees and contractors; (2) protections for employees whose work requires them to travel off-site; (3) testing, contact-tracing, and vaccination protocols; and (4) protocols that ensure the continuity of operations in the event it is necessary to reverse on-site requirements. Each agency's Office of the Inspector General must report on whether the agency has published and implemented its safety plan.