Reassurance On Commitments Act of 2021 or the ROC Act This bill prohibits using funds made available to the Department of State for FY2022 to implement or enforce any policy that restricts representatives of Taiwan (such as members of Taiwan's armed forces or representatives of its government) or the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office from displaying symbols of Taiwan's sovereignty for official purposes.
Sponsored bills
This resolution condemns atrocities committed by the Chinese Communist Party against Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim Turkic groups in Xinjiang. The resolution also urges the President and U.S. government representatives to speak publicly about these human rights abuses and to call for investigation into the atrocities to hold those responsible to account.
Association Health Plans Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for certain short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans and association health plans. The bill permits short-term, limited-duration plans to provide coverage for a period of less than 12 months, not including extensions. Under current law, such plans are exempt from certain market requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions. The bill further permits groups or associations of employers to sponsor fully insured group health plans as if they were employers. Such plans may not discriminate based on the health factors of any prospective plan participant for the purpose of granting an employer's membership in the association or determining a participant's eligibility for benefits or premium amounts.
Integrity, Notification, and Fairness in Online Retail Marketplaces for Consumers Act or the INFORM Consumers Act This bill requires online marketplaces to collect, verify, and disclose certain information from high-volume, third-party sellers. High-volume, third-party sellers include online marketplace participants that conduct 200 or more transactions resulting in total revenues of $5,000 or more during a continuous 12-month period. Online marketplaces must acquire these sellers' (1) bank account numbers, (2) government-issued identification, (3) tax identification numbers, and (4) contact information. Online marketplaces must verify this information and annually certify any changes to it. Further, online marketplaces must make certain information (e.g., sellers' names and contact information) available to consumers through the sellers' product listings and provide consumers with methods to report electronically and by telephone any suspicious activity on the marketplace. The bill provides the Federal Trade Commission with the authority to enforce these requirements.
This resolution condemns the crackdown on pro-democracy activists carried out by the governments of Hong Kong and China and the Chinese Communist Party under the illegitimate and arbitrary pretext of national security. The resolution also states that the crackdown violates (1) the 1984 agreement between the United Kingdom and China relating to Hong Kong; and (2) Hong Kong's Basic Law, the territory's constitutional document.
Economic Mobility for Productive Livelihoods and Expanding Opportunity Act of 2021 or the EMPLEO Act This bill permits employers to participate in a wage subsidy program for eligible Puerto Rican employees. Eligible employees must be (1) U.S. citizens, (2) have Social Security numbers, and (3) certify their residency in Puerto Rico and intent to remain residents for at least the next six months. Employers who opt in must pay their eligible employees a minimum wage of $5. The Department of the Treasury then subsidizes those wages in an amount equal to 50% of the difference between $10 and the hourly wages the employees receive from their employers. For example, if a participating employer pays their eligible employees $5 hourly, the subsidy would equal $2.50 for an effective hourly wage of $7.50. Participating employers may elect advance payment of the aggregate subsidy amounts that exceed the employer's aggregate payroll taxes for the applicable period based on estimates the employer provides to Treasury. The bill treats employers who make such wage subsidy payments to eligible Puerto Rico employees as having paid payroll taxes in an amount equal to such payments.
School Reopening and Spending Transparency Act This bill requires the Department of Education to establish and update monthly a public website to track state expenditures of certain COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) education relief funds. States must report on the operating status of their public elementary and secondary schools during the 2020-2021 school year for inclusion on the website.
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2021 or the JOBS Act of 2021 This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by establishing the Job Training Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to award a job training Pell Grant to a student who does not have a degree; attends an institution of higher education (IHE); is enrolled in a career and technical education program at an IHE that provides 150 to 600 clock hours of instructional time over a period of 8 to 15 weeks and provides training aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors (i.e., job training programs); and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Pell Grant. It also specifies that any period during which a student receives a job training Pell Grant counts toward that student's Pell Grant eligibility period.
National Manufacturing Guard Act This bill addresses the manufacturing of critical resources (e.g., supplies that are life-sustaining or otherwise critical to U.S. national security). The bill establishes the Office of Supply Chain Preparedness within the Department of Commerce, the Supply Chain Advisory Council, and the National Manufacturing Guard within the office to be activated during a crisis to procure, manufacture, and distribute critical resources. The office must establish the Supply Chain Data Exchange to account for critical resources, measure the manufacturing ability of industry partners, and plan the distribution of such resources. The bill also establishes the Manufacturing Corps to provide workforce training for manufacturing skills deemed essential to the economic security of the United States.
Fair Access to Banking Act This bill restricts certain banks, credit unions, and payment card networks from refusing to do business with a person who is in compliance with the law. Restrictions include prohibiting the use of certain lending programs, initiating the process of terminating an institution's depository insurance, and instituting specified civil penalties.