Sen. Mike Braun

Protecting Working Families from Federal Overreach Act This bill permits states and tribal entities to use unexpended COVID-19 relief funds to pay, on behalf of employers, fines for violations of the emergency temporary standard issued by the Department of Labor on November 5, 2021, titled COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing; Emergency Temporary Standard.

Build More Housing Near Transit Act of 2021 This bill revises requirements for the fixed guideway capital investment grant program. Specifically, the bill revises how the Department of Transportation evaluates and rates fixed guideway capital projects under the program to include affordable housing incentives.

IRS Improper Payments Act This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of the Treasury, the Department of Justice (DOJ), executive agencies, and inspectors general to take specified steps to reduce improper payments and eliminate waste in federal programs. Specifically, the OMB must (1) establish annual targets for reducing improper payments, (2) issue government-wide guidance on this bill's implementation, and (3) establish various working groups. The OMB must also develop policy recommendations, including potential legislative proposals, designed to reduce improper payments. The Department of the Treasury, in coordination with DOJ and the OMB, must (1) publish information about improper payments under programs identified as having the highest dollar value or majority of improper payments (i.e., high priority programs); and (2) establish a central internet-based method to collect from the public information relating to suspected incidents of waste, fraud, and abuse. Each agency that administers a high priority program shall designate a Senate-confirmed official to be accountable for meeting agency program reduction targets. The bill requires an agency that fails to meet high priority program reduction targets of the agency, or fails to implement the plans for not less than two consecutive years, to submit a report that describes the likely causes of the failure and proposes a remedial plan. The Chief Financial Officers Council must take specified actions. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council must recommend to the President actions designed to enhance contractor accountability for improper payments.

Cattle Price Discovery and Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take various actions to address transparency in pricing and contract terms in the cattle industry. Among these requirements, USDA must (1) establish regional minimum percentages of cattle that meat packers must procure through negotiated purchases or negotiated grid purchases (i.e., transactions where the price is known and negotiated at the time of the transaction), and (2) maintain a publicly available catalog of contracts offered by meat packers to livestock producers for the purchase of fed cattle.

Maddy summarySRES 451 is a commemorative Senate resolution honoring the late Senator Max Cleland (D-GA), who died November 9, 2021. The resolution recognizes his service as a Vietnam War veteran (losing both legs and an arm in combat), his 50+ years of public service including roles as Georgia State Senator, Secretary of State, U.S. Senator, and Administrator of the Veterans Administration, and his advocacy for veterans. It formally expresses the Senate’s "profound sorrow" and "deep regret" over his death, commemorates his legacy of service to Georgia and veterans, and requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit the resolution to his family. This is a ceremonial resolution with no policy changes or legal effect.

This resolution establishes the McCain-Mansfield Fellowship Program for wounded or disabled veterans. Under the program, qualifying individuals may serve a 24-month fellowship in the office of a Senator. The Senate Committee on Rules and Administration must issue regulations for program administration, including eligibility criteria.

Maddy summarySRES 441 designates November 6, 2021, as National Bison Day to recognize the historical, cultural, and economic significance of bison in the United States. The resolution encourages the American public to observe the day with ceremonies and activities, building on an annual tradition that began in 2012. It highlights bison's role in Native American heritage, conservation efforts, and contributions to rural economies, without creating new legal requirements or funding.

Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021 This bill allows certain individuals to sue and recover damages for harm from exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This action is available only to individuals who were exposed to contaminated water for at least 30 days. The bill prohibits the U.S. government from asserting specified immunity from litigation in response to such a lawsuit. The bill also prohibits an individual who brings such an action from bringing a separate tort action against the United States based on the same harm.

This resolution (1) expresses support for the designation of the week of November 1-November 5, 2021, as National Family Service Learning Week, (2) recognizes the importance of family service learning in cultivating civic engagement and community investment, and (3) encourages the public to support family service learning and community development programs. Family service learning is a multigenerational problem-solving approach that utilizes active participation to meet community needs and develop the skillsets of children and families.

Fairness and Accountability in Underwriting Chinese Institutions Act or the FAUCI Act This bill prohibits making any federal funding available to laboratories or research institutions in China for gain-of-function research. The President may waive this prohibition for national security interests. (Under the bill, gain-of-function research generally involves the enhancement of potential pandemic pathogens or related risky research with potentially dangerous pathogens.) Furthermore, if the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services determines that a National Institutes of Health official, employee, or grantee has intentionally misled or omitted information in a relevant disclosure (e.g., to Congress) about federal funding for international gain-of-function research, such a person shall be ineligible for any federal funding or federal employment.