Secure Rural Schools Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2023 payments made to states and eligible counties containing certain federal land under the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self-Determination Act of 2000. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture shall carry out a pilot program to allow the Chief of the Forest Service or the Director of the Bureau of Land Management to nominate members of resource advisory committees. County funds may be used to provide or expand access to (1) broadband telecommunications services at local schools, or (2) the technology and connectivity necessary for students to use a digital learning tool at or outside of a local school campus. Any county funds that were obligated by a county before October 1, 2017, but are unspent on October 1, 2020, may be used by the county for any authorized use and shall be available for projects initiated after October 1, 2020. No county funds may be used for lobbying activity, regardless of the purpose for which the funds are obligated on or before the enactment of this bill.
Sponsored bills
National Right-to-Work Act This bill repeals those provisions of the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act that permit employers to make an agreement with a labor union to require employees to join such union as a condition of employment. Currently, at least 27 states have enacted laws prohibiting employers from compelling employees to become members of a union as a condition of employment.
Promoting Responsibility Over Moderation In the Social-media Environment Act or the PROMISE Act This bill requires interactive computer services (e.g., social media companies) to establish and publicly disclose policies for moderating content on their services. This includes the categories of information that are not permitted on the service, the process by which information posted on the service is moderated, and how the service provider notifies users that information has been moderated. These moderation policies are enforced by the Federal Trade Commission.
Living Donor Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits certain insurance carriers from discriminating against, and provides other protections for, living organ donors. Specifically, carriers may not deny, cancel, or otherwise impose conditions on policies for life insurance, disability insurance, or long-term care insurance based on an individual's status as a living organ donor. The bill also expressly specifies that recovery from organ-donation surgery constitutes a serious health condition that entitles eligible employees to job-protected medical leave. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must update educational materials on live organ donation to include information about the benefits of live organ donation and about access to insurance for living organ donors.
21st Century Space Grant Modernization Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions relating to the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) shall carry out the program with the objective of providing hands-on research, training, and education programs with measurable outcomes in each state. NASA shall carry out the program through a space grant consortium in each state. The bill revises the purposes of the program to support space research programs that promote equally the state and regional STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) interests of each space grant consortium. NASA shall award grants to the lead institution of each state's space grant consortium to carry out at least three of six specified research, training, and education programs. The bill repeals certain provisions relating to the program, including provisions establishing the space grant review panel.
Make It in America Act This bill addresses domestic content requirements and narrows instances in which waivers may be granted. Specifically, the bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), acting through the Office for Federal Procurement Policy, to promulgate regulations to standardize and simplify how federal agencies comply with, report on, and enforce the Buy American Act, including guidelines to ensure that a project is not disaggregated for purposes of avoiding the applicability of such requirements. The bill increases American-made content requirements from 50% to 75%. Before granting a waiver in the public interest with respect to a product sourced from a foreign country, a federal agency shall assess whether a significant portion of the cost advantage of the product is the result of the use of dumped steel, iron, or manufactured goods or the use of injuriously subsidized steel, iron, or manufactured goods. The OMB shall establish within it a Made in America Office to maximize and enforce compliance with domestic preference statutes, develop and implement procedures to review waiver requests, ensure that contracting personnel at each federal agency annually complete training on obligations under such statutes, and ensure the development of a domestic supply base to meet federal procurement requirements. The bill directs the Department of Transportation to enter into a technical assistance partnership with the Department of Commerce to ensure the development of a domestic supply base to support intermodal transportation in the United States and to ensure compliance with domestic preference statutes.
Helping Gig Economy Workers Act of 2021 This bill temporarily permits digital marketplace companies (e.g., Lyft, DoorDash, Airbnb, etc.) to provide benefits to workers during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic without such actions establishing those workers as employees or independent contractors or establishing the company as a joint employer under federal, state, or local laws. This bill applies to digital marketplace companies that provide, among other things, financial assistance, health benefits, training, health checks and personal protective equipment to individuals working through such marketplaces during the period beginning on March 15, 2020, and ending on the later of December 31, 2021, or the expiration of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Officer Eugene Goodman Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman for his actions to protect the Senate chamber during the security breach at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
This joint resolution nullifies the action of the District of Columbia Council in approving the Minor Consent for Vaccinations Amendment Act of 2020, enacted by the council on December 23, 2020, and transmitted on February 4, 2021 [ sic ], to Congress pursuant to the District of Columbia Home Rule Act. The act authorizes a minor, 11 years of age or older, to consent to receive a vaccine if the minor is capable of meeting the informed consent standard and the vaccine is recommended by the United States Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and will be provided in accordance with its recommended immunization schedule.
This resolution recognizes Black History Month as an opportunity to reflect on U.S. history and to commemorate the contributions of African Americans. It calls for the United States to (1) honor the contribution of pioneers who helped to ensure its legacy; and (2) move forward as a nation "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."