Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin

Climate Change Education Act This bill declares that the evidence for human-induced climate change is overwhelming and undeniable. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) must establish a Climate Change Education Program to increase the climate literacy of the United States by broadening the understanding of human-induced climate change, including possible consequences, disproportionate impacts of such consequences, and potential solutions; apply the latest scientific and technological discoveries to provide learning opportunities to people of all ages; and help people understand and promote implementation of new technologies, programs, and incentives related to climate change, climate adaptation and mitigation, climate resilience, climate justice, and environmental justice. NOAA must also establish a grant program for climate change education.

Korematsu-Takai Civil Liberties Protection Act of 2021 This bill modifies the detention authority of the United States. Specifically, it prohibits detention or imprisonment based solely on an actual or perceived protected characteristic of an individual. A protected characteristic includes each of the following: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and any additional characteristic that the Department of Justice determines to be a protected characteristic.

Equal Access to Abortion Coverage in Health Insurance Act of 2021 or the EACH Act of 2021 This bill requires federal health care programs to provide coverage for abortion services and requires federal facilities to provide access to those services. The bill also permits qualified health plans to use funds attributable to premium tax credits and reduced cost sharing assistance to pay for abortion services.

This bill requires the Joint Committee on the Library to enter into an agreement to obtain a statue of Shirley Chisholm, the first African American woman elected to Congress. The committee shall place the statue in a permanent public location in the U.S. Capitol.

Increasing American Jobs Through Greater Exports to Africa Act of 2021 This bill requires the President and specified agencies to take certain actions to increase U.S. exports to Africa. Specifically, the bill directs the President to establish a comprehensive U.S. strategy for public and private investment, trade, and development in Africa. The focus of this strategy must include (1) increasing exports of U.S. goods and services to Africa by at least 200% in real dollar value within 10 years, (2) promoting the alignment of U.S. commercial interests with development priorities in Africa, and (3) improving the competitiveness of U.S. businesses in Africa. Additionally, the bill directs the President to designate a Special Africa Export Strategy Coordinator; develop a plan for standardized training of foreign service and economic officers; and explore opportunities to negotiate bilateral, subregional, and regional agreements to encourage trade and eliminate nontariff barriers to trade between countries. The bill requires the Department of Commerce to ensure specified levels of United States and Foreign Commercial Service officers in Africa. The bill directs the Export-Import Bank to increase the amount of financing for projects in Africa. The bank must also make capitalization available annually for loans that compete against certain foreign loans. The Small Business Administration's Office of International Trade must work closely with the Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee, among others, in maintaining a trade distribution network.

This resolution condemns and denounces all forms of anti-Asian sentiment, including those related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), and calls on federal law enforcement officials, working with state and local agencies, to take specified steps. The resolution calls on federal officials to expeditiously investigate and document all credible reports of hate crimes, harassment, bullying, and threats against the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities; the Attorney General to work with state and local agencies and Asian American and Pacific Islander community-based organizations to prevent discrimination and to expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate education campaigns on public reporting of hate crimes; and the Department of Health and Human Services to issue guidance describing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the pandemic. The resolution recommits the United States to serving as a model for the world in building a more inclusive, diverse, and tolerant society by (1) prioritizing language access and inclusivity in communication practices, and (2) combating misinformation and discrimination that puts Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders at risk.

This resolution celebrates the successes and contributions of Latinas in the United States and recognizes the changes still to be made to ensure that Latinas can realize their full potential as equal members of society.

This resolution observes the 10th anniversary of the Syrian uprising wherein hundreds of Syrians assembled to call on their leadership for democratic reforms and respect for their fundamental freedoms. Further, the resolution commends the bravery of Syrian human rights defenders, affirms U.S. policy with respect to Syria, and calls on the United States to reinvigorate diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict in Syria and to expand humanitarian aid to the Syrian people.

This resolution denounces the Nicolás Maduro regime's most recent legislative elections as fraudulent and illegitimate, does not recognize the legitimacy of the new Venezuelan National Assembly, and joins members of the international community in rejecting the elections. Further, it urges that elections in Venezuela be conducted as soon as possible according to international standards for free, fair, and transparent electoral processes. Additionally, the resolution calls on the Maduro regime to cease its persecution of Venezuala's independent political parties and release all political prisoners, and it calls for Nicolás Maduro and senior members of his regime to be held accountable for their actions.

American Cures Act This bill permanently funds several federal agencies and programs that perform biomedical research. The bill provides specified funding for the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Department of Defense health program, and the Department of Veterans Affairs medical and prosthetics research program. The bill exempts the funding from sequestration, which is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals. It also exempts the budgetary effects of the funding from the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and the Senate PAYGO rule.