Sen. Richard Burr

Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act of 2021 or the HAVANA Act of 2021 This bill specifically authorizes the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, and other agencies to provide payments to agency personnel who incur brain injuries from hostilities while on assignment. Specifically, the bill allows agency personnel and their families to receive payments for brain injuries that are incurred (1) during a period of assignment to a foreign or domestic duty station; (2) in connection with war, insurgency, hostile acts, terrorist activity, or other agency-designated incidents; and (3) not as the result of willful misconduct. The bill's authority applies to injuries incurred before, on, or after the date of the bill's enactment. Agencies must submit classified reports on the bill's implementation, including the number of payments made and the amount of each payment. Since 2016, some intelligence, diplomatic, and other governmental personnel have reported experiencing unusual cognitive and neurological impairments while on assignment (particularly abroad), the source of which is currently under investigation. Symptoms were first reported by personnel stationed in Cuba and have since been collectively referred to as Havana Syndrome .

Motorsports Fairness and Permanency Act of 2021 This bill makes permanent the accelerated depreciation (seven-year recovery period) of motorsports entertainment complexes.

Blue Ridge National Heritage Area Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2036 the authority of the Department of the Interior to provide assistance for the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area in North Carolina and removes the limitation on the total amount that may be appropriated for the heritage area.

This resolution designates September 2021 as Healthy Aging Month.

This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that Marine Corps Sergeant Nicole L. Gee, Army Staff Sergeant Ryan C. Knauss, and their fellow members of the Armed Forces served the country with honor and distinction and the United States honors those members of the Armed Forces and their families.

This resolution designates September 25-October 3, 2021, as Blue Star Welcome Week and expresses gratitude for the sacrifices made by service members, transitioning veterans, and their families.

NIL Scholarship Tax Act This bill denies the tax exclusion for qualified scholarships income to recipients of athletic scholarships at institutions of higher education who receive income in excess of $20,000 from their name, image or likeness in a taxable year.

Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions involving Afghanistan and addresses related issues. The President must impose, with certain exceptions, visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that (1) provides support to any terrorist group in Afghanistan, (2) is responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan, or (3) plays a significant role in international narcotics trafficking centered in Afghanistan. The President may also impose such sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that provides certain support for (1) the Taliban or any Taliban member, or (2) any agency of the Taliban-controlled government of Afghanistan. Additionally, the Department of State must (1) require U.S. representatives to the United Nations to advocate and vote to maintain sanctions against the Taliban, and (2) encourage allies and partner countries to impose sanctions against the Taliban. The State Department may suspend the sanctions imposed under this bill upon certifying to Congress that the Taliban has taken certain actions, such as breaking all ties with other terrorist groups. The State Department must establish a task force to (1) implement a strategy relating to the evacuation of Afghanistan, and (2) identify individuals in Afghanistan who have sought admission into the United States as a refugee or humanitarian parolee. The bill requires various reports, including on (1) a revised strategy for engagement with South and Central Asian countries after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, (2) a counterterrorism strategy for Afghanistan, and (3) the extent of Taliban human rights abuses.

This resolution honors the life of Robert Dove, Parliamentarian Emeritus of the Senate, and offers the condolences of the Senate regarding his death.

This resolution designates September 20-September 24, 2021, as National Clean Energy Week.