UNRWA Accountability and Transparency Act This bill makes changes to U.S. foreign policy in matters concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). For purposes of this policy, the bill defines Palestinian refugee as a person who (1) resided from June 1946 to May 1948 in Mandatory Palestine (a region controlled by Britain until 1948), (2) was personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, and (3) has not accepted citizenship or other permanent adjustment in status in another country. The bill withholds U.S. funding for the UNRWA unless the Department of State makes certifications concerning the UNRWA's staff, partners, and funding. Specifically, the State Department must certify that neither UNRWA staff and partners nor its funding and facilities are affiliated with terrorism or engaged in the dissemination of anti-American, anti-Israel, or anti-Semitic ideologies. Additionally, the State Department must certify that the UNRWA is subject to comprehensive financial audits by an independent auditing firm and is unaffiliated with any financial institutions that the United States considers to be complicit in money laundering or terror financing. The bill also requires the State Department to implement a plan to encourage other countries to align their activities and efforts regarding the UNRWA with U.S. policy objectives, including the phase out of the UNRWA by resettling Palestinian refugees in countries other than Israel and in territories not controlled by Israel. The State Department must report to Congress on this plan.
Sponsored bills
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 20 21 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
This bill authorizes the Office of the National Cyber Director to accept officers or employees of the United States or members of the Armed Forces on a detail from an element of the intelligence community or from another element of the federal government on a nonreimbursable basis for up to three years. The Office of the National Cyber Director is the principal advisor to the President on cybersecurity policy and strategy and, among other duties, leads the coordination and implementation of national cyber policy and strategy.
Solving an Overlooked Loophole in Votes for Executives (SOLVE) Act This bill establishes the Twentieth Amendment Section Four Panel, which must recommend to Congress model legislation to resolve any vacancy created by the death of a candidate in a contingent presidential or vice-presidential election. Such panel terminates 90 days after submitting its final report. (The Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution requires that presidential and vice-presidential candidates gain a majority of electoral votes to win an election. In the event that no candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, the Twelfth Amendment requires the House of Representatives to elect the President and the Senate to elect the Vice President, which is known as a contingent election. The Twentieth Amendment to the Constitution allows Congress to establish a process in the case of the death of a candidate in a contingent presidential or vice-presidential election.)
This bill expands the H-2A visa program (generally for temporary agricultural workers) to include workers entering the United States to perform labor related to (1) aquaculture or seafood processing, (2) cultivating or maintaining horticultural commodities, or (3) breeding or providing care of horses.
Protecting Life on College Campus Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the award of federal funds to an institution of higher education (IHE) that hosts or is affiliated with a school-based service site that provides abortion drugs or abortions to its students or to employees of the IHE or the site. An IHE that hosts or is affiliated with a site must, in order to remain eligible for federal funds, annually certify that the site does not provide abortion drugs or abortions to students or employees.
Federal Permitting Reform and Jobs Act This bill revises and makes permanent Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, commonly known as FAST-41. FAST-41 revised the environmental review and permitting process to expedite certain infrastructure projects.
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that tax-exempt fraternal benefit societies provide critical benefits to the people and communities of the United States and their work should continue to be promoted.
Regulatory Accountability Act This bill expands and provides statutory authority for notice-and-comment rulemaking procedures to require federal agencies to consider (1) whether a rulemaking is required by statute or is within the discretion of the agency, (2) whether existing laws or rules could be amended or rescinded to address the problem, and (3) reasonable alternatives to a new rule. For proposed major or high-impact rules that have a specified significant economic impact or adverse effect on the public health or safety, an agency must publish notice of such rulemaking to invite interested parties to propose alternatives and ideas to accomplish the agency's objectives; allow persons interested in high-impact or certain major rules to petition for a public hearing with oral presentation, cross-examination, and the burden of proof on the proponent of the rule; adopt the rule that maximizes net benefits within the scope of the statutory provision authorizing the rule, unless the agency explains the costs and benefits that justify adopting an alternative rule and such rule is approved by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA); and publish a framework and metrics for measuring the ongoing effectiveness of the rule. Agencies must notify OIRA with certain information about a proposed rulemaking, including specified discussion and preliminary explanations concerning a major or high-impact rule. Further, OIRA must establish certain rulemaking guidelines. Additionally, the bill (1) revises the scope of judicial review of agency actions, and (2) establishes requirements for agencies issuing guidance.
Finish the ADHS Act This bill sets aside funding from the Highway Trust Fund for the Appalachian development highway system (a network of highways linking the region to national interstates) and prescribes a method to allocate the funding.