Sen. Marsha Blackburn

This bill requires each state that offers pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation (PEUC) to condition benefit eligibility for a long-term unemployed individual on an employer's confirmation that work is unavailable for the unemployed individual. Specifically, each state unemployment agency must request confirmation from the unemployed individual's most recent employer that the individual's position is not available at the time of the request. Unless the employer provides this confirmation, the state must terminate the individual's PUA or PEUC. The bill's provisions apply only to long-term unemployed individuals who have received PUA or PEUC for more than 30 weeks of unemployment.

This bill authorizes the President to issue a posthumous honorary commission promoting Lieutenant General Frank Maxwell Andrews, U.S. Army, to the grade of general.

Protecting America From Spies Act This bill expands the grounds for barring aliens who have engaged in acts relating to espionage or sabotage from entering the United States. Specifically, any alien shall be inadmissible if the alien has engaged in or will engage in an act that (1) violates a U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage; (2) would violate any U.S. law relating to espionage or sabotage if it occurred in the United States; or (3) violates any U.S. law prohibiting the export of goods, technology, or sensitive information. Currently, an alien shall be inadmissible if the alien seeks to enter the United States to engage in such an action. Furthermore, the bill expands these grounds of inadmissibility and other security-related grounds to cover the spouse or child of the barred alien if the act occurred in the last five years. The bill also modifies the authority of the Department of Justice to waive certain security-related grounds of inadmissibility for an alien applying for a nonimmigrant visa.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Foster Care Month.

This resolution designates the week of May 9-May 15, 2021, as National Police Week.

LEOSA Reform Act This bill broadens the authority for certain law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms across state lines. Specifically, the bill allows qualified active and retired law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms and ammunition (including magazines) in school zones; in national parks; on state, local, or private property that is open to the public; and in certain federal facilities that are open to the public. Further, the bill permits states to reduce the frequency with which retired law enforcement officers must meet certain qualification standards.

Save Local Business Act This bill provides that a person may be considered a joint employer in relation to an employee under federal labor law only if such person directly, actually, and immediately (and not in a limited and routine manner) exercises significant control over the essential terms and conditions of employment. Such control may by demonstrated by hiring and discharging employees, determining individual employee rates of pay and benefits, day-to-day supervision of employees, assigning individual work schedules, positions, and tasks, and administering employee discipline.

Gym Mitigation and Survival Act of 2021 or the GYMS Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program to provide economic support to eligible fitness facilities in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Specifically, the bill authorizes the Small Business Administration to make initial and supplemental grants to privately owned fitness facilities that primarily provide health or fitness services and that do not offer golf, hunting, sailing, or riding facilities. The total amount of grant funds for a recipient may not exceed $25 million, and the recipient must use these funds for payroll costs, rent or mortgage obligations, and other ordinary and necessary business expenses.

Israel Sovereignty Reassurance Act of 2021 or ISRA This bill prohibits using funds made available to the Department of State for FY2022 to implement, administer, or enforce any policy that rescinds the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.

Hizballah in Latin America Accountability Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements related to activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean. Specifically, the President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in significant transactions with, or provided material support to, Hizballah in a Latin American or Caribbean country. The Department of the Treasury, in consultation with the Department of State, must report on illicit activities of Hizballah in Latin America and the Caribbean. This report must include (1) an estimate of how much of Hizbollah's budget derives from such activities, (2) an assessment of interagency efforts and progress in countering such activities, and (3) an identification of financial institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean known to be operating on behalf of or with ties to Hizballah. The Department of Homeland Security must seek to improve (1) data sharing among trade transparency units with respect to operations against malign actors among Latin American and Caribbean countries, and (2) cooperation with federal agencies with respect to trade transparency units.