Virginia Congressional Bills

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 15, 2021

HR 5580: Countering China Economic Coercion Act

Countering China Economic Coercion Act This bill establishes an interagency task force to respond to the Chinese government's acts of economic coercion. The task force must oversee the development and implementation of an integrated U.S. government strategy to respond to such acts of economic coercion. The strategy must include an evaluation of the costs such acts have on U.S. businesses and economic performance. The task force must also report to Congress on the strategy as well as a comprehensive review on the economic tools that the Chinese government uses (or can use) to coerce other governments, non-Chinese companies, and multilateral institutions and organizations.

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 15, 2021

HR 5586: Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act

Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on October 1, 2021.

A. Drew Ferguson IV (R) · 181 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 14, 2021

HR 5533: Reducing Waste in National Parks Act

Reducing Waste in National Parks Act This bill directs the National Park Service to establish a program for the National Park System to reduce disposable plastic products and, if applicable, eliminate the sale and distribution of disposable plastic products. Each regional office of the National Park Service must eliminate the sale of water in disposable plastic products and the sale and distribution of other disposable plastic products after consideration of several specified factors (e.g., the costs and benefits to overall operations). Each regional office must develop a proactive visitor education strategy to address visitor expectations of water availability and explain the rationale for the program and its implementation.

Topics ✓ Environment

Mike Quigley (D) · 62 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 14, 2021

HR 5543: Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2021

Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2021 or the Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure the number of Vet Centers in certain states is increased by at least one additional center if the VA determines the state meets specified requirements. The VA must also establish a community-based outpatient clinic in each state that does not share a land border with another state, is located at least 2,000 miles from the contiguous United States, and contains no such clinic.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

Mikie Sherrill (D) · 69 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 14, 2021

HR 5073: REACH for Veterans Act

Revising and Expediting Actions for the Crisis Hotline for Veterans Act or the REACH for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update training and procedures for call responders of the Veterans Crisis Line. Specifically, the VA must enter into an agreement with an outside organization to review the training for crisis line call responders. The VA must update the training if any deficiencies are identified after the review. Among other requirements, the VA must develop guidelines on retraining and quality management for when a call responder has an adverse event or needs improvement, annually perform a common cause analysis for identified callers to the crisis line who died by suicide in situations where the crisis line was the last point of contact, develop enhanced guidance and procedures to respond to calls to the crisis line related to substance use and overdose risk, review the current emergency dispatch standard operating procedure of the crisis line, and solicit feedback from veterans service organizations on how to conduct outreach regarding the move to 988 as the new suicide and mental health crisis hotline. Each call responder must be subject to at least two calls per month that are silently monitored by a supervisor to check for quality of conduct. The Veterans Crisis Line, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the VA, and National Center for Patient Safety of the VA must establish quality management processes and expectations for staff of the crisis line.

Topics ✓ Healthcare ✓ Veterans

Antonio Delgado (D) · 68 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 14, 2021

HR 4575: Veteran Peer Specialist Act of 2021

Veteran Peer Specialist Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make permanent and expand the program that establishes at least two peer specialists in patient aligned care teams at VA medical centers to promote the use and integration of services for mental health, substance use disorder, and behavioral health in a primary care setting.

Topics ✓ Veterans

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 13, 2021

HR 5568: Clean Cities Act

Clean Cities Act This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to carry out a Clean Cities Coalition Program. Under the program, DOE must make awards to clean city coalitions or nonprofit organizations for projects and activities that reduce petroleum consumption, improve air quality, promote energy and economic security, and encourage deployment of a diverse, domestic supply of alternative fuels in the transportation sector. DOE must also ensure that there are active coalitions working in all states, the District of Columbia, and the territories. In addition, DOE must provide technical assistance and training to the coalitions, provide opportunities for communication and sharing of best practices among the coalitions, and maintain and publish a centralized database of information about the activities and accomplishments of the coalitions.

Topics ✓ Energy ✓ Environment ✓ Transportation

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 12, 2021

HRES 682: Recognizing the self-determination of Gibraltar to determine its status as a British Overseas Territory.

This resolution honors Gibraltar's contribution to advancing U.S. security interests in the Mediterranean region and expresses support for the people of Gibraltar.

Ron Kind (D) · 26 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 12, 2021

HRES 681: Recognizing the ongoing crackdown on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus a year after the 2020 election, calling for an end to Alyaksandr Lukashenka's continued campaign of repression against peaceful protesters, journalists, cultural workers, human rights defenders, trade union activists, political activists, and government critics, and expressing solidarity with the Belarusian people.

This resolution condemns Belarusian authorities' assault on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus since the August 2020 presidential election. The resolution also calls for the immediate release of journalists, cultural figures, and dissidents currently held as political prisoners in Belarus. Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Biden Administration to support initiatives to assist survivors of torture and other human rights violations from Belarus, including by working with allies in the region to grant them protection and providing avenues for them and their families to access safety in the United States; examine all available accountability options for violators of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and demand that Belarus cooperate fully with international partners and organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, the resolution supports the aspirations of the Belarusian people in their struggle for freedom and human rights.

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 12, 2021

HRES 585: Condemning the atrocities and crimes against humanity being perpetrated against religious and ethnic minority women in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region by the Government of the People's Republic of China.

This resolution condemns the atrocities against religious and ethnic minority women in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. It also calls on China to end all coercive policies, including coercive population-control practices, and to release all individuals detained in internment camps and forced-labor programs.

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 12, 2021

HR 5553: To prohibit the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from providing or paying for surgical treatment related to gender transition.

HR 5553 prohibits the Secretary of Veterans Affairs from providing or paying for surgical treatments related to gender transition. This directly affects transgender veterans who rely on VA healthcare for gender-affirming surgical procedures. The bill blocks VA funding specifically for these surgical treatments, without altering coverage for other healthcare services. It applies to all veterans seeking such care through the VA system.

Topics ✗ Healthcare ✗ Veterans

Jack Bergman (R) · 22 co-sponsors

in committee · Virginia · House Oct 8, 2021

HR 5507: Unemployment Insurance Improvement Act

Unemployment Insurance Improvement Act This bill expands the list of requirements a state unemployment compensation system must follow to be compliant under federal law. Specifically, the bill requires the maximum benefit period available to an individual be at least 26 weeks. The base period used to determine unemployment eligibility must consist of at least four completed calendar quarters preceding the claim and must include the most recently completed calendar quarter. Further, compensation must not be denied to an otherwise eligible individual who earns at least $1,000 during the highest quarter and at least $1,500 during the entire base period. Finally, compensation must not be denied under an ability to work, active search for work, or refusal to accept work provision solely on the basis of the number of hours of work the individual is seeking, so long as the individual is seeking at least 20 hours of work or half the hours the individual typically worked. Employers that pay unemployment taxes to a noncompliant state system cannot claim amounts paid into the state system as a credit against federal unemployment tax due. The bill also requires states to meet specified online claim system accessibility requirements and to ensure that offline means of filing are available. A state that does not comply cannot receive federal funds for administration of its state unemployment system.

Topics ✓ Labor & Employment

Virginia Congressional Bills

Bill results