This bill prohibits the Department of the Interior, during 2021, from using the COVID-19 pandemic or any issue related to the pandemic as a basis for restricting or limiting outdoor recreational use of land or water administered by the National Park Service.
Armed Forces Transgender Dependent Protection Act This bill expands the policy of the Office of Special Needs within the Department of Defense to address transgender dependents. Specifically, the bill codifies the definition of a medical or educational special need to include gender dysphoria. Under the bill, the policy of the office must prohibit the assignment of a military family with special needs to a permanent duty location where the law restricts medically necessary treatment for a medical or educational special need. A member who is serving at a location when such a law is established may elect to be reassigned.
Made in America Emergency Preparedness Act This bill establishes in the legislative branch the National Commission on United States Preparedness for National Emergencies and requires any medical, pharmaceutical, or emergency preparedness product deemed integral to a response to a national emergency to be manufactured and procured in the United States beginning on and after January 1, 2026. The commission must, among other things, examine and report on the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States in 2020 and the private sector response, investigate the origin of the COVID-19 virus and measures for mitigating the impacts of future physical and medical national disasters, determine what medical, pharmaceutical, and emergency preparedness products are deemed to be essential to emergency preparedness, and report on infrastructure or capability deficiencies in hospitals and medical centers. States must implement the commission's findings or lose access to federal emergency preparedness funds. The bill allows 100% tax expensing for qualified pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing property (e.g., personal protective equipment) placed in service after 2020 and before 2027.
Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021 This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop requirements and incentives to limit the discharge of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into certain waters of the United States. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing. Within two years, the EPA must publish water quality criteria for each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. The water quality criteria must determine how much of these substances can be present in water before it is likely to harm human health. Within four years, the EPA must publish a final rule that establishes, for each priority industry category specified in the bill, effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the discharge of each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. Under the Clean Water Act, effluent limitations restrict the quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents which are discharged from point sources (e.g., a discernible source such as a pipe) into navigable waters, the ocean, or other specified waters. In addition, the EPA must award grants to owners and operators of publicly owned treatment works for implementing the effluent limitations guidelines and standards.
Stop Mental Health Stigma in Our Communities Act This bill requires the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop and implement an outreach and education strategy regarding behavioral health issues among the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander populations. The strategy must be designed to promote behavioral and mental health and reduce stigma associated with mental health conditions and substance abuse among such populations.
Social Media Disclosure And Transparency of Advertisements Act of 2021 or the Social Media DATA Act This bill requires consumer-facing websites and mobile applications with a large number of users to maintain advertisement libraries and make them available to academic researchers and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Each library must include, among other things, a digital copy of the advertisement content, a description of the target audience, and the number of views generated from the advertisement. The FTC and state attorneys general are authorized to enforce these requirements, and the FTC must use information from the advertisement libraries to enforce other laws within its jurisdiction. Additionally, the bill establishes a working group to address social media research access and make policy recommendations with respect to the information an interactive computer service (e.g., a social media company) should make available to academic researchers.
This resolution calls on the people of the United States to observe Memorial Day to honor the men and women who died in the pursuit of freedom and peace.
This resolution honors, commends, and recognizes the women who served the United States in military capacities during World War II to aid the war effort. Additionally, the resolution honors the contributions of Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers for supporting the establishment of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps and the Women's Army Corps.
This resolution expresses support for Israel's efforts of self-determination and collective security against external forces, recognizes Jerusalem as the legitimate capital city of Israel, and condemns actions by Hamas against the people of Israel.
This resolution condemns the rocket attacks by Hamas against Israel beginning the week of May 9, 2021. It also states that the United States must continue to invest in and support Israel's security and sovereignty.
National Guard and Reserve Incentive Pay Parity Act This bill requires the military department concerned to pay members of the reserve components a special bonus or incentive pay in the same monthly amount that is paid to members in the regular component of the service for performing comparable work requiring comparable skills.
Trust in Public Service Act This bill incorporates customer experience as a central measure of performance for federal agencies. Specifically, the bill requires each agency to develop a high-quality customer experience by allocating sufficient resources to and prioritizing customer experience capabilities and initiatives, adapting government-wide and global good practices, streamlining the process for soliciting voluntary customer feedback and requiring limited internal review if the collection is within the scope of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, and using human-centered design practices. Each agency shall develop and use tools to experiment with different approaches to improve customer experience, ensure the privacy of federal customers, use the data collected to continually improve customer experience and agency performance, and share the data collected with research entities to permit external analysis. The bill sets forth agency communication responsibilities. In addition, the OMB must issue guidance for agencies in collaboration with specified entities. It may establish programs that annually recognize individuals and teams across the federal workforce meeting customer service-related goals. The bill (1) integrates customer experience provisions into the U.S. code and the Federal Citizen Services Fund, (2) directs the OMB to establish an Office of Customer Experience, and (3) integrates customer experience into the responsibilities of key agency officials. The OMB, in coordination with the Office of Customer Experience, must establish the Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress, assessing agency efforts and examining best practices.
