Rep. Gregory W. Meeks

This bill provides for the presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal to the Freedom Riders, in recognition of their contribution to civil rights by fighting for equality in interstate travel.

Juneteenth National Independence Day Act This bill establishes Juneteenth Independence Day as a federal holiday.

American Dream Down Payment Act of 2021 This bill establishes qualified down payment savings programs that allow taxpayers to establish tax-free accounts to save for down payments, including closing costs, on a principal residence. The Department of the Treasury, in coordination with the Securities and Exchange Commission, must report on matters relating to such accounts, including the number of states that have established down payment savings programs and information about beneficiaries of such programs.

Protecting LGBTQ Youth Act This bill expands programs that prevent and treat child abuse and neglect to address issues facing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. Specifically, these programs include (1) research and reporting requirements, (2) providing technical assistance, (3) grants to states and local agencies to train child-welfare personnel, and (4) community-based prevention-service grants, among others.

American Values and Security in International Athletics Act This bill requires the Department of State to distribute specified briefing materials to individuals representing the United States at international athletic competitions. These materials must contain information on human rights concerns and personal privacy and security risks posed by certain host countries (e.g., specified communist countries and countries that do not meet certain minimum standards with respect to human trafficking and are not making significant efforts to do so).

This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideas of Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a painful condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus.

Department of State Student Internship Program Act This bill requires the Department of State to establish the Department of State Student Internship Program to offer paid internship opportunities at the State Department to raise awareness of the role of diplomacy in the conduct of U.S. foreign policy. Participants must be enrolled at an institution of higher education (IHE) and able to receive and hold an appropriate security clearance. The State Department must pay participating interns a specified amount, as well as provide housing and travel assistance. The State Department may also enter agreements with IHEs to ensure these internships satisfy criteria for the academic programs in which participants are enrolled. Additionally, the State Department must transition all of its unpaid internship programs to internship programs that offer compensation.

Citizenship Empowerment Act This bill requires state chief election officials to distribute mail voter registration forms at the conclusion of a naturalization ceremony to each person who becomes a U.S. citizen at the ceremony.

African Descent Affairs Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State to establish an Office of Global African Descent Affairs, to be headed by the Director and Special Envoy to the Secretary on Global African Descent Affairs. The functions of the office shall include directing policies, programs, and funding relating to the human rights and advancement of people of African descent internationally; developing and managing the Fund for African Descent Affairs to invest in solutions to combat racial discrimination and create opportunities for people of African descent internationally; directing U.S. government resources to support the protection, integration, resettlement, and empowerment of people of African descent; and compiling an annual report on U.S. government activities relating to people of African descent. The bill requires that a description of the status of the people of African descent in each country be included in a specified annual human rights report. The U.S. Agency for International Development must appoint a Senior Advisor to the Administrator on Global African Descent Affairs who shall (1) direct policies, programs, and funding relating to the human rights and advancement of people of African descent internationally; and (2) develop a uniform set of indicators and standards for monitoring and evaluating foreign assistance for people of African descent. The Office of Global African Descent Affairs must develop or update annually (for 10 years after the initial report) a U.S. global strategy to prevent and respond to discrimination and violence against people of African descent.

Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill requires the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal commemorating the bravery and endurance of the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis. Following its award, the medal shall be given to the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution for display and research. The Department of the Treasury must strike duplicate medals in silver for presentation to a hostage (or the personal representative of a deceased hostage), and Treasury may also strike and sell duplicate medals in bronze.