Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act This bill modifies provisions related to theft of firearms. Under current law, it is unlawful to steal a firearm from a licensed importer, manufacturer, or dealer, or from their business premises. This bill broadens the scope of unlawful conduct to also prohibit stealing a firearm from a gun range that rents firearms or a shooting club. An attempt to commit an offense is subject to the same penalties as a substantive offense. The bill modifies these penalties by increasing the maximum prison term.
Ending Sanctuary Cities Act of 2021 This bill makes state or local governments that violate immigration laws ineligible for federal financial assistance. A governmental entity shall be ineligible if it(1) violates federal law by prohibiting its officials from communicating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) about the immigration status of any individual, (2) restricts compliance with DHS detainer requests, or (3) has any laws or policies that violate immigration laws. (A DHS detainer request is an order or request to a state or local government to temporarily hold or transport an alien for transfer into federal custody or notify DHS before releasing an alien from custody.) A government or law enforcement officer that complies with a DHS detainer request shall be acting under the color of federal authority, for the purposes of liability or immunity in a lawsuit filed by the detained individual. The bill makes it unlawful for a state or local government to discharge or discriminate against one of its law enforcement officers for complying with a DHS detainer request.
Protect and Serve Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly assaulting a law enforcement officer and causing serious bodily injury (or attempting to do so) in circumstances that affect interstate commerce. It imposes criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both—on a violator.
Untraceable Firearms Act of 2021 This bill establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate the manufacture, sale, offer to sell, transfer, purchase, and receipt of ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers). Additionally, the bill revises the federal statutory framework regulating the manufacture, possession, sale, import, shipment, delivery, receipt, and transfer of undetectable firearms. Among the revisions, the bill defines undetectable firearm as a firearm without a major component wholly made of detectable material.
No Regulation Through Litigation Act of 2021 This bill modifies the authority of federal agencies to enter into consent decrees and limits the inclusion of attorney fees in consent decrees or settlement agreements that result in a regulation or guidance document.
Confidentiality Opportunities for Peer Support Counseling Act or the COPS Counseling Act This bill sets forth requirements related to peer support counseling programs. A peer support counseling program is a program provided by a law enforcement agency that provides counseling services from a peer support specialist to a law enforcement officer of the agency. Among other things, the bill does the following: generally prohibits the disclosure of the contents of a peer support communication, and requires the Department of Justice to develop best practices and professional standards for peer support counseling programs.
Raise the Age Act This bill establishes new restrictions on the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals under 21 years of age. Specifically, this bill makes it unlawful for a licensed gun dealer, importer, manufacturer, or collector to sell or deliver a semiautomatic center-fire rifle that has (or has the capacity to accept) an ammunition feeding device with a capacity of more than five rounds to an individual who the licensee knows or has reasonable cause to believe is under age 21. The prohibition does not apply if the individual under age 21 is a full-time law enforcement officer or active-duty member of the Armed Forces. The bill also requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to report on the operation of its public access line, including a description of information sharing protocols and recommendations for improving such protocols.
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Politburo Accountability Act This bill authorizes the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions on certain senior officials of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and addresses related issues. The President may impose sanctions on senior CCP officials who have engaged in or provided support for (1) any malign disinformation campaign or political warfare operation against the United States; (2) the theft of intellectual property belonging to a U.S. individual or entity; (3) actions undermining Taiwan's sovereignty; or (4) restrictions against the practice of religion in China, including the forced closure of any place of worship. The President must impose sanctions on four named senior CCP officials. The Department of State must report to Congress on whether any CCP Politburo members meet the criteria for sanctions under various authorities. (The Politburo and the Politburo Standing Committee are China's highest decision-making bodies.)
Vietnam Human Rights Act This bill requires actions related to human rights in Vietnam and addresses related issues. The Department of State must assist eligible individuals and entities working to secure the release of political and religious prisoners in Vietnam. The Office of Internet Freedom within the U.S. Agency for Global Media and the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor within the State Department shall prioritize (1) the immediate distribution of censorship circumvention tools for computers and smartphones in Vietnam; and (2) projects to ensure the safety and privacy of bloggers, journalists, and human rights defenders in Vietnam. Foreign assistance may not be used to assist any unit of the Vietnamese government engaged in cyberespionage activities. The State Department may establish programs to (1) monitor and halt sex trafficking of women from Vietnam and other Asian countries, and (2) address Vietnam's growing sex-ratio disparity. The bill also requires various reports to Congress, including reports on (1) persons subject to U.S. sanctions for human rights violations in Vietnam, (2) a strategy to promote internet freedom in Vietnam, and (3) cyberespionage activities sanctioned by the Vietnamese government targeting Vietnamese dissidents and human rights advocates living outside of Vietnam.
Freedom for Families Act This bill prohibits using federal funds for facilities used to detain noncitizen families and addresses related issues. Specifically, no funds made available may be used to operate or construct a family detention center, whether operated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or a contractor. This prohibition shall also apply to funds made available before this bill's enactment. Funds obligated to operate such centers must instead be used for implementing and developing nondetention programs that are community-based and consistent with international best practices. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may place an apprehended noncitizen family into such a nondetention program if DHS makes an individualized determination that doing so will facilitate the family's compliance with immigration laws. The programs must provide to participants a legal orientation and meaningful access to counsel.
Sgt. Isaac Woodard, Jr. and Sgt. Joseph H. Maddox GI Bill Restoration Act of 2021 This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 GI bill educational assistance benefits and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) home loan program. Specifically, the bill explicitly includes the following persons as eligible veterans: Black veterans who served on active duty during World War II who can certify they were denied a specific benefit on the basis of race; and the living surviving spouses, children, grandchildren, or other direct descendants of such veterans described above who can certify the veteran was denied a specific benefit on the basis of race. Such veterans described above must apply for educational or home loan benefits within the five-year period after the passage of this bill to be eligible for benefits. The Government Accountability Office must report on the number of individuals who received educational or housing loan benefits and the total value of such benefits administered by the VA due to the amendments made by the bill. Finally, the VA must appoint a panel of independent experts to develop recommendations regarding additional benefits and assistance for female and minority members of the Armed Forces.
Having Employees Return to Duty Act or the HERD Act This bill addresses federal employees who comply with Executive Order 14043 (requiring COVID-19 vaccination for federal employees). Specifically, the bill requires each federal agency to require employees who comply with the order to work from their duty station and to work the hours required as of February 15, 2020. The bill's requirement does not apply to immunocompromised employees. Additionally, the bill does not prohibit an agency from implementing different policies at a particular work site if the agency finds that (1) there is substantial transmission of COVID-19 within a community in which such requirements would otherwise be carried out; and (2) implementing those different policies will not degrade the level of service that the agency provides to the public.
