Full Faith and Credit Act This bill requires the Department of the Treasury to prioritize certain obligations if the federal debt limit is reached and provides for a limited increase in the debt limit to fund these priorities. If the federal government reaches the debt limit, the following obligations must be given equal priority over all other federal obligations: the principal and interest on the debt held by the public; Social Security benefits; pay and allowances for members of the Armed Forces on active duty and members of the U.S. Coast Guard; compensation, pensions, and payments for medical services provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Medicare programs. If the debt limit has been reached and incoming revenue will be insufficient to pay the priority obligations over an upcoming two-week period, the bill requires (1) Treasury to notify Congress of the expected revenue shortfall for the two-week period, and (2) the debt limit to be increased by the amount of the expected shortfall. If the incoming revenue exceeds the expected shortfall, the excess revenue must be held in reserve and applied to the following two-week period.
Transportation Empowerment Act This bill limits federal support available through the Highway Trust Fund to highways and surface transportation systems designated as part of the Interstate System and correspondingly reduces the taxes on gasoline and other fuels that generate revenue for the fund. The bill phases in these changes over five years. In addition, the bill eliminates various programs, such as the Congestion and Air Quality Mitigation Improvement Program, that currently receive funding through the Highway Trust Fund; removes requirements for states to comply with federal standards, environmental provisions, and related matters with respect to the design, construction, and maintenance of highways and surface transportation systems that are not part of the Interstate System; and transfers unobligated COVID-19 relief funding to the Highway Trust Fund for unpaid obligations incurred prior to the bill's enactment.
Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2021 This bill changes the source of funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from Federal Reserve System transfers to annual appropriations. Under current law, the transfers from the Federal Reserve System permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process.
No Budget, No Pay Act This bill prohibits Members of Congress from being paid in a fiscal year until both chambers approve the budget resolution and pass all regular appropriations bills for that fiscal year. Retroactive pay is prohibited for such a period.
End Government Shutdowns Act This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the fiscal year begins or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. For an initial 120-day period, the bill provides appropriations to continue programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year. The bill reduces the continuing appropriations by 1% after the first 120-day period and by an additional 1% for each subsequent 90-day period until the applicable appropriations legislation is enacted.
Precision Agriculture Loan Program Act of 2021 This bill establishes a loan program within the Farm Service Agency to assist agricultural producers in purchasing precision agriculture equipment, such as geospatial mapping, data management and analytics software, and network connectivity products and solutions. Precision agriculture refers to managing, tracking, or reducing crop or livestock production inputs, including seed, feed, fertilizer, chemicals, water, and time, at a heightened level of spatial and temporal granularity to improve efficiencies, reduce waste, and maintain environmental quality.
This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
This resolution recognizes the courage and resolve shown by the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy. It also condemns the illegal military invasion and occupation of Crimea by Russia and the violence fomented by proxies of Russia in eastern Ukraine.
Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2021 This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any of the appropriations bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted before the fiscal year begins and continuing appropriations are not in effect. The bill also limits official travel, congressional recesses or adjournments, and the consideration of legislation that is unrelated to appropriations after the beginning of a fiscal year if the appropriations process has not been completed.
Preventing the Recognition of Terrorist States Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions related to the Taliban and addresses other related issues. The President must impose sanctions on foreign individuals and entities that knowingly provide significant support to the Taliban or senior Taliban members. The bill also repeals an exception to existing sanctions against certain entities related to energy, shipping, and shipbuilding in Iran. Specifically, the bill repeals a provision authorizing the President to exempt certain entities involved in the reconstruction of Afghanistan from such sanctions. No federal department or agency may take any action that states or implies recognition of the Taliban's claim of sovereignty over Afghanistan. The bill also bars the Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Department of Defense from using federal funds to prepare or implement any policy that extends diplomatic recognition to the Taliban-controlled government in Afghanistan. The State Department must designate (1) the government of Afghanistan as a state sponsor of terrorism, and (2) the Taliban as a foreign terrorist organization. Furthermore, USAID must take appropriate steps to ensure that certain foreign assistance provided in or for certain countries, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, is not going to or through any individual or entity involved in terrorist activity. The bill also prohibits using certain federal funds to provide direct assistance to any country where the duly elected head of government has been deposed in a coup or decree in which the military played a decisive role.
American Beef Labeling Act of 2021 This bill reinstates mandatory country-of-origin labeling requirements for beef. Specifically, the bill requires the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to develop a means of reinstating the requirements that complies with the rules of the World Trade Organization. The USTR and the Department of Agriculture must implement the means within one year.
