Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that establishes appropriations for the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Justice, Energy, Health and Human Services, Education, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development for the 2021 fiscal year.

Highlights:

• Appropriates $44.94 billion to the Department of Defense for military personnel of the United States Army for pay, allowances, individual clothing, sustenance, and expenses of temporary duty travel (Division A, Title I).

• Appropriates $2.85 billion to the Department of Energy for expenses including the purchase, construction, and acquisition of plant and capital equipment, and other expenses necessary for energy efficiency and renewable energy activities (Division C, Title III).

• Appropriates $100 million for COVID-19 recovery for second, third, and fourth-tier suppliers (Division A, Title III).

• Appropriates $77.5 million for initiatives to improve police-community relations, of which $27.5 million is for a competitive matching grant program for purchases of body-worn cameras for state, local, and Tribal law enforcement, $30 million is for a justice reinvestment initiative, for activities related to criminal justice reform and recidivism reduction, and $20 million is for an Edward Byrne Memorial criminal justice innovation program (Division B, Title II).

• Appropriates $1 million for expenses for the renaming of Army installations, facilities, roads, and streets named after confederate leaders and officers (Sec. 8139).

• Appropriates $500 million to the Election Assistance Commission for expenses to make payments to states to improve the administration of elections for federal office, including to enhance election technology and make election security improvements (Division DE, Title V).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available under this bill for the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant program or Community Oriented Policing Services program from being awarded to a state or local government unless the US Attorney General certifies that the government (Division B, Sec. 219):

• Maintains adequate policies and procedures designed to eliminate racial profiling in law enforcement, and has eliminated any existing practices that permit or encourage racial profiling in law enforcement; 

• Requires each law enforcement officer in the state or local government to complete training programs on racial profiling, implicit bias, de-escalation, use of force, the duty to intervene in cases where another law enforcement officer is using excessive force against a civilian, and procedural justice; 

• Has in effect a law that prohibits law enforcement officers from using a chokehold or carotid hold; 

• Has in effect a law that prohibits law enforcement officers from using lethal force; 

• Has in effect a law that prohibits the issuance of “no knock warrants” in a drug case; 

• Has provided the US Attorney General a law enforcement practice report that includes information on the race, ethnicity, age, and gender of officers and employees of the agency and members of the public involved in: 

• Traffic violation stops; 

• Pedestrian stops; 

• Frisk and body searches; and

• Instances where officers or employees of the law enforcement agency used deadly force; and

• Will not make such funds available to a law enforcement agency that has entered into or renewed any contractual arrangement, including a collective bargaining agreement with a labor organization, that: 

• Would prevent the US Attorney General from seeking or enforcing equitable or declaratory relief against a law enforcement agency engaging in a pattern of unconstitutional misconduct; or

• Conflicts with any terms or conditions mentioned above.

• Prohibits any of the funds appropriated or made available by this bill from being committed, obligated, expended, or otherwise used to design or construct a wall, fence, border barrier, or border security infrastructure along the southern border of the United States (Division C, Sec. 108).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available by the bill from being used to implement Directive-type Memorandum (DTM)-19-044, titled “Military Service by Transgendered Persons and Persons with Gender Dysphoria” (Sec. 9033).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available by this bill to be used to conduct, or make specific preparations for, any explosive nuclear weapons test that produces any yield (Sec. 8133).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available in this bill from being used to pay any cost to enable the US Attorney General to travel more than 50 miles from the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in the District of Columbia (Division B, Sec. 541).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available by this bill from being used to pay for an abortion, or the administrative expenses in connection with a health plan under the federal employees’ health benefits program which provides benefits or coverage for abortions (Division D, Sec. 613).

• Prohibits any of the funds made available by this bill to the Department of Justice from being used to prevent any state, territory, or Indian Tribe from enacting or implementing Tribal laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of marijuana (Sec. 558).

• Requires air carriers to do all of the following for the duration of the COVID-19 coronavirus national emergency, including (Sec. 421):

• Require each passenger and cabin crew member to wear a mask or protective face covering while onboard an aircraft; 

• Require each flight crew member to wear a mask or protective face covering while onboard an aircraft; 

• Submit a proposal to permit flight crew members to wear a mask or protective face covering while at their stations in the flight deck, including a safety risk assessment to the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA);

• Provide flight and cabin crew members, airport customer service agents, and other employees whose job responsibilities involve interacting with passengers, with masks or protective face coverings, gloves, hand sanitizer, and wipes; and

• Ensure aircraft are cleaned, disinfected, and sanitized after each use in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.

Full Bill Text

Full Bill Text