United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Diversifying Investigations Via Equitable Research Studies for Everyone Trials Act or the DIVERSE Trials Act This bill requires activities to increase diversity in clinical trials. It also expands reporting by laboratories that test for and diagnose COVID-19 and requires a study on data collection and data sharing during public health emergencies. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must issue guidance on decentralized clinical trials to promote meaningful demographic and geographic diversity in patient engagement, enrollment, and participation. Decentralized clinical trials include those executed through telemedicine or other digital technologies to allow for the remote collection and assessment of clinical trial data. The FDA may also work with foreign regulators to harmonize international regulations governing decentralized clinical trials and the use of digital health technology. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may support community education, outreach, and recruitment activities for clinical trials of treatments for conditions that disproportionately impact populations underrepresented in clinical trials. The bill also specifies that drug or device manufacturers may provide, subject to some limits, free digital health technologies and other remuneration to patients in approved clinical trials without violating laws that address fraud and abuse in federal programs. Furthermore, laboratories that test for and diagnose COVID-19 must report additional demographic data, including information about social determinants of health. HHS must also contract with the National Academy of Medicine to study and propose a design for an interoperable platform to facilitate data sharing during public health emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 13 August 2021
Rare Earth Magnet Manufacturing Production Tax Credit Act of 2021 This bill allows a new tax credit for the domestic production of rare earth magnets manufactured in the ordinary course of a taxpayer's trade or business. The bill defines rare earth magnet as a permanent magnet comprised of (1) an alloy of neodymium, praseodymium, iron, boron, terbium, or dysprosium; or (2) an alloy of samarium, gadolinium, and cobalt.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Better Cybercrime Metrics Act This bill establishes various requirements to improve the collection of data related to cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime (cybercrime). Among the requirements the Department of Justice (DOJ) must enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to develop a taxonomy for categorizing different types of cybercrime faced by individuals and businesses; DOJ must establish a category in the National Incident-Based Reporting System for collecting cybercrime reports from federal, state, and local officials; DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Bureau of the Census must include questions about cybercrime in the annual National Crime Victimization Survey; and the Government Accountability Office must assess the effectiveness of reporting mechanisms for cybercrime and disparities in reporting cybercrime data and other types of crime data.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
State Public Option Act This bill allows residents who are not already eligible for Medicaid and not concurrently enrolled in other health insurance coverage to buy into a state Medicaid plan beginning January 1, 2022, at the option of the state. State Medicaid programs may set premiums and cost-sharing requirements for such coverage in accordance with specified limitations. The bill also (1) provides the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) to every state that expands Medicaid coverage for individuals who are newly eligible under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, regardless of when such expansion takes place; and (2) requires state Medicaid programs to cover comprehensive reproductive health care services, including abortion services.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to ensure that any individual traveling on a flight that departs from or arrives to an airport inside the United States or a U.S. territory is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The TSA must also ensure that there is an exception to the requirement for an individual who is ineligible or medically unable to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Havana Syndrome Attacks Response Act This bill requires the President to sanction foreign persons and governments for carrying out clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury. Specifically, the President must impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions on any foreign person that has directed or carried out such an attack. If the President determines a foreign government carried out such an attack, the President must notify Congress and sanction that country by terminating any foreign assistance (except for humanitarian aid or food or agricultural commodities or products) and arms transactions, restricting commercial exports, and denying access to U.S. credit or other financial assistance. The President must remove these sanctions after 12 months, provided that (1) the country's government gives reliable assurances that it will not conduct future attacks, and (2) the executive branch does not have persuasive information indicating an attack occurred in the preceding six months. The bill also requires a congressional briefing and report about suspected clandestine attacks on U.S. personnel that have caused brain injury, including hypotheses concerning the identity of the perpetrators and the technical methods used to carry out the attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Private Student Loan Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2019 [ sic ] This bill modifies the treatment of certain student loans in bankruptcy. Specifically it allows private education loans to be discharged in bankruptcy regardless of whether a debtor demonstrates undue hardship. Under current law, student loans may be discharged in bankruptcy only if the loans impose an undue hardship on the debtor.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Hold Accountable and Lend Transparency on Campus Sexual Violence Act of 2021 or the HALT Campus Sexual Violence Act of 2021 This bill addresses dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking incidents on college campuses, including by expanding requirements governing the disclosure of such incidents and efforts to prevent them. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to make available an online survey tool regarding student experiences with domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, harassment, and stalking. ED must publish a biennial report that includes campus-level data for each institution of higher education (IHE). The bill permits ED to impose civil penalties on IHEs that have violated a law under the jurisdiction of its Office for Civil Rights. In addition, the bill directs ED, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Justice to create a task force on sex-based harassment and violence in education.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
District Court Judgeships Act of 2021 This bill requires the appointment of additional U.S. district court judges and converts certain temporary district court judgeships into permanent judgeships. Specifically, the bill requires the appointment of 203 district court judges in specified judicial districts in Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Additionally, the bill converts certain temporary district court judgeships to permanent judgeships in specified judicial districts in Alabama, Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Texas.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Uyghur Policy Act of 2021 This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State. The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may, subject to appropriations, make certain funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other minority groups. The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of minority groups in Xinjiang. The State Department must ensure that Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers. It must also ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service is assigned to U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in China.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Journalist Protection Act This bill establishes new criminal offenses for intentional acts (or attempts to commit acts) that cause bodily injury to a journalist.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Restoring Justice for Workers Act This bill prohibits predispute arbitration agreements that require arbitration of an employment dispute. It allows a postdispute arbitration agreement if the employee enters into it voluntarily without coercion and is informed in writing of rights and protections under such agreement. An employer may not retaliate against an employee for refusing to enter into an agreement for arbitrating an employment dispute.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act This bill provides rights and protections for domestic workers (e.g., housekeepers, nannies, caretakers, personal assistants, and chauffeurs), including pay and leave rights, and health and safety protections. Specifically, the bill repeals the exemption of domestic live-in employees from certain minimum wage and maximum hour requirements. Employers must provide written notice of termination and provide at least 30 days of lodging and two weeks of severance pay to terminated live-in employees. Live-in employees also must be provided with reasonable access to telephone and internet service during their employment. The bill requires employers to provide domestic workers with a written agreement covering wages, sick leave, benefits, and other matters. Further, domestic workers may request and be granted changes to work schedules due to personal events. The bill also provides domestic workers with certain privacy rights, extends to domestic workers protections against discrimination in employment, and increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid-funded medical services provided by domestic workers. The Department of Labor must (1) award grants for a domestic worker national hotline for reporting emergencies, training on hazards facing domestic workers, and workforce investment activities for domestic workers; and (2) establish a Domestic Worker Wage and Standards Board to investigate standards in the domestic workers industry. Labor must publish online a document that describes the rights and protections for domestic workers under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Supreme Court Ethics Act This bill establishes a new statutory requirement for the Judicial Conference of the United States to issue a judicial code of conduct for judges and justices of U.S. courts, including Justices of the Supreme Court. Currently, the Judicial Conference issues a code of conduct for judges of U.S. courts (but not for Justices of the Supreme Court).
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Refuge From Cruel Trapping Act of 2021 This bill prohibits, with specified exceptions, the use or possession of body-gripping traps in the National Wildlife Refuge System. The bill imposes on persons who possess or use such traps in the system (1) for a first offense, a civil fine of up to $500 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used; and (2) for subsequent offenses, a civil fine of up to $1,000 for each body-gripping trap possessed or used, imprisonment for up to 180 days, or both such a civil fine and imprisonment. The bill makes any body-gripping traps that are possessed or used in violation of this bill, and any wildlife captured by the use of such traps, including the pelts and raw fur, subject to civil forfeiture. Persons found to be in violation of such prohibition shall pay all associated court costs.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Student Loan Interest Deduction Act of 2021 This bill modifies the tax deduction for student loan interest to (1) increase the maximum deduction for interest paid on any qualified education loan to $5,000 ($10,000 for married couples filing a joint tax return), and (2) repeal the limitation on the deduction based upon modified adjusted gross income.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Fairness in Forgiveness Act of 2021 This bill extends Public Service Loan Forgiveness program eligibility to contractor employees who work at national laboratories owned by the Department of Energy. The bill takes effect as if enacted on October 1, 2007.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
No Student Loan Interest Act This bill provides for zero-interest rates on certain federal student loans. Specifically, the bill sets the interest rate at 0% for (1) existing loans made under the Federal Family Education Loan Program or the Federal Direct Loan Program, and (2) new loans made under the Federal Direct Loan Program.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
Strengthening Loan Forgiveness for Public Servants Act This bill revises the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program to provide for partial loan cancellation based on the length of public service employment. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to cancel 15%, 15%, 20%, 20%, and 30% of the amount a borrower owes after 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 years of public service employment, respectively, on Federal Direct Loans made after the bill's enactment. Under the current PSLF program, ED must cancel the balance of interest and principal due on a borrower's Federal Direct Loans after the borrower makes 120 monthly loan payments while employed in a public service job.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2021
STEM K to Career Act This bill provides for loan forgiveness and tax credits related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) education and addresses work-study for students employed in STEM fields. The bill requires the Department of Education to forgive student loan obligations of borrowers employed as full-time teachers of STEM in elementary or secondary schools in which the number of low-income children exceeds a certain percentage. Portions of the student loan debt, including interest, shall be forgiven on the basis of years of service, with 100% forgiven for five years of teacher service. The bill allows (1) an increased tax deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers for STEM education supplies; (2) a tax credit for the employment of STEM interns; and (3) a tax credit for employment of individuals who participated in an apprenticeship program in a STEM field, with the amount determined according to the degree of completion of the program. Beginning with FY2022, an institution of higher education must use at least 7% of federal work-study funds to compensate students employed in STEM fields.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 20 21 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Smoke Planning and Research Act of 2021 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to research and mitigate the impacts of smoke emissions from wildland fires. Specifically, the EPA must establish (1) four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke at institutions of higher education, and (2) a grant program to support community mitigation efforts.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Water Conservation Rebate Tax Parity Act This bill expands the tax exclusions for energy conservation subsidies to include subsidies provided (directly or indirectly) (1) by a public utility for the purchase or installation of any water conservation or efficiency measure; (2) by a storm water management provider for the purchase or installation of any storm water management measure; or (3) by a state or local government to a resident of such state or locality for the purchase or installation of any wastewater management measure, but only if such measure concerns the taxpayer's principal residence.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt Act or the POST GRAD Act This bill authorizes graduate and professional students to receive subsidized Stafford Loans. These students have been ineligible to receive subsidized Stafford Loans since July 1, 2012.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2021
Wastewater Infrastructure Pollution Prevention and Environmental Safety Act or the WIPPES Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to issue regulations requiring entities responsible for the labeling or retail packaging of certain premoistened, nonwoven wipes (e.g., baby wipes, cleaning wipes, or personal care wipes) to label such products clearly and conspicuously with the phrase Do Not Flush and accompanying symbol as depicted under specified industry guidelines. The commission is authorized to enforce this requirement.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2021
Freedom and Right to Emancipate from Exploitation (FREE) Act This bill establishes rights for individuals who are subject to legal guardianship or conservatorship. Specifically, these individuals have the right to petition the court to replace their private legal guardian or conservator with a state guardian or other designated individual; and communicate with a caseworker employed by the state, without the interference or objection of the individual's legal guardian or conservator. Furthermore, the bill creates a private right of action for individuals whose rights have been violated. The bill also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to states to hire state-employed caseworkers, legal guardians, and conservators for legally incompetent adults.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2021
Support Through Loss Act This bill provides employees with 24 hours of paid leave time each year for an absence resulting from a pregnancy loss or other specified circumstance related to pregnancy, fertility, or an unsuccessful assisted reproductive procedure or adoption match. Employers must notify each employee about the availability of this paid leave and may not discriminate or discharge an employee for exercising or attempting to exercise the right to such paid leave. The bill provides for enforcement of this requirement by the Department of Labor and through civil action brought by an employee or individual. Further, the bill requires specified federal agencies to conduct research and publish information about pregnancy loss and related evidence-based treatment options.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative to advance societal well-being, national security, sustainability, and economic productivity and competitiveness. Among other activities, the initiative must include sustained support for research centers, individual investigators, technologies, and training. The initiative shall include outreach to primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions about initiative opportunities, and shall encourage the development of research collaborations between research-intensive universities and such institutions. The OSTP shall designate an interagency committee to coordinate initiative activities as appropriate. The interagency committee shall submit triennial reports to Congress through FY2028 in support of the initiative. The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a review of, and make recommendations with respect to, the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development. The NSF, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Health and Human Services shall carry out related activities as part of the initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Home for the Brave Act of 2021 This bill excludes from income veterans' service-connected disability or death benefits for purposes of determinations made in connection with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing assistance programs.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits federal agencies and private businesses from publicly posting the personally identifiable information (e.g., home addresses) of federal judges and their immediate family members. It also (1) requires information to be removed upon written request from the federal judge concerned, (2) prohibits data brokers from purchasing or selling such information, and (3) establishes programs to protect such information at the state and local level and to enhance security for judges.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
Biosecurity Information Optimization for Defense Act of 2021 This bill directs the President to establish a cabinet-level interagency forum to be known as the National Biodefense Directorate. The directorate must develop a (1) national biodefense strategy and implementation plan, and (2) national strategy for combating public health misinformation and disinformation that threatens the national security and associated implementation plan. The directorate must submit to the National Security Council and Congress a report including the National Biodefense Strategy and associated implementation plans. The Government Accountability Office must review the report and submit to Congress a report that identifies gaps in such strategies and plans and that makes recommendations to address such gaps.
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2021
National Security Council Modernization Act of 2021 This bill expands the scope and modifies the membership of the National Security Council. Specifically, the council must advise the President with respect to the integration of biodefense policies in addition to the currently required policies (e.g., domestic policy). The bill adds to the membership of the council the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of National Intelligence, and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2021
Homeland Security for Children Act This bill requires the Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to review and incorporate into DHS policy feedback from organizations representing the needs of children. The bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to identify and integrate the needs of children into activities to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate against the risk of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, including by appointing a technical expert to coordinate such integration.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2021
Opening Doors for Youth Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Labor to provide funding to states for the development or expansion of summer and year-round youth employment programs that (1) match youth participants with appropriate employers for high-quality employment opportunities; and (2) provide work-readiness training and educational programs, coaching and mentoring, career and postsecondary education planning services, financial literacy education, and supportive services.
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2021
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2021
Department of Homeland Security Reform Act of 2021 or the DHS Reform Act of 2021 This bill makes extensive changes to the structure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to the responsibilities of DHS components. Specifically, the bill, among other things creates a new Associate Secretary responsible for overseeing DHS's law enforcement functions; modifies the responsibilities of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, including to require engagement with individuals and communities whose civil rights and liberties may be affected by DHS programs and activities; establishes within DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis an analytic unit to serve as a focal point for intelligence and analysis of domestic terrorism threats; directs DHS to establish an employee engagement steering committee to identify factors that have a negative impact on employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; establishes within DHS a school security coordinating council; directs DHS to develop and disseminate a strategy with respect to biometric technology and identity management enterprise pilot programs and programs; requires DHS to develop, disseminate, and implement a DHS-wide directive to update or replace the strategic framework relating to countering terrorism and targeted violence; requires that DHS's use-of-force policy be updated to emphasize de-escalation; and requires DHS to issue a DHS-wide strategy to enhance partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutes that includes yearly goals.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the designation of a Slavery Remembrance Day and condemns slavery and its progenies.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
National Community Violence De-Escalation Training Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands grant programs for training on de-escalating violence and crisis situations involving individuals with behavioral health issues. Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must award grants to state and local governments, educational institutions, nonprofits, faith institutions, or small businesses for community-based training to de-escalate and avoid violence. As part of this grant program, SAMHSA must also establish an advisory board and develop relevant training standards. The training funded by the grants must apply evidence-based de-escalation and avoidance techniques to potentially violent scenarios that are regularly encountered by community members, including public safety officers, public transit operators, educators, and faith leaders. Additionally, the training must address implicit bias, crisis interventions for those experiencing mental health or substance use issues, and other specified topics. The bill also expands and extends through FY2027 mental health awareness training grants.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Coverage includes (1) routine dental cleanings and exams, basic and major dental services, emergency dental care, and dentures; (2) routine eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses; and (3) routine hearing exams, hearing aids, and exams for hearing aids. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2021
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2021
Overdraft Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a financial institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts in connection with overdraft coverage. Each financial institution that offers overdraft coverage for accounts must disclose overdraft coverage fees. It must also disclose that the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related account, and the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. A financial institution must provide certain other disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. The bill limits the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged each month and year, and provides that such fees must be reasonable. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. The bill also prohibits a financial institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any automated teller machine or debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 2021
Rebuilding Communities After Disasters Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to increase the loan limits for the disaster loan program and to communicate certain information about the program following disasters. Specifically, the bill raises from $40,000 to $75,000 the loan amount for repair or replacement of household and personal effects and from $200,000 to $400,000 the loan amount for repair or replacement of a primary residence. Further, the bill requires the SBA to communicate through radio, television, print, and web-based outlets all relevant information needed by disaster loan applicants if a disaster is declared or the SBA declares eligibility for additional disaster assistance. (Currently, the SBA is only required to endeavor to communicate such information.) The SBA must submit a report on the disaster loan program that includes information such as the number and dollar value of program loans and the average estimated dollar value of damage sustained by borrowers.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
This resolution expresses support for (1) equal rights and protections for all people, regardless of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity; and (2) the designation of LGBTQ Equality Day on June 26 to commemorate Supreme Court decisions handed down on that day in 2003, 2013, and 2015. The resolution also acknowledges the need for further legislation to ensure that people in the United States are free from all forms of discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act This bill requires federal agencies that collect information through a survey that includes demographic data (where subjects self-report information or a proxy provides information about the subject or responds for all persons in a household) to review existing data sets to determine in which data sets information about sexual orientation and gender identity is not included, and to assess needed changes in survey methods related to asking questions on sexual orientation and gender identity. Agencies that publish reports relying on survey demographic data must include information on sexual orientation and gender identity.
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2021
Expand American Educational Opportunity Act of 2021 This bill replaces the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning tax credits with a modified American Opportunity Tax Credit that (1) allows an income tax credit of up to $2,500 of the qualified tuition and related expenses of a student who is carrying at least one half of a normal course load, (2) allows a lifetime dollar limitation for the credit of $15,000 for all taxable years, and (3) increases the refundable portion of the credit to a maximum of $1,500. The bill defines qualified tuition and related expenses as tuition, fees, computer or peripheral equipment, child and dependent care expenses, and course materials for the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, and dependents at certain postsecondary educational institutions. The bill also allows an exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, of any amount received as a Federal Pell Grant.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Veterans Visa and Protection Act of 2021 This bill provides permanent resident status and citizenship eligibility to certain noncitizen veterans and addresses related issues. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) must establish a program that allows (1) eligible noncitizen veterans outside of the United States to be admitted as permanent residents, and (2) eligible noncitizen veterans in the United States to obtain permanent resident status. Generally, an eligible noncitizen veteran under this bill is one who was not removed from the United States for certain crimes related to violence or national security. DHS may waive these eligibility requirements for humanitarian, family unity, public interest, or exceptional military service reasons. A noncitizen veteran who obtains permanent resident status under this bill shall be eligible for (1) naturalization through service in the Armed Forces, and (2) military and veterans benefits as if they had not been removed (or ordered removed) from the United States. For a noncitizen veteran in removal proceedings or subject to a final removal order, the Department of Justice (DOJ) must determine whether the veteran is eligible for permanent resident status under this bill. If the veteran is eligible, DOJ must adjust the veteran's status. The bill also protects noncitizen veterans or service members from being removed from the United States unless the veteran has been convicted of a crime of violence.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2021
Better Care Better Jobs Act This bill establishes programs and provides funds for state Medicaid programs to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS), such as home health care, personal care, case management, and rehabilitative services. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award planning grants, develop quality measures, and provide technical assistance to states regarding specified HCBS improvements, particularly with respect to access, utilization, and the associated workforce. The bill also increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for HCBS in states that develop plans and meet specified benchmarks for improvements. The bill also makes permanent (1) the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program (a grant program to help states increase the use of HCBS for long-term care and decrease the use of institutional care), and (2) certain provisions regarding Medicaid eligibility that protect against spousal impoverishment for recipients of HCBS.
![Official portrait of Rep. Swalwell, Eric [D-CA-15]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001193_200.jpg)