VA Transparency & Trust Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit a plan for obligating and expending covered funds, which are funds made available to the VA for response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill requires the VA to submit biweekly reports regarding obligations, expenditures, and planned uses of the funds until seven days after the VA has expended all covered funds. The Inspector General of the VA must submit reports examining the obligations and expenditures made using covered funds during the specified reporting period. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must submit an interim report and final report containing a review of obligations and expenditures made using covered funds.
Veterans and Family Information Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to make all of its fact sheets available in English, Spanish, Tagalog, and each of the 10 most commonly spoken languages not listed. The bill also requires the VA to establish a publicly available website that provides links to all VA fact sheets. Finally, the VA must report to Congress regarding the utilization of such fact sheets as well as the details of the Language Access Plan of the VA.
Jaime Zapata and Victor Avila Federal Officers and Employees Protection Act This bill explicitly grants extraterritorial jurisdiction over the following criminal offenses: killing (or attempting to kill) a federal officer or employee; assaulting, kidnapping, or murdering (or threatening to do so, or attempting to kidnap or murder) a family member of certain federal officials to retaliate against or to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal official; threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder certain federal officials to retaliate against or to impede, intimidate, or interfere with the federal official; and assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees. The United States may prosecute such conduct that occurs outside the United States.
This bill designates the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs to be located in Aurora, Colorado, as the Lieutenant Colonel John W. Mosley Clinic.
Secure Equipment Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to establish rules stating that it will no longer review or approve any authorization application for equipment that is on the list of covered communications equipment or services. (Listed communications equipment or services are those that the FCC determines pose an unacceptable risk to national security or the security and safety of U.S. persons.)
Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks Act of 2021 or the HAVANA Act of 2021 This bill specifically authorizes the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, and other agencies to provide payments to agency personnel who incur brain injuries from hostilities while on assignment. Specifically, the bill allows agency personnel and their families to receive payments for brain injuries that are incurred (1) during a period of assignment to a foreign or domestic duty station; (2) in connection with war, insurgency, hostile acts, terrorist activity, or other agency-designated incidents; and (3) not as the result of willful misconduct. The bill's authority applies to injuries incurred before, on, or after the date of the bill's enactment. Agencies must submit classified reports on the bill's implementation, including the number of payments made and the amount of each payment. Since 2016, some intelligence, diplomatic, and other governmental personnel have reported experiencing unusual cognitive and neurological impairments while on assignment (particularly abroad), the source of which is currently under investigation. Symptoms were first reported by personnel stationed in Cuba and have since been collectively referred to as Havana Syndrome .
Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill implements a program and a policy related to service dog therapy for veterans. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a five-year pilot program to provide canine training to eligible veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as an element of a complementary and integrative health program. Eligible veterans are those who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been recommended for participation by a qualified mental health care provider or clinical team. The VA must seek to enter agreements containing specified elements with accredited nongovernmental entities that have demonstrated ability to provide canine training. Veterans who participate in the program are authorized to adopt the dog they assisted in training if their health provider determines it is in the best interest of the veteran. The VA must establish processes to document and track the progress of participating veterans with respect to health benefits and improvements. The Government Accountability Office must brief Congress and submit a report on the program. The bill also authorizes the VA to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses, regardless of whether they have a mobility impairment.
This bill provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals to the U.S. Capitol Police and the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia in recognition of the law enforcement agencies that protected the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
Construction Consensus Procurement Improvement Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the federal government from using reverse auctions for complex, specialized, or substantial design and construction services. Reverse auctions allow the sellers to bid down the price of a project and typically result in the contractor with the lowest bid winning the contract. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council must define complex, specialized, or substantial design and construction services . The General Services Administration shall report to specified congressional committees on this bill's effectiveness.
VOCA Fix to Sustain the Crime Victims Fund Act of 2021 This bill adds a new source of revenue for the Crime Victims Fund and makes changes to formula grants supported by the fund. Specifically, the bill directs revenues collected from deferred prosecution and non-prosecution agreements to be deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. Currently, such revenues are deposited into the general fund of the Treasury. Additionally, the bill increases the percentage—from 60% to 75%—of state compensation payments to crime victims in the prior fiscal year used to calculate formula grants for state victim compensation programs. Finally, the bill directs states to waive the matching requirement for recipients of state victim assistance formula grants during and for one year after a pandemic-related national emergency. It also allows states to waive the matching requirement pursuant to a policy established by the state.
This joint resolution nullifies the Oil and Natural Gas Sector: Emission Standards for New, Reconstructed, and Modified Sources Review rule published by the Environmental Protection Agency on September 14, 2020. The rule finalized amendments to new source performance standards under the Clean Air Act for the oil and natural gas sector, such as an amendment that removed limitations on methane emissions from such sector.
