Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine and report on the various health impacts of air traffic noise and pollution.
Health Force, Resilience Force, and Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands programs to bring on individuals to perform public health functions, such as contact tracing and vaccine administration, to respond to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency and meet future public health needs. The bill provides funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Health Force. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. To establish the force, the CDC must award grants within 30 days to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and community health centers to recruit and train individuals for roles in public health and health care. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must hire and train additional individuals for its Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees. These employees may be detailed to certain federal agencies or to state, local, or tribal governments to support response efforts related to COVID-19 or other disasters or emergencies.
Safe and Quiet Skies Act of 2021 This bill sets forth requirements for commercial air tour flights. Among other requirements, the bill prohibits tour flights within a half mile of military installations, national cemeteries, national wilderness areas, national parks, and national wildlife refuges; prohibits tour flights from operating at an altitude of less than 1,500 feet; requires tour flights over occupied areas (e.g., residential, commercial, and recreational areas) to be no louder than 55dbA; and allows states and localities to impose additional requirements that are stricter than the minimum federal requirements.
Honoring Our WWII Merchant Mariners Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to distribute a payment of $25,000 to U.S. merchant marines who engaged in qualified service during World War II. To be eligible, an individual must apply for the benefit and must not have received benefits under the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944. The bill sets forth what constitutes qualified service, including time frame of service and licensing requirements.
Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to report on the deaths of covered veterans who died by suicide during the last five years, regardless of whether information relating to such deaths has been reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A covered veteran is any veteran who received VA hospital care or medical services during the five-year period preceding the veteran's death. Among other elements, the report shall include the total number of covered veterans who died by suicide, violent death, or accidental death, as well as certain demographic information.
Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Advisory Committee Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to establish the Electronic Health Record Advisory Committee to provide guidance regarding the implementation of and transition to an electronic health record system.
Paycheck Fairness Act This bill addresses wage discrimination on the basis of sex. Specifically, it (1) limits an employer's defense that a pay differential is based on a factor other than sex to only bona fide job-related factors in wage discrimination claims, (2) enhances nonretaliation prohibitions, (3) makes it unlawful to require an employee to sign a contract or waiver prohibiting the employee from disclosing information about the employee's wages, and (4) increases civil penalties for violations of equal pay provisions. Additionally, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs must train EEOC employees and other affected parties on wage discrimination. The bill directs the Department of Labor to (1) establish and carry out a grant program for negotiation skills training for girls and women, (2) conduct studies to eliminate pay disparities between men and women, and (3) make available information on wage discrimination to assist the public in understanding and addressing such discrimination. The bill also establishes the Secretary of Labor's National Award for Pay Equity in the Workplace for an employer who has made a substantial effort to eliminate pay disparities between men and women. Finally, the bill requires the EEOC to issue regulations for collecting from employers compensation and other employment data according to the sex, race, and national origin of employees for use in enforcing laws prohibiting pay discrimination.
Spotlight Act This bill renders null and void final Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations published on May 28, 2020, relating to the reporting requirements of tax-exempt organizations. The bill requires tax-exempt organizations that fall under sections 501(c)(4), 501(c)(5), and 501(c)(6) of the Internal Revenue Code (e.g., social welfare organizations, labor organizations, business leagues) to disclose the names and addresses of all substantial contributors (persons who contribute more than $5,000 per year to such organizations) on their information returns. The bill also eliminates the authority of the IRS to provide exceptions to the disclosure requirements for tax-exempt organizations. This provision does not apply to determinations made by the IRS before July 16, 2018.
Access Technology Affordability Act of 2021 This bill allows a refundable tax credit equal to the amounts paid for qualified access technology for use by a blind individual who is the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or a dependent of the taxpayer. Qualified access technology is hardware, software, or other information technology with the primary function of converting or adapting information that is visually represented into forms or formats useable by blind individuals. The credit is limited to (1) costs that are not compensated by insurance or otherwise, and (2) an aggregate amount of $2,000 per blind individual in any period of three consecutive taxable years. The credit must be adjusted for inflation after 2022 and terminates after 2026.
Supporting Eating Disorders Recovery Through Vital Expansion Act or the SERVE Act This bill provides for inpatient and outpatient treatment of eating disorders under TRICARE for dependents of members of the uniformed services. Dependents are eligible for such care regardless of their age, except with respect to residential service. The bill also requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) to identify, treat, and rehabilitate members of the armed forces who have an eating disorder. Finally, DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs must jointly develop, publish, and disseminate clinical practice criteria and guidelines on the identification and treatment of eating disorders.
Right to Earn a Living Act of 2021 This bill requires a state or local government, to be eligible to receive future payments from the Coronavirus Relief Fund, to certify that it will not limit the operation, hours, or occupancy of small businesses without the state or local government taking legislative action.
Child and Animal Abuse Detection and Reporting Act This bill requires the Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families to disseminate information through the National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information about the incidence of cases of child abuse that involve abuse to animals.
