This resolution designates the week of September 19-September 25, 2021, as National Estuaries Week.
Equitable Payments for Nursing Facilities Act of 2021 This bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to adjust the federal per diem payment rate for Medicare skilled nursing facilities in Alaska or Hawaii to reflect the unique circumstances of such facilities.
Keeping Renters Safe Act This bill expressly authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to place a moratorium on residential evictions to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. The bill also requires HHS to implement a moratorium nationwide to reduce the spread of COVID-19. This moratorium must remain in effect for at least 60 days following the termination of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Current law authorizes HHS to take measures to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. As part of the COVID-19 response, HHS delegated this authority to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which then issued (and extended) several orders banning residential evictions. Whether these orders exceed the CDC's statutory and constitutional authority has been the subject of multiple legal challenges; the Supreme Court blocked enforcement of the most recent order on August 26, 2021.
Nutrition Education Act This bill requires a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.
Re-using Equipment for Environmental Fortification Act or the REEF Act This bill requires the Department of the Navy to notify Congress of the pending retirement of vessels that are viable candidates for artificial reefing (intentionally sinking a vessel to promote marine life). Specifically, the Navy must provide such notice not later than 90 days before the viable candidate's retirement from the Naval Vessel Register.
Every Veteran Counts Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a database of specified demographics (e.g., age) of veterans. The data must be in a machine-readable format and anonymized to protect sensitive personal information. The VA must provide access to the database on a publicly accessible website that is updated at least once a year. Additionally, the VA must report on the progress, challenges, performance, and opportunities of implementing its data strategy. The report must be made available on the VA's open data website in a machine-readable format.
Disaster Assistance Equity Act of 20 21 This bill makes common interest communities, such as housing cooperatives (co-ops) and condominiums, eligible for the same assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as other homeowners. Specifically, the bill adds definitions of residential common interest community, condominium, and housing cooperative to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act; requires FEMA to issue rules for the removal of debris or wreckage from real estate owned by a residential common interest community resulting from a major disaster and deems such removal to be in the public interest when a state or local government determines in writing that such debris or wreckage constitutes a threat to life, public health or safety, or the economic recovery of such community; and provides for the repair of essential common elements of a condominium or co-op damaged by a disaster under FEMA's Federal Assistance to Individuals and Households Program.
This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on the raising and spending of money by candidates and others to influence elections. The amendment grants Congress and the states the power to implement and enforce this amendment by legislation. They are allowed to distinguish between natural persons and corporations or other artificial entities created by law, including by prohibiting such entities from spending money to influence elections.
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives supports the goals of researching new interventions to prevent and treat malaria and encourages continued leadership by the United States to ensure that service member health is not jeopardized by vector-borne disease. The resolution also supports sustained or enhanced efforts to ensure that once malaria is eliminated in a country it does not return.
Restore Honor to Service Members Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established for the review of discharge characterizations related to sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask, Don't Tell or a similar policy). DOD must also provide for specified relief for former members of the Armed Forces who were impacted by the discharge characterizations and ensure that DOD oral historians review related facts and receive testimony from affected individuals.
Emergency Rental Assistance Program Improvement Act of 2021 or the ERAP Improvement Act of 2021 This bill modifies the Department of Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program to increase the portion of funding that state and local government grant recipients may use for administrative costs. The bill also encourages grant recipients to utilize these administrative funds to provide application assistance in coordination with public entities such as libraries, elementary schools, courts, and public housing. The program continues to provide grants to state and local governments to assist eligible households in paying rent, utility costs, and other housing costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Do No Harm Act This bill prohibits the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to specified federal laws or the implementation of such laws. Currently, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. Under the bill, RFRA is inapplicable to laws or the implementation of laws that protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity (e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964); require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. The bill prevents RFRA from being used to deny (1) goods or services the government has contracted, granted, or made an agreement to provide to a beneficiary of or participant in a program or activity funded by such government contract, grant, agreement, or other award; or (2) a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. In order for a person to assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
