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.
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.
Thirty-Two Hour Workweek Act This bill shortens the standard workweek under federal law from 40 hours to 32 hours over a three-year phase in period. It also requires specified overtime pay for workdays longer than eight hours.
Veterans Service Organization Modernization Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide competitive grants to veterans service organizations for repairs or rehabilitation of existing facilities and for modernization of technologies.
Food Chemical Reassessment Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Office of Food Safety Reassessment within the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and addresses related issues. The office must conduct reassessments of additives, food contact substances, and other related substances to ensure that such substances are safe. Specifically, every three years, the office must reassess the safety of at least 10 substances or classes of substances, including those that are generally recognized as safe for use in food. The office must issue final regulations relating to the safety of each reassessed substance. The bill also specifies 10 substances that the office must assess in its first review. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must reestablish the Food Advisory Committee to advise the FDA on issues related to the substance assessments required by this bill.
Access to Congressionally Mandated Reports Act This bill requires the Government Publishing Office (GPO) to establish and maintain a publicly available online portal containing copies of all congressionally mandated reports. A federal agency must submit a congressionally mandated report and specified information about the report to the GPO between 30 and 45 days after submission of the report to either chamber or to any congressional committee or subcommittee. Upon the written request of the chair of a congressional committee or subcommittee to the GPO, a report submitted to that committee or subcommittee shall not be submitted or published on the portal. Federally chartered corporations, the Government Accountability Office, and any elements of the intelligence community are excluded from the requirements of this bill. The Office of Management and Budget must issue guidance to federal agencies on the bill's requirement for agencies to submit copies of congressionally mandated reports and related information to the GPO.
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.
Supermarket Tax Credit for Underserved Areas Act This bill expands the tax credits that are available for the establishment of supermarkets in underserved areas. The bill includes provisions that (1) increase the rate of the rehabilitation tax credit for a supermarket building placed in service after December 31, 2021, and before January 1, 2025, in an underserved area; (2) increase by $1,000 the limit on wages eligible for the work opportunity tax credit for employees of a new underserved area supermarket; and (3) allow a business-related tax credit for 15% of the gross receipts from the retail sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in a new underserved area supermarket.
Eleanor Smith Inclusive Home Design Act of 2021 This bill requires certain newly constructed, federally assisted housing, including single-family homes and town houses, to contain at least one level that complies with specified minimum standards of accessibility for individuals with disabilities. An aggrieved person may commence a civil action with respect to a violation of this requirement.
Expanding Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses Act of 2021 This bill increases the allowable award price for federal government contracts with certain small businesses, including socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, small businesses owned and controlled by women, and small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.
Humane Research and Testing Act of 2021 This bill establishes the National Center for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing within the National Institutes of Health to promote alternatives to animal research and testing and to reduce the number of animals used in such research and testing. In addition, federal departments or agencies and federally funded research entities that use animals for research and testing must develop plans to reduce the use of animals in their activities. They must also annually report the number of animals that they use to the center, and the center must make this information publicly available.
Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative Act or the MRRRI Act This bill establishes the Mississippi River Restoration and Resilience Initiative to protect and restore the Mississippi River Corridor. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must establish the initiative and the Mississippi River National Program Office to carry out the initiative. The office must (1) coordinate agency actions to protect and restore the Mississippi River Corridor; (2) develop, implement, and update the initiative, actionable goals, and an action plan required by the bill; (3) make updates and information available on a public website; and (4) submit annual reports to Congress. Additionally, the bill outlines the focus areas that each project carried out under the initiative must address, such as improving water quality and protecting wildlife habitat. The office may make grants to certain nonfederal entities to carry out eligible projects. The bill directs the EPA to include the initiative as a separate budget line item in its annual budget submission. Next, the bill directs the Department of the Interior to coordinate with the office to establish four Mississippi River Corridor research centers within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). These research centers must, among other duties, conduct scientific research on the focus areas of the initiative. The bill also directs the USGS to host a science forum to share current science and identify data gaps related to the ecological health of the Mississippi River Corridor. The USGS must, within two years of the forum, develop a science plan for the initiative.
