Energy Poverty Prevention and Accountability Act This bill addresses energy poverty (i.e., insufficient access to affordable energy) in at-risk communities. An at-risk community is a community that is low-income, minority, rural, elderly, or Native American. The Department of the Interior must report on (1) barriers to the ability of at-risk communities that live on or near federal land or tribal land to access reliable and affordable energy, including how the presence of adequate energy transmission infrastructure affects such access; and (2) actions that it and the Forest Service may take to reduce such barriers. In addition, certain executive actions may not be carried out until Interior conducts energy poverty studies for such actions. The Congressional Budget Office must report on how a bill or resolution will affect the cost of energy for at-risk communities. The Government Accountability Office must (1) analyze federal energy and environmental laws and regulations, and state renewable portfolio standards, to determine how such laws, regulations, and standards affected electricity prices, home heating prices, gasoline prices, motor vehicle prices, natural gas prices, and household appliance prices in at-risk communities; and (2) develop criteria to determine whether an at-risk community is experiencing energy poverty. The Office of Management and Budget must review and publish each applicable energy regulation to determine if any regulation imposes, relative to the general population, disproportionate costs on at-risk communities.
COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Act This bill establishes and provides funding for the COVID-19 and Pandemic Response Centers of Excellence Program Fund. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must use the funds to set up at least 10 centers of excellence at academic medical centers to address issues associated with COVID-19 and future pandemic preparedness and response efforts. In addition, HHS must establish an advisory committee comprised of representatives from relevant federal agencies, each center of excellence, and national organizations that work with populations disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 and other health disparities. The committee must facilitate collaboration, information-sharing, and dissemination of best practices relating to COVID-19 and future pandemic responses.
Creation of Opportunities for Medical Manpower in Underserved Neighborhoods by Indemnifying Tuition and Incentivizing Exceptional Service Act or the COMMUNITIES Act This bill increases the amount of student loan repayment available to eligible health care providers who agree to complete a five-year period of obligated service in a health professional shortage area. Specifically, for each year of service, the Department of Health and Human Services shall pay one-fifth of the total amount owed on a participating provider's qualifying student loans. Current law caps the maximum amount of student loan repayment that a provider may receive in exchange for such service.
Connecting Youth to Jobs Act This bill establishes and provides funding through FY2031 for grant programs to address barriers to youth employment. The bill also excludes certain youth employment income from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility determinations. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Labor to provide formula grants to states and local areas, and competitive grants to community-based organizations and other eligible entities, to assist in carrying out subsidized public employment programs for youth with barriers to employment. Funding to states and local areas must be used for programs that lead eligible youth to unsubsidized full-time employment or to attainment of at least one recognized postsecondary credential. Grants to eligible entities must be used to match youth with employment barriers to subsidized employment programs funded by the bill and to provide hands-on work experience. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate and report on the activities funded by the bill. The bill also excludes from SNAP income eligibility determinations any income earned by a household member who is younger than 22 years old, is an elementary or secondary school student, and lives with a parent.
Making Essentials Available and Lawful (MEAL) Act of 2021 This bill repeals a lifetime ban that prohibits individuals convicted of certain offenses related to the possession, use, or distribution of a controlled substance from receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits or assistance under programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) block grants. Any state law that imposes conditions on eligibility for SNAP benefits or TANF assistance based on an individual's conviction of such an offense shall have no force or effect. In addition, individuals who are incarcerated and scheduled to be released within 30 days shall qualify as individual households for purposes of SNAP eligibility. Under current law, unless specifically excepted, individuals residing in institutions do not constitute a household.
USA Workforce Tax Credit Act This bill allows tax credits for charitable contributions to certain nonprofit organizations with the exclusive purpose of providing (1) workforce development and apprenticeship training, or (2) scholarships for elementary and secondary education expenses of students from households with income that does not exceed 200% of the median gross income. The bill limits the credits to specified amounts for individuals and corporations. It also (1) imposes a tax on workforce development, apprenticeship training, and scholarship granting organizations that fail to distribute a specified portion of their receipts; and (2) establishes a $2 billion annual volume cap for the tax credits allowed under this bill.
Federal Retirement Fairness Act This bill modifies the federal civilian service that is creditable service under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Specifically, it expands the nondeduction service that may be creditable under FERS. Nondeduction service is federal service where an employee's pay is not subject to retirement deductions (e.g., service under a temporary appointment). Currently, nondeduction service performed before January 1, 1989, is creditable under FERS so long as a deposit is made into the retirement fund to cover the period of nondeduction service. This bill allows nondeduction service performed on or after January 1, 1989, to be creditable under FERS so long as a deposit is made into the retirement fund.
Screening With Dignity Act This bill directs the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to develop procedures to appropriately and respectfully screen self-identified transgender air passengers and passengers traveling with religious headwear or other articles of faith and begin training of all TSA Officers on such procedures. The TSA must implement protections for such passengers, including (1) prohibiting human viewing of passenger images and conducting pat downs by an officer of the gender requested by the passenger; and (2) ensuring secondary screening measures are no more intrusive than necessary to resolve an alarm or other concern raised by primary screening, including consideration of the sensitivity of the groin, chest, and other body areas and the sensitivity of religious articles of faith such as religious headwear. The TSA shall separately study and report on (1) the cost and feasibility of retrofitting advanced image technology screening equipment to distinguish between foreign objects and human body parts (including hair) in a manner that is gender neutral; and (2) the impact of imaging technology on transgender passengers, passengers whose religious faith requires them to travel with articles of faith, and passengers traveling with assistive devices. Additionally, the TSA must identify any policy, procedure, or training changes and complete any testing, certification, and assessment for qualifying additional technology to ensure that any advanced imaging utilized for passenger screening meets certain requirements, including not generating alarms based only on passengers' body parts (including hair), undergarments, or religious headwear.
Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 202 1 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program to award grants to local educational agencies for (1) projects that hire qualified, full-time food and nutrition educators to carry out programs in schools that have the goal of improving student health and nutrition; and (2) projects that fund school gardens or other evidence-based interventions relating to student health and nutrition, aligned with the latest school nutrition standards, to create hands-on learning opportunities for students. In awarding grants under the program, USDA must prioritize projects that serve schools or districts (1) in which not less than 40% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, or (2) that include neighborhoods with high rates of childhood obesity or other diet-related diseases. Additionally, it must give priority to projects that provide programming in summer months and those that are joint partnership projects.
End Zuckerbucks Act This bill prohibits tax-exempt charitable organizations from providing direct funding to official election organizations.
Taskforce Recommending Improvements for Unaddressed Mental Perinatal & Postpartum Health for New Moms Act of 2021 or the TRIUMPH for New Moms Act of 2021 This bill temporarily establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services the Task Force on Maternal Mental Health. The task force must develop a national strategy for maternal mental health and report on best practices, policies, and programs to prevent, screen for, diagnose, treat, and reduce disparities in maternal mental health conditions. The report must identify opportunities for state- and local-level partnerships to address maternal mental health, and the task force must share those opportunities with state governors.
Stop Inflationary Spending Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to provide inflation projections for bills that Congress considers using the budget reconciliation process. Specifically, the CBO must estimate the impact on inflation that will occur from implementing each reconciliation bill, including the impact on inflation that will occur during each of the first five years after the enactment of the bill.
