Captive Primate Safety Act This bill limits the trade and possession of nonhuman primates. For example, the bill prohibits most individuals from owning a nonhuman primate as a pet.
Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2021 or the MONARCH Act of 2021 This bill provides support for the conservation of western monarch butterflies (the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of California and breeds across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). Specifically, the bill establishes the Western Monarch Butterfly Rescue Fund. The Department of the Interior must use amounts in the fund to provide grants for the conservation of such butterflies. In addition, Interior must enter into an agreement with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to facilitate the implementation of the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
Grace Hopper Code for Us Act This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education must award grants to institutions of higher education (IHEs) to develop and implement courses of instruction related to critical legacy computer languages (e.g., COBOL, Assembly, and PL/I). In addition, the Government Accountability Office must report on the critical legacy computer languages that (1) are used by the federal government, and (2) are not commonly taught in a course at an IHE.
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2021 This bill addresses the use of certain pesticides and the health and status of native bees and other pollinators. First, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Pollinator Protection Board to develop an independent review process for pesticides that pose a threat to pollinators and their habitats. All active ingredients and pesticide products that contain one or more specified neonicotinoid pesticides must be deemed to generally cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. Under the bill, the registration of all uses of neonicotinoid pesticides must be immediately and permanently canceled. The EPA must revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of a neonicotinoid pesticide, or any pesticide chemical residue that results from neonicotinoid pesticide use, in or on food. The continued sale or use of existing stocks of neonicotinoid pesticides is prohibited, and the EPA may not register any such pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The bill requires the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Agriculture to coordinate monitoring activities and report on the health and population status of native bees and other pollinators. Finally, a state or federal agency may be granted an exemption to use neonicotinoid pesticides if the board votes that use of the pesticide is warranted (1) in an emergency situation to avert significant risk to threatened or endangered species, (2) to quarantine invasive species, or (3) to protect public health.
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 202 1 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using the value of a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must (1) reevaluate and publish the market baskets of the plan by January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter, based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance; and (2) make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the excess shelter expense deduction. The bill eliminates certain work requirements for SNAP. The requirements apply to able-bodied adults who are ages 18-49 and have no dependent children. The bill allows Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to participate in SNAP. Currently, the three territories receive block grants instead of participating in SNAP.
STEM K to Career Act This bill provides for loan forgiveness and tax credits related to science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) education and addresses work-study for students employed in STEM fields. The bill requires the Department of Education to forgive student loan obligations of borrowers employed as full-time teachers of STEM in elementary or secondary schools in which the number of low-income children exceeds a certain percentage. Portions of the student loan debt, including interest, shall be forgiven on the basis of years of service, with 100% forgiven for five years of teacher service. The bill allows (1) an increased tax deduction for expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers for STEM education supplies; (2) a tax credit for the employment of STEM interns; and (3) a tax credit for employment of individuals who participated in an apprenticeship program in a STEM field, with the amount determined according to the degree of completion of the program. Beginning with FY2022, an institution of higher education must use at least 7% of federal work-study funds to compensate students employed in STEM fields.
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.
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.
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.
