Rep. Linda T. Sánchez

Averting Loss of Life and Injury by Expediting SIVs Act of 2021 or the Allies Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of special immigrant visas available to qualified Afghan nationals who worked for the U.S. government or the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) missions in Afghanistan. The bill also relaxes certain qualifications for such visas. Specifically, this bill makes available an additional 8,000 visas for principal aliens under this special visa program, to be available until all such visas have been issued. (The numerical limitations in this program apply only to the principal alien who applies for the visa, not to any accompanying spouse or child.) Under this bill, an alien may qualify based on a credible basis for concern about the possibility of an ongoing serious threat in Afghanistan due to their work with the U.S. government or a NATO mission, where currently the alien must have experienced such a threat. The bill also eliminates a requirement for each applicant to submit a credible sworn statement describing that threat. Furthermore, for an applicant qualifying for a visa by performing duties for U.S. military personnel stationed with a NATO mission, this bill eliminates a requirement that the duties performed qualify as sensitive and trusted duties. If an alien submits a visa application that included an accompanying spouse or child but the alien passes away before the application is granted, the surviving spouse or child shall remain eligible to receive a visa under that application. Currently, a surviving spouse or child retains eligibility only if the application was approved before the alien passed away.

Universal School Meals Program Act of 2021 This bill revises requirements under the food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture, such as the school lunch and breakfast programs. For example, the bill permanently provides free meals to all school children regardless of income. The bill increases the reimbursement rate for school food authorities participating in the food and nutrition programs. The bill also prohibits school food authorities from (1) physically segregating or otherwise discriminating against any child participating in the free breakfast program, or (2) overtly identifying a child participating in the program with a special token or announcement. Additionally, the bill expands the summer food service program by making all children eligible for participation in the program. Further, the bill revises eligibility determinations for measuring poverty to include runaway or homeless youth, foster children, migratory children, and children participating in specified programs (e.g., Head Start).

PFAS Action Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements and incentives to limit the use of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, commonly referred to as PFAS, and remediate PFAS in the environment. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain PFAS, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing. The bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to designate the PFAS perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) as a hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980, thereby requiring remediation of releases of those PFAS into the environment. Within five years, the EPA must determine whether the remaining PFAS should be designated as hazardous substances. The EPA must publish human health water quality criteria under the Clean Water Act for each measurable PFAS and class of such substances and establish standards to limit discharges of PFAS from industrial sources into waters of the United States. In addition, the EPA must issue a national primary drinking water regulation for PFAS that, at a minimum, includes standards for PFOA and PFOS. Among other requirements, the EPA must also issue a final rule adding PFOA and PFOS to the list of hazardous air pollutants, test all PFAS for toxicity to human health, and regulate the disposal of materials containing PFAS. The EPA must also require PFAS manufacturers to submit analytical reference standards for PFAS. The EPA and states may use those standards for (1) the development of information, protocols, and methodologies, and (2) activities relating to the implementation of enforcement of requirements. Finally, the bill provides incentives to address PFAS, such as grants to help community water systems treat water contaminated by PFAS and grants to schools for testing and filtrating PFAS from drinking water.

End Double Taxation of Successful Consumer Claims Act This bill allows a deduction from gross income (above-the-line deduction) for attorney fees and court costs in connection with a claim of a consumer protection violation.

Pathways to Health Careers Act This bill provides funding for, reauthorizes through FY2026, and makes a variety of changes to certain grants administered by the Department of Health and Human Services that provide education and training to low-income individuals for health care occupations, including by establishing a new competitive grant for projects designed to train low-income individuals in allied health professions.

Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain deductible, coinsurance, initial coverage limit, and cost-sharing requirements that apply under the Medicare prescription drug benefit shall not apply with respect to vaccines that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide to Medicare beneficiaries specified information regarding (1) coverage of vaccines for seniors, and (2) access to recommended vaccines without cost-sharing.

Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to concede, for the purposes of health care benefits and wartime disability compensation, that a veteran was exposed to certain toxic substances, chemicals, and hazards from burn pits if such veteran served on active duty in a covered location during a specified time frame (unless there is affirmative evidence to establish that the veteran was not exposed during such service). A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment. Specifically, the bill covers the following locations and corresponding time periods: Iraq between August 2, 1990, and February 28, 1991, as well as from March 19, 2003, until burn pits are no longer used in this location; Somalia and Southwest Asia (including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Qatar) from August 2, 1990, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations; and Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, Uzbekistan, the Philippines, and Djibouti from September 11, 2001, until burn pits are no longer used in these locations. Under the bill, if an exposed veteran submits insufficient evidence to establish a service-connection for purposes of disability compensation, the VA shall provide a medical examination and request a medical opinion regarding a causal link between the disability and a toxin, chemical, or hazard.

Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees Act or the REPLANT Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) annually for each of the 10 years after enactment of this bill to transmit to Congress an estimate of the sums necessary to be appropriated, in addition to the funds available from other sources, to replant and otherwise treat an acreage equal to the acreage to be cut over that year, plus a sufficient portion of the backlog of lands found to be in need of treatment to eliminate the backlog within the 10-year period. After such 10-year period, USDA shall transmit annually to Congress an estimate of the sums necessary to replant and otherwise treat all lands being cut over and maintain planned timber production on all other forested lands in the National Forest System to prevent the development of a backlog of needed work larger than the needed work at the beginning of the fiscal year. Each reforestation activity included in a renewable resource assessment shall be carried out in accordance with applicable Forest Service management practices and definitions, including definitions relating to silvicultural practices and forest management. The Forest Service shall, based on recommendations from regional foresters, create a priority list of reforestation projects that primarily take place on priority land, promote effective reforestation following unplanned events, and may include activities to ensure adequate and appropriate seed availability. USDA shall give priority to projects on the priority list.

This resolution expresses support for the designation of Journeyman Lineworkers Recognition Day. (A journeyman lineworker is a person who builds and maintains electrical power systems.)

Global Health Security Act of 2021 This bill directs the United States to implement a strategy to strengthen global health security, including by requiring the President to create the Global Health Security Agenda Interagency Review Council to implement the Global Health Security Agenda. The agenda is an initiative launched by nearly 30 nations to address global infectious disease threats. The council's responsibilities include (1) providing policy recommendations on agenda-related goals, objectives, implementation, and other international efforts to strengthen pandemic preparedness and response; (2) helping federal agencies with implementation; and (3) reviewing the progress and challenges in achieving U.S. commitments, including assistance to help other countries meet agenda targets. The bill also directs the federal agencies involved with the agenda to prioritize its implementation and to take certain steps to achieve that goal. The President shall coordinate a strategy for responding to global health security emergencies and submit a report on the implementation of this strategy. Additionally, the Department of State should seek to enter into negotiations with donors, relevant United Nations agencies, and other multilateral stakeholders to establish a Fund for Global Health Security and Pandemic Preparedness that (1) closes gaps in global health security and pandemic preparedness; and (2) builds capacity in eligible partner countries related to global health security, infectious disease control, and pandemic preparedness. The fund should provide grants, technical assistance, and innovative funding mechanisms to achieve its purposes.