Rep. Joe Neguse

Capital for Cooperatives Act This bill eliminates the requirement that cooperatives provide a personal guarantee with respect to certain Small Business Administration (SBA) loans. It also requires the SBA, in collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on Cooperative Development, to develop recommendations and cooperate with federal agencies and other entities to promote, support, and increase the number of cooperatives.

College Student Hunger Act of 20 21 This bill modifies the eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to make additional students at institutions of higher education eligible for benefits.

Study on Improving Lands Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture to (1) direct a study on the state of soil health on federal lands that determines impacts such as grazing, wildfire, recreation, and invasive species; and (2) create a database of the information collected during the study.

This bill revises enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including by directing inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA.

Cures 2.0 Act This bill addresses pandemic preparedness and public health issues, caregiver and patient engagement, drug development, insurance coverage, and biomedical research. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must undertake research and other activities concerning COVID-19 and develop a strategy for future pandemics and declared emergencies. Additionally, the bill specifies actions to combat antimicrobial resistance. HHS may award grants for caregiver training. The bill also addresses diversity in clinical trials, collecting patient experience data during clinical trials, and coverage for care related to participation in specified clinical trials. The bill modifies the timeframe and requires additional guidance relating to expedited approval of certain breakthrough drugs, devices, or products. It also establishes two intercenter institutes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on particular diseases that meet specified criteria. The bill also addresses (1) coverage in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program for telehealth, genetic and genomic testing, and other services; (2) electronic prescribing standards for Medicare drug benefits; and (3) access to Medicare and Medicaid claims data by certain registries. Furthermore, the bill prohibits the use of geographic tracking or biometrics in Medicaid electronic visit verification systems. The bill establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the National Institutes of Health to accelerate biomedical research and innovation through grants, contracts, cash prizes, and other means. The FDA may work with ARPA-H to expedite the development of medical products through specified activities.

Teachers Are Leaders Act This bill authorizes grants for the establishment of professional development programs for teachers who remain in the classroom while also carrying out formalized leadership responsibilities.

Climate Readiness Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense to report on the national security implications associated with climate change and strategies and approaches for responding to climate change. The report must be submitted in an unclassified form, but may contain a classified annex.

Rescuing Every Contributor from Unwanted Recurrences (RECUR) Act This bill requires certain disclosures for recurring political contributions or donations. Specifically, the bill requires any person who is soliciting a recurring contribution or donation for a political committee, an independent expenditure, or an electioneering communication to receive the affirmative consent of the contributor or donor. This affirmative consent cannot be a passive action by the contributor or donor, such as failing to uncheck a prechecked box. In addition, any person who accepts a recurring contribution or donation must (1) provide a receipt for the initial contribution or donation and for each recurrence that clearly and conspicuously discloses all material terms, (2) provide all information needed to cancel the recurring contribution or donation in each communication with the contributor or donor, and (3) immediately cancel recurring contributions or donations upon request of the contributor or donor.

Research and Development Tax Credit Expansion Act of 2021 This bill modifies the refundable research tax credit for new and small businesses to (1) increase the limit on refundability to $500,000, with an adjustment for inflation; (2) allow refundable amounts to cover all payroll taxes paid by such businesses; and (3) extend eligibility for the credit to small businesses with less than $10 million in gross receipts (currently, less than $5 million). The bill also increases the rate of the alternative simplified tax credit for such businesses.

Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities for scientific research utilizing data from expanded access to investigational ALS treatments for individuals who are not otherwise eligible for clinical trials.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress about the grants provided under this bill, including an analysis of the impact of such grants on research and development of treatments for ALS.