Rep. Joe Neguse

Healthy Families Act This bill provides for paid and unpaid sick leave for employees to meet their own medical needs and those of their families. It requires employers with 15 or more employees to provide their employees with at least one hour of earned paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, up to a maximum of 56 hours of paid sick leave in a year. An employer with fewer than 15 employees may also provide the same amount of paid sick leave, but may opt out of such requirement, in which case such employer must provide its employees at least 56 hours of unpaid leave in a year. An employee may use sick leave for absences (1) resulting from a physical or mental illness, injury or medical condition; (2) resulting from obtaining professional medical diagnosis or care, or preventive medical care; (3) to care for a child, parent, spouse, a domestic partner, or other blood or close relative; and (4) resulting from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking. The bill makes it unlawful for any employer to interfere with, restrain, or deny the exercise of an employee's right to accrue sick leave as provided by this bill. An employee may take legal action to enforce the right to sick leave granted by this bill and the Department of Labor must investigate complaints of violations of the requirements of this bill. Labor is authorized to conduct a public awareness campaign to educate and inform the public of the requirements for paid sick leave provided by this bill.

Joint Consolidation Loan Separation Act This bill allows two borrowers, who had previously received a joint consolidation loan for their federal student loan debt, to submit a joint application to the Department of Education to sever their consolidated loan into two separate loans. One borrower may submit a separate application in the event that the individual is experiencing domestic or economic abuse from the other individual borrower or is unable to reasonably reach or access the loan information of the other borrower.

Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to coordinate with specified federal entities to compile a public database of federal contracts, tax benefits, and other support for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) biomedical research and development. HHS must develop the database within one month and update it every two weeks.

Advancing Uniform Transportation Opportunities for Veterans Act or the AUTO for Veterans Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide (or assist in providing) an eligible veteran or service member with an additional automobile or other conveyance under the VA automobile allowance and adaptive equipment program. Currently, a veteran or service member with a specified service-connected disability or impairment may not receive more than one automobile or other conveyance under the program. The bill authorizes the additional benefit for such veterans and service members if 10 years have passed since the person last received such benefit.

Supporting Eating Disorders Recovery Through Vital Expansion Act or the SERVE Act This bill provides for inpatient and outpatient treatment of eating disorders under TRICARE for dependents of members of the uniformed services. Dependents are eligible for such care regardless of (1) their age, except with respect to residential service; and (2) whether the eating disorder is their primary or secondary diagnosis. The bill also requires the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Homeland Security (with respect to the Coast Guard) to identify, treat, and rehabilitate members of the armed forces who have an eating disorder. Finally, DOD and the Department of Veterans Affairs must jointly develop, publish, and disseminate clinical practice criteria and guidelines on the identification and treatment of eating disorders.

Vietnam Veterans Liver Fluke Cancer Study Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to conduct an epidemiological study and report on the prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer) in veterans who served in the Vietnam theater of operations during the Vietnam era. The study shall identify the rate of incidence of cholangiocarcinoma in such veterans and in U.S. residents. The bill also requires the VA to track and report on the prevalence of cholangiocarcinoma using the Veterans Affairs Central Cancer Registry.

Providing Responsible Emergency Plans for Animals at Risk of E merging Disasters Act or the PREPARED Act This bill establishes requirements governing the care of animals by entities, such as zoos, in emergencies or disasters. Specifically, the bill requires each research facility, dealer, exhibitor, intermediate handler, and carrier to develop and follow a contingency plan to provide for the humane handling, treatment, transportation, housing, and care of their animals in the event of an emergency or disaster.

Transformation to Competitive Integrated Employment Act This bill addresses employment standards for individuals with disabilities. The bill directs the Department of Labor to award grants to states and certain eligible entities to assist them in transforming their business and program models to support individuals with disabilities by providing competitive integrated employment, assisting disabled individuals in finding and retaining work in such employment, providing integrated employment and integrated community participation and wraparound services for such individuals, and ensuring that such services comply with federal regulations for individuals receiving home and community-based services. The bill also prohibits the issuance of new special certificates that allow payment of subminimum wages to disabled individuals and phases out existing certificates over a four-year period. The bill directs Labor's Office of Disability Employment to award grants to provide technical assistance and other strategic support to employers transitioning from special certificates to competitive integrated employment for disabled individuals. Labor must contract with a nonprofit entity to conduct an evaluation of the impact of these transitions.

Voluntary Protection Program Act This bill provides statutory authority for the voluntary protection program within the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Under the program, workplaces that implement comprehensive safety and health management systems are exempt from certain paperwork and inspection requirements.

Sustainable Agriculture Research Act This bill revises the goals of the Agriculture Advanced Research and Development Authority (AGARDA). Specifically, the bill expands the goals to require AGARDA to enhance the role of agriculture in innovative voluntary resilience solutions in the United States through the development of agricultural technologies that address (1) the impact of extreme weather on crop production, (2) the expansion of the potential for long-term carbon storage through agriculture, (3) increased economic and practical feasibility for renewable and sustainable energy on farms and in the agriculture industry, and (4) increased adoption of voluntary conservation practices that sequester carbon and build on-farm climate resilience.