Rep. Austin Scott

Social Security Fairness Act of 2021 This bill repeals provisions that reduce Social Security benefits for individuals who receive other benefits, such as a pension from a state or local government. The bill eliminates the government pension offset , which in various instances reduces Social Security benefits for spouses, widows, and widowers who also receive government pensions of their own. The bill also eliminates the windfall elimination provision , which in some instances reduces Social Security benefits for individuals who also receive a pension or disability benefit from an employer that did not withhold Social Security taxes. These changes are effective for benefits payable after December 2021.

TCJA Permanency Act This bill makes permanent provisions affecting individual and business taxpayers that were enacted in 2017 by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and are scheduled to expire at the end of 2025. The bill makes permanent reductions in individual and capital gain tax rates. The bill increases the standard tax deduction for individual taxpayers. It also increases and modifies the child tax credit and raises the contribution base for the tax deduction for charitable contributions. The bill allows additional contributions to ABLE accounts (tax-exempt accounts designed to enable individuals with disabilities to save and pay for disability-related expenses). It exempts from taxation combat zone benefits of members of the Armed Forces serving in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and limits the deduction for moving expenses to active duty members of the Armed Forces. Additionally, the bill expands the types of elementary and secondary school expenses eligible for payment from qualified tuition programs (529 programs); lowers to $750,000 the amount of mortgage debt eligible for an interest expense tax deduction; reinstates after 2023 the exclusion of income from the gross income of student loan borrowers for loan debt discharged due to death or total and permanent disability; makes permanent the limitation on the tax deduction for state and local taxes and denies a deduction for foreign real property taxes; makes permanent the tax deduction of the income of certain pass-through business entities; repeals the tax deduction for personal tax exemptions and the exclusion of employer-provided bicycle commuter fringe benefits; terminates certain miscellaneous itemized tax deductions; doubles the estate and gift tax exemption amount; and makes permanent the increase of the alternative minimum tax exemption amount for individual taxpayers.

Protect the UNBORN (Undo the Negligent Biden Orders Right Now) Act or the Protect the UNBORN Act This bill prohibits federal implementation of and funding for specified executive orders that address access to reproductive health care services, including services related to pregnancy or the termination of a pregnancy.

Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2022 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.

National World War II Memorial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue up to 50,000 $5 coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins in commemoration of the National World War II Memorial in the District of Columbia. The design of the coins shall be emblematic of the memorial and the service and sacrifice of American soldiers and civilians during World War II. All surcharges received from the sale of such coins shall be paid to the Friends of the National World War II Memorial to support the National Park Service in maintaining and repairing the memorial, and for educational and commemorative programs.

Access to Safe Contraception Act of 2022 This bill prohibits states from banning any form of contraception that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The bill does not preempt state laws that protect the right of any entity to opt out of providing contraception due to the entity's religious or moral beliefs.

Senator Johnny Isakson VA Regional Office Act of 2022 This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs Atlanta Regional Office in Georgia as the Senator Johnny Isakson Department of Veterans Affairs Atlanta Regional Office or the Isakson VA Atlanta Regional Office.

Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act of 2022 or the PASS Act of 2022 This bill places the Secretary of Agriculture on the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). Further, the bill requires CFIUS to review certain agriculture-related transactions, including those related to biotechnology. The bill also prohibits persons who are acting on behalf of a prohibited country (i.e., China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea) from carrying out any merger, acquisition, or takeover that could result in foreign control of a U.S. agricultural company.

Military Housing Affordability Act of 2022 This bill extends certain authorities of the Department of Defense (DOD) to adjust basic housing allowances for military housing in certain areas. Specifically, the bill extends to December 31, 2024, DOD's authority to increase the rates of basic housing allowance in areas of a declared major disaster or areas containing one or more military installations that are experiencing a sudden increase in the number of members assigned to the installation. The bill also extends to September 30, 2024, DOD's authority to prescribe a temporary adjustment to basic housing allowance rates if DOD determines the costs of adequate housing for civilians in that military housing area differs from the current allowance rates by more than 20%.

Maddy summaryHR 8004, the America Works Act of 2022, reinstates work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). It repeals a temporary pandemic-era suspension of these requirements and standardizes exemptions, allowing exemptions only for individuals under 18 or over 65, those medically certified as unfit for work, parents with children under 7, or pregnant women. The bill also reduces the exemption threshold from 12% to 3% for certain states. This directly affects SNAP recipients who are able-bodied adults without dependents in states where work requirements apply.