Masks Off Act This bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to parents of eligible students for certain education-related expenses. Eligible student refers to a student who (1) is served by a local educational agency that required students to wear face masks during in-person instruction for the 2021-2022 school year, and (2) is from a household with a household income that is less than 250% of the reduced-price lunch rate income. Grant funds may be used for tuition and fees for private elementary or secondary schools, private tutoring, home school expenses, or educational materials.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2021 This bill changes the source of funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from Federal Reserve System transfers to annual appropriations. Under current law, the transfers from the Federal Reserve System permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process.
Helping Ensure Life- and Limb-Saving Access to Podiatric Physicians Act or the HELLPP Act This bill adds podiatrists as covered physicians under the Medicaid program. Additionally, the bill revises certain documentation requirements related to Medicare coverage of therapeutic shoes for individuals with diabetes. Finally, the bill subjects payments made to a Medicaid provider or supplier to a continuing levy for federal taxes owed by the provider or supplier.
Fly Vets Act This bill adjusts requirements related to utilizing Department of Veterans Affairs educational assistance for flight training purposes, including by removing the requirement that an individual must possess a valid private pilot certificate and meet certain medical requirements to utilize such assistance. Individuals enrolled in a program of education at an institution of higher learning in which flight training is required may elect to receive accelerated payments of tuition and fees if they also elect to receive educational counseling. The bill also specifies the calculation and determination of such fees, as well as the calculation of available entitlement in cases of accelerated payments.
Greater Accountability from Lawmakers for Americans Resolution or the GALA Resolution This resolution amends the House Rules to prohibit a Member of Congress, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House from accepting free attendance at a charity event if the value of free attendance exceeds $1,000 unless attendance is appropriate to the performance of the official duties or representative function of the person attending. A Member, Delegate, Resident Commissioner, officer, or employee of the House who accepts free attendance that is appropriate to the performance of official duties must submit a statement to the House Ethics Committee prior to attending that explains why attendance is appropriate.
This resolution expresses support for the goals of National Physician Suicide Awareness Day.
End Government Shutdowns Act This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any appropriations measure for a fiscal year has not been enacted before the fiscal year begins or a joint resolution making continuing appropriations is not in effect. For an initial 120-day period, the bill provides appropriations to continue programs, projects, and activities for which funds were provided in the preceding fiscal year. The bill reduces the continuing appropriations by 1% after the first 120-day period and by an additional 1% for each subsequent 90-day period until the applicable appropriations legislation is enacted.
Restore Honor to Service Members Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established for the review of discharge characterizations related to sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask, Don't Tell or a similar policy). DOD must also provide for specified relief for former members of the Armed Forces who were impacted by the discharge characterizations and ensure that DOD oral historians review related facts and receive testimony from affected individuals.
2020 WHIP+ Reauthorization Act This bill expands disaster indemnity programs through which the Department of Agriculture provides payments to agricultural producers for crop and milk losses resulting from hurricanes, wildfires, and other qualifying natural disasters. In particular, the bill extends the Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program Plus (WHIP+), the On-Farm Storage Loss Program, and the Milk Loss Program to make losses that occurred in the 2021 and 2022 calendar years eligible for payments. Under current law, these programs provide disaster payments to agricultural producers with crop and milk losses resulting from qualifying natural disasters that occurred in the 2018 and 2019 calendar years.
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that the men and women who undertook efforts in Afghanistan over the years have provided heroic service to the country and the peace experienced by the United States is a direct result of the actions of the service members, diplomats, and humanitarians. The concurrent resolution also expresses that veterans who feel stress, anger, or disappointment over the end of operations in Afghanistan should seek resources and reach out to friends, mentors, and caregivers.
America's Children Act or the Protecting Children of Long-term Visa Holders Act of 2021 This bill provides lawful permanent resident status to certain college graduates who entered the United States as children and addresses other immigration-related issues. Specifically, this bill allows an alien to apply for lawful permanent resident status if the alien (1) was lawfully admitted into the United States as a dependent child of an alien on a temporary worker visa, (2) was in the United States with such status for at least four years, (3) has graduated from an institution of higher education in the United States, and (4) is not deportable or otherwise inadmissible. In addition, the alien must have been lawfully present in the United States for at least 10 years at the time of the application. The bill also modifies various provisions related to the calculation of an alien's age for immigration purposes and the priority date of certain immigration-related applications.
This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
