Wage Equity Act of 2021 This bill addresses workplace wage discrimination based on sex. Specifically, it limits the acceptable reasons for wage disparities based on sex to legitimate business-related factors unrelated to sex. Italso protects from liability for such discrimination those employers who conduct a job and wage analysis audit to identify wage disparities and take reasonable steps to remedy any such disparities. Further, the bill prohibits employers from relying on, or requesting, the wage history of a prospective employee for hiring and wage determination purposes unless it is voluntarily provided by the prospective employee. Employers generally may not prohibit employees from inquiring about, or discussing, wage information concerning another employee or from requesting information from an employer about wage differentials. Finally, the bill permits the Department of Labor to establish a grant program for negotiation skills education for women and girls. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the causes and effects of sex-based wage disparities.
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.
Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2021 This bill modifies Medicare payment of ground ambulance services in rural areas. Specifically, the bill extends the specialized rate increase for such services for an additional five years (until January 1, 2028). The bill also requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to (1) allow an area that has 1,000 or fewer individuals per square mile to retain its status as a rural area even if it would otherwise no longer qualify, and (2) establish an appeals process for providers to seek reconsideration of a change in an area's status.
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.
This resolution condemns Iranian state-sponsored terrorist attacks against U.S. citizens and officials and Iranian dissidents and expresses support for the people of Iran who are engaged in legitimate and peaceful protests against the Iranian regime.
This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to prohibit air carriers and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) from denying an individual air or passenger rail transportation because such individual has not been vaccinated against COVID-19. Additionally, the bill prohibits the obligation or expenditure of federal funds (1) to create a database of individuals who have been vaccinated against COVID-19; or (2) by any federal agency to develop, implement, or enforce any federal law, rule, regulation, guidance, or policy denying individuals access to transportation or preventing such individual from traveling because they have not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Border Surge Response and Resilience Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a plan for responding to irregular increases in migration at the border that present risks to border security. The plan shall include various elements including (1) a list of each agency, component, and office involved; (2) a process for quickly expanding capacity to temporarily process and hold individuals; and (3) a strategy for coordinating with local governments and other entities when DHS releases detained individuals. DHS must also identify metric thresholds for determining when to activate the plan and must activate the plan when such thresholds are satisfied. Furthermore, DHS must notify Congress no later than 14 days after activating the plan.
Public Servants Protection and Fairness Act of 2021 This bill establishes an alternative formula to calculate Social Security retirement benefits for those who receive pensions for certain non-covered employment. (The existing formula is known as the windfall elimination provision.) The alternative formula adjusts an individual's total lifetime earnings based on the proportion of covered earnings (i.e., earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes). It applies to individuals who (1) first become eligible for benefits after 2022, (2) have earnings from non-covered service performed after 1977, and (3) have less than 30 years of coverage (i.e., years in which a beneficiary is considered to have contributed a substantial amount into the Social Security trust funds). Beneficiaries receive the higher benefit amount as calculated under the alternative method or the existing formula. In addition, the bill provides rebates for certain beneficiaries currently impacted by the existing formula. The Social Security Administration must include non-covered earnings in Social Security account statements, and the Government Accountability Office must study the availability of certain information related to retirement plans maintained by state and local governments.
Historic Tax Credit Growth and Opportunity Act of 2021 This bill increases the rehabilitation tax credit and modifies certain requirements for the credit. The bill increases the rate of the credit for qualified rehabilitation expenditures in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2019, and before January 1, 2027, after which the rate reverts to 20%. The bill increases the rate of the credit to 30% for certain small projects whose qualified rehabilitation expenditures do not exceed $2.5 million. The bill also expands the types of buildings eligible for rehabilitation by decreasing the rehabilitation threshold from 100% to 50% of project expenses. It also eliminates the basis adjustment requirement for the credit and modifies rules relating to tax-exempt use property eligible for the credit.
Agriculture Civil Rights and Equality Act or the ACRE Act This bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from discriminating or providing preferential treatment to any person or group on the basis of race, color, national origin, or sex. The prohibitions also apply to the administration of USDA programs, including programs administered by states, territories, private entities, and institutions of higher education that utilize USDA funds. Any person who is aggrieved by conduct prohibited under the bill may commence a civil action in the appropriate U.S. district court to obtain relief.
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2023-FY2029; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.
Reinforcing Utility Restoration After Losses (RURAL) Act This bill provides authority and funding for the Department of Agriculture to establish a loan program for certain rural utility service providers (e.g., electric, telecommunications, or waste disposal service providers) to replace specified losses during a federally declared disaster or emergency. During such a disaster or emergency, interest on the loan shall not accrue, and repayment of principal shall not be required. Borrowers may qualify for partial loan forgiveness if certain requirements are met. The bill also establishes and provides funding for a Rural Utility Bridge Loan Fund to implement the program.
