Public Housing Emergency Response Act This bill authorizes additional assistance from the Public Housing Capital Fund to public housing agencies based upon capital need as determined by the agencies' most recent Physical Needs Assessment.
Broadband Justice Act of 2021 This bill includes broadband high-speed internet service as a utility subsidized by federally assisted housing programs through utility allowances. The bill also establishes grants and loans for housing providers, public housing agencies, and other public entities to provide access to broadband high-speed internet service to residents of federally assisted housing through the installation of such service and other infrastructure improvements.
Ensuring Survivor Benefits during COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to get a medical opinion to determine if a service-connected disability was the principal or contributory cause of death in situations where a veteran's death certificate identifies COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) as the principal or contributory cause of death, the certificate does not clearly identify any of the veteran's service-connected disabilities as the principal or contributory cause of death, and a claim for dependency and indemnity compensation is filed with respect to the veteran.
Emergency Care for Veterans During COVID Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish veterans who are enrolled in the VA health care system with emergency treatment at non-VA facilities during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The VA may not require such veterans to seek authorization for such emergency treatment during this time. The bill also sets forth the payment rates and procedures for such emergency treatment.
Sunlight for Unaccountable Non-profits (SUN) Act This bill expands the disclosure requirements for certain tax-exempt organizations. This bill requires the annual tax return information for tax-exempt organizations and deferred compensation plans to be made available to the public at no charge and in an open structured data format that is processable by computers, with the information easy to find, access, reuse, and download in bulk. The bill also requires the disclosure of the names and addresses of contributors of $5,000 or more to tax-exempt organizations that participate or intervene in political campaigns on behalf of, or in opposition to, any candidate for public office.
Accessible, Affordable Internet for All Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2026, revises, and establishes grants and activities to promote access to telecommunications services, including broadband internet. The bill addresses digital equity and inclusion through grants and by requiring studies on barriers to adopting broadband services and related matters. The bill addresses broadband affordability and access. It (1) reauthorizes and expands programs that subsidize or support broadband services for, among others, eligible households, schools, and minority communities; and (2) establishes a program for expanding broadband service for underserved areas and community support organizations (e.g., religious organizations). Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) must expand programs that verify an individual's eligibility for subsidized telecommunications services. The bill addresses matters concerning broadband data. The FCC must (1) issue rules for collecting pricing data and labels for disclosing information about broadband plans to consumers, and (2) collaborate and share data with federal agencies and stakeholders. The bill makes financing (e.g., low-interest loans) available to communities and public-private partnerships for broadband infrastructure investments and creates grants to establish or expand certain internet exchange facilities and submarine cable landing stations. Additionally, the Department of Transportation must require states to install conduits for broadband cables as part of certain highway projects. The bill also sets up a task force on nationwide dig once requirements (i.e., policies or practices to minimize excavations of highway rights-of-way when installing telecommunications infrastructure). Further, the bill preempts state laws that prohibit certain telecommunications service providers (e.g., public providers) from providing high-speed broadband services.
This resolution supports the designation of Eddie Bernice Johnson Black Women in Science and Technology Month.
Information Transparency & Personal Data Control Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish requirements for certain entities when they collect, transmit, store, process, use, or otherwise control sensitive personal information. Information relating to an identifiable individual is generally considered sensitive personal information. However, information that is publicly available is not considered sensitive. Specifically, these entities must (1) obtain affirmative consent from users for functionality related to the disclosure of sensitive personal information, (2) publish a privacy and data use policy that is readily understandable, (3) provide users the ability to opt-out of the sharing of their nonsensitive information, and (4) obtain at least once every two years a privacy audit that evaluates the sufficiency of the entity's data privacy and security controls. These requirements do not apply to the collection or sharing of sensitive or nonsensitive personal information for certain purposes such as detecting fraud or identity theft. The bill provides authority for the FTC and state attorneys general to enforce these requirements. Additionally, the FTC must hire 500 new employees to focus on privacy and data security.
This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to improve infrastructure, including to address COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and other public health crises, at teaching health centers and behavioral health care centers.
Tradeable Performance Standard Act This bill establishes the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Reduction Program, which creates (1) targets to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from cogeneration facilities (e.g., combined power plants), electric facilities, and thermal energy facilities; (2) a system to allow such facilities to achieve the targets through a voluntary emission trading program; and (3) a thermal energy reporting program. By 2030, such facilities must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 60% of 2019 levels. By 2040, the facilities must eliminate the emissions. Facilities that emit more than the targets must purchase emission allowances from those who emit less. The bill provides for the distribution, trading, and tracking of such allowances. The bill establishes civil penalties for facilities that do not meet the targets and do not submit enough allowances. Finally, the Environmental Protection Agency must establish a thermal energy reporting program. Under the program, thermal energy facilities must provide information about the fuel used to produce thermal energy and the greenhouse gas emissions associated with such production. Further, thermal energy facilities must submit information to demonstrate their compliance with this bill.
Sewage Treatment Overflow Prevention through Community Sanitation Outreach Act of 2021 or the STOP CSO Act of 2021 This bill revises the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program to require certain publicly owned water treatment facilities to monitor, report on, and notify the public of sewer overflows. For example, the facilities must notify the public within a specified number of hours after (1) sewer overflows that have the potential to affect human health, and (2) sewer overflows that may imminently and substantially endanger human health.
American High-Speed Rail Act This bill addresses high-speed rail corridor development in the United States, including by providing additional funding for high-speed rail corridor planning, and developing comprehensive, performance-based safety regulations and standards for all high-speed rail projects. The federal share of a project financed under this bill may be up to 100%. The Department of Transportation must prioritize financing capital projects in high-speed rail corridors with respect to which at least 20% of the project cost is funded through specified financial sources.
