Metropolitan Statistical Area Preservation Act This bill prohibits the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) from establishing, for purposes of designating areas as metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), a minimum population for the urban area of such MSA that is more than 50,000. The OMB may, for statistical purposes only, establish other statistical area designations with higher minimum population requirements for such urban areas.
Work Without Worry Act This bill modifies eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits for individuals who have a disability that began before age 22. Under current law, these individuals may obtain SSDI benefits based on the work record of a retired, disabled, or deceased parent. However, an individual with earnings after age 22 that exceed a specified monetary limit (i.e., constitute substantial gainful activity) permanently loses eligibility for such benefits. This bill allows individuals to retain eligibility for such benefits regardless of the amount of earnings after age 22. Additionally, individuals who apply for SSDI benefits on a parent's record and also independently qualify for Social Security benefits on their own record will receive the larger of the two benefit amounts.
Double Dip Elimination Act This bill disqualifies an individual from receiving Social Security disability insurance benefits with respect to any month for which the individual receives unemployment insurance benefits.
Manufacturing API, Drugs, and Excipients in America Act or the MADE in America Act This bill establishes a tax credit for taxpayers engaged in medical production activities in certain areas and contains other provisions related to pharmaceuticals. An eligible taxpayer may claim a tax credit equal to 25% of qualified expenditures related to the production of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, or other related items in a designated qualified opportunity zone with a poverty rate higher than 30%. The bill provides for increases to this tax credit in certain situations, such as if a substantial portion of the employees reside in areas with certain poverty levels. In addition, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must continue programs to facilitate the development and review of new drug or biological products that are manufactured using certain advanced manufacturing technologies. The bill imposes various requirements on these programs, including deadlines for evaluating such a technology. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Human Services must ensure timely and effective internal coordination and alignment between FDA field investigators and the staff of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research's Office of Compliance and Drug Shortage Program regarding reports and feedback related to facility inspections.
Toxic Exposure in the American Military Act or the TEAM Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand health care, benefits, and resources for veterans with conditions related to exposure to toxic substances. Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to include veterans who (1) were exposed to toxic substances, radiation, or other conditions, and were awarded certain medals (e.g., the Armed Forces Service Medal); (2) are eligible for inclusion in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry; or (3) have been identified by the Department of Defense to have been possibly exposed during service to an open burn pit, toxic substance, or specified hazardous sites. (A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.) The bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain toxic substances and that become manifest within a certain time period; the VA must specify such diseases and requirements through regulations. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill also requires the VA to take specified actions to (1) evaluate scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to toxic substances; (2) train its health care personnel on identifying, treating, and assessing illnesses related to such exposure; and (3) provide resources to veterans exposed to toxic substances.
This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to members of the National Guard who perform certain full-time service at the request of the President or the Secretary of Defense (i.e., full-time National Guard duty). Specifically, the bill eliminates the existing requirement that eligible full-time service must be in response to a declared national emergency. The bill also specifies that training is not included as full-time service for purposes of eligibility for these members.
Puerto Rico Statehood Admission Act This bill establishes a process for the admission of Puerto Rico into the union as a state, on an equal footing with all other states, based on a majority vote of the people of Puerto Rico.
Hearing Protection Act This bill removes silencers from the definition of firearms for purposes of the National Firearms Act. It also treats persons acquiring or possessing a firearm silencer as meeting any registration and licensing requirements of such Act. The Department of Justice must destroy certain records relating to the registration, transfer, or making of a silencer. The bill also revises the definitions of firearm silencer and firearm muffler under the federal criminal code and includes such items in the 10% excise tax category.
Native Species Protection Act This bill prohibits an intrastate species from being subject to (1) regulation governing the protection of endangered or threatened species, or (2) provisions of law under which regulatory authority is based on the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce under the Commerce Clause. An intrastate species is any species of plant or fish or wildlife that is found entirely within the borders of a single state and is not part of a national market for any commodity.
Servicemember Safety and Security Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Defense to instruct each military department to review its policies and procedures for reporting members of the Armed Forces who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Military installations must update the policies and procedures related to absent or missing service members with a focus on force protection, enhanced security for members living on base, and prioritizing the reporting of missing service members to local and federal law enforcement at the earliest reasonable time. The commander of each military installation must establish a protocol for sharing information with local and federal law enforcement agencies about service members who are absent without leave, on unauthorized absence, or missing. Each military installation must submit the established protocol to the relevant installation command.
Groundsource Exchange Tax Parity Act or the GET Parity Act This bill makes adjustments to the investment tax credit for geothermal heat pump property, specifically a phasedown of the credit rate through 2023.
Social Security Parity Act This bill waives, under certain conditions, the requirement that an individual must be divorced for at least two years before being able to claim Social Security spousal benefits on the former spouse's work record. Currently, if a former spouse is eligible for but has not claimed Social Security retirement or disability benefits, a divorced individual may claim spousal benefits provided that individual meets certain eligibility criteria and the divorce has been final for at least two years. This bill deems the two-year requirement met when a former spouse remarries someone other than the divorced individual within two years of the divorce.
