Rep. Jason Smith

Restoration of Employment Choice for Adults with Disabilities Act This bill relaxes requirements that allow entities with a special wage certificate to pay subminimum wages to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the bill eliminates a requirement that an individual with disabilities who is younger than 24 receive pre-employment transition services and meet specified vocational rehabilitation criteria before beginning subminimum wage work. The bill also relaxes career counseling and service referral requirements that apply to an individual with disabilities who is paid at a subminimum wage. Current law requires an entity to ensure that an individual employed by the entity at a subminimum wage receives periodic career counseling, information, and referrals to employment-related supports and resources in the area provided by the designated state agency. Under the bill, this requirement is satisfied if the employer makes documented effort to contact the state agency for those resources on behalf of the employee and the state agency fails to respond.

Workplace Choice and Flexibility for Individuals with Disabilities Act This bill modifies the definition of competitive integrated employment for individuals with disabilities under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, particularly with respect to (1) types of workplace interactions, and (2) payment for employment under certain contracts. Current law provides for certain resources to assist individuals with disabilities in securing or maintaining competitive integrated employment.

This resolution recognizes the 200th anniversary of the entry of Missouri into the Union as the 24th state.

This resolution denounces socialism and opposes the implementation of socialist policies in the United States.

Entrepreneurs Need Timely Replenishment (for) Eating Establishments Act or the ENTRÉE Act This bill provides FY2021 supplemental appropriations for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and modifies requirements related to administration of the fund. The fund was established in response to COVID-19 to make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors for covering specified costs such as payroll, operational expenses, and paid sick leave. The bill correspondingly rescinds unobligated amounts previously made available for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds. Further, the bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to (1) review and process grant applications in the order in which they are received; (2) impose requirements on applicants that reduce waste, fraud, and abuse; and (3) submit and report monthly on an oversight and audit plan outlining the SBA's policies, procedures, and activities with respect to these grants.

Benefits to Employment Act This bill modifies the required content of, and renames, individual responsibility plans under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Generally, these plans document employment goals and work activities for certain recipients of TANF assistance; states may reduce TANF assistance to recipients who fail without good cause to comply with their plans. Specifically, the bill requires the plans to contain more specific content, such as the number of hours a recipient must participate in work activities. It also changes the name from individual responsibility plans to individual opportunity plans. In addition, states must develop plans for all recipients who are required to engage in work as a condition of receiving TANF assistance. (Under current law, states have the option of developing the plans for certain recipients.) States must also meet with TANF recipients periodically to review and update their plans.

Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act This bill renames the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) program, reauthorizes the program through FY2027, and makes changes relating to work requirements for beneficiaries. States providing aid under the program shall create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary. States shall impose work requirements on all work-eligible beneficiaries and shall reduce benefits for noncompliance. (Currently, individual plans are optional under TANF, and states have discretion as to whether to reduce benefits for noncompliant individuals.) States providing aid shall meet annual performance targets related to the number of beneficiaries who exit the program and find unsubsidized employment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall reduce grants to states that fail to meet such targets. States shall provide data related to beneficiary employment and wages to HHS, which shall be publicly available. The bill modifies certain limitations that restrict the use of funds for case management and other purposes and requires states to spend at least 25% of funds from various grants on core activities. Certain existing laws relating to monitoring and recovering improper benefits payments shall apply to the JOBS program. The bill eliminates programs providing (1) supplemental grants for population increases, (2) bonuses for high performance states, (3) welfare-to-work grants, and (4) contingency funds for state welfare programs.

Conservatorships Immoral Relationship with Contraception in the United States Act or the CIRCUS Act This bill excludes from participation in federal health care programs providers who (1) require the approval of the conservator before removing a contraceptive device from an individual under a conservatorship, or (2) prescribe birth control medications to an individual under a conservatorship without that individual's written consent.

Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption Act or the PRIME Act This bill expands the exemption of custom slaughtering of animals from federal inspection requirements. Under current law, the exemption applies if the meat is slaughtered for personal, household, guest, and employee uses. The bill expands the exemption to include meat that is slaughtered and prepared at a custom slaughter facility in accordance with the laws of the state where the facility is located; and prepared exclusively for distribution to household consumers in the state or restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments in the state that either prepare meals served directly to consumers or offer meat and food products for sale directly to consumers in the state. The bill does not preempt any state law concerning (1) the slaughter of animals or the preparation of carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products at a custom slaughter facility; or (2) the sale of meat or meat food products.

Year-Round Fuel Choice Act of 2021 This bill amends the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid vapor pressure (a measure of gasoline's volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season. The bill applies the Reid vapor pressure requirements that are applicable to gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) to gasoline blended with more than 10% ethanol. Thus, the waiver given to E10 gasoline, which allows an increase in the Reid Vapor Pressure volatility, is extended to gasoline blended with more than 10% ethanol.