Zeroing Excess, Reducing Organic Waste, And Sustaining Technical Expertise Act or the ZERO WASTE Act This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish grant programs for reducing waste. Specifically, the EPA must establish a program to award grants to nonprofit organizations and state, local, and tribal governments for projects that utilize specified zero-waste practices. Zero-waste means the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials without (1) burning or otherwise destroying embodied energy; and (2) a discharge to land, water, or air that results in adverse human health or environmental effects. In addition, the EPA must establish a program to award grants for developing and implementing new requirements that reduce the amount of waste disposed of in landfills.
This bill requires the Department of the Army to report to Congress on the costs for the Army Corps of Engineers to (1) include public safety conditions on certain permits for water-related projects, and (2) conduct safety inspections to ensure that authorized projects comply with such public safety conditions.
Essential Caregivers Act of 2021 This bill requires skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for the intellectually disabled to establish an essential caregivers program during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Under the program, facilities must allow each resident to select up to two essential caregivers to provide daily living assistance or emotional support during the emergency. Facilities must afford such caregivers up to eight hours of access to residents each day, and caregivers must agree to follow facility safety protocols and undergo regular COVID-19 testing, as specified.
Senior Access to Vaccines Ensured Act of 2021 or the SAVE Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a program that provides nonemergency medical transportation (NEMT) for Medicare beneficiaries to COVID-19 vaccination sites during the public health emergency. The CMS must contract with qualified transportation managers to implement the program, with preference given to those with prior experience under a state Medicaid NEMT program. The CMS must also establish criteria for beneficiary participation that is similar to the criteria used by states for Medicaid NEMT services.
Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to continue issuing at least every 10 years physical-activity guidelines based on the most current scientific and medical knowledge. HHS must also publish updated reports that detail evidence-based practices and highlight continuing physical-activity issues between iterations of the guidelines.
Providing Americans with LNG Safely Act or the PALS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing any regulation or order that (1) prohibits the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail, or (2) restricts the transportation of LNG by rail in DOT-113 tank cars. The bill does not limit the authority of DOT to issue short-term emergency orders related to the transportation of LNG by rail.
Safe and Accountable Federal Energy Review for Pipelines Act of 2021 or the SAFER Pipelines Act of 2021 This bill revises the process used by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to review a pipeline expansion project. Before granting a certificate for a proposed pipeline expansion project, FERC must conduct (1) a full evidentiary hearing on any contested issue of need for the expansion; or (2) a cumulative review of major energy infrastructure projects planned throughout the region of the expansion, their purported purpose and need, and their prospective impacts on state and regional energy goals. In addition, the bill outlines criteria FERC must consider before granting such a certificate. In addition to existing environmental review requirements, FERC must meet new environmental review requirements for interstate natural gas pipeline projects, including the requirement to consider the cumulative impacts of other natural gas pipeline projects as specified by this bill. Finally, FERC must monitor approved pipeline projects for five years to ensure that environmental mitigation steps have been implemented.
Storage and Transportation Of Residual and Excess Nuclear Fuel Act of 2021 or the STORE Nuclear Fuel Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a program under which it may (1) site, construct, and operate one or more consolidated interim storage facilities for the storage of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste; and (2) enter into contracts with the licensee of a private interim storage facility in order to take title to, transport, and store in it either high-level radioactive waste or spent nuclear fuel. DOE must prioritize contracting with private facilities unless it can demonstrate that it is able to develop a site in a more cost-effective manner.
This bill prohibits the use of federal funds (1) 15 days after its enactment, to support the mission of the National Guard in the District of Columbia in response to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol buildings and grounds on January 6, 2021; or (2) to install permanent fencing around the perimeter of any U.S. Capitol buildings or grounds. On January 7, 2021, in response to the attacks, razor wire fencing was erected to secure the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol; the fencing was initially to remain in place for 30 days and was kept in place through periodic extensions.
This bill expands the Department of Veterans Affairs medical education pilot program, which currently provides funding for the medical education of two eligible veterans at each of the nine covered medical schools. The bill adds five schools to the list of covered medical schools, increasing the number of veterans covered from 18 to 28.
Vaccines for Veterans Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to furnish the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine during the COVID-19 emergency period to veterans who were discharged from service under honorable conditions, regardless of whether they are enrolled in the VA health care system or are otherwise eligible to receive VA health care. Under the bill, the directors of VA medical facilities are authorized to determine priorities among eligible veterans to receive vaccines in accordance with state guidelines. The VA must coordinate with various entities (e.g., the Department of Defense) to determine whether an individual seeking to receive a vaccine meets the requirements set forth in this bill and the relevant prioritization for such individual.
Veterans Serving Veterans Act of 2021 This bill updates the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) current recruiting database by requiring the VA to maintain a single searchable database to be known as the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs Recruitment Database . With respect to vacant positions for critical jobs or mental health professionals, the database must list (1) the military occupational specialty or skill that corresponds to the position, and (2) each qualified member of the Armed Forces who may be recruited to fill the position before such qualified member has been discharged and released from active duty. Qualified members of the Armed Forces are those service members who (1) are being separated or recently separated from active duty, (2) elect to be listed in the database, and (3) have been determined by the VA to have a military occupational specialty. The database must list the following for each qualified member of the Armed Forces: name, contact information, expected discharge date, and military occupational specialty. The VA must implement direct hiring and appointment procedures for vacant database positions and may authorize relocation bonuses. The bill also requires the VA to train and certify veterans who served as basic health care technicians in the Armed Forces to work as VA intermediate care technicians.
