Equal Pay for Equal Work Act This bill establishes the National Equal Pay Enforcement Task Force to improve enforcement of equal pay laws.
Lonnie Kilpatrick Central Pacific Relief Act This bill provides a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents to veterans who served on (1) Guam or American Samoa, or in the territorial waters thereof, between January 9, 1962, and July 31, 1980; or (2) Johnston Atoll or a ship that went to Johnston Atoll between January 1, 1972, and September 30, 1977. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases 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. Additionally, the bill expands eligibility for hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to veterans with a disability associated with exposure to certain herbicides during specified times of military service on Guam, American Samoa, or Johnston Atoll.
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to designate one week per year as Battle Buddy Check Week for the purposes of organizing outreach events and educating veterans on how to conduct peer wellness checks. The VA shall ensure that the Veterans Crisis Line has a plan for handling the potential increase in calls that may occur during such week.
Protecting the Information of our Vulnerable Children and Youth Act or the Kids PRIVCY Act This bill expands the requirements for digital services when handling the personal information of children. Specifically, the bill (1) requires digital services to obtain express, affirmative consent that is specific, informed, and unambiguous before processing the personal information of a child or teenager under the age of 18; (2) prohibits certain targeted advertising; and (3) allows individuals to access, correct, or delete their personal information. The bill increases the civil penalty for violations of the children's online privacy protections and provides for enforcement by the Federal Trade Commission and a private right of action.
Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower Act of 2021 or the RISE Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements for institutions of higher education (IHEs) concerning students with disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires IHEs to allow students to use certain documents, such as individualized education programs, to establish their disabilities. In addition, IHEs must make the process for determining the eligibility for accommodations transparent. Finally, IHEs must submit key data related to their undergraduate students with disabilities for inclusion in federal postsecondary institution data collection efforts.
Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2021 or the EDOT Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to report on the effects of changes that were made during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 with respect to the provision or availability of telehealth services under Medicare and Medicaid. Among other information, the report must include (1) a summary of all services utilized by beneficiaries during the emergency period, including the number of telehealth visits and in-person visits; (2) any changes in utilization compared to prior periods; and (3) demographic characteristics of beneficiaries who utilized telehealth services. The CMS must submit the required reports after the end of the emergency period, as specified.
Captive Primate Safety Act This bill limits the trade and possession of nonhuman primates. For example, the bill prohibits most individuals from owning a nonhuman primate as a pet.
Performing Artist Tax Parity Act of 2021 This bill modifies the tax deduction for the expenses of performing artists (including commissions paid to managers or agents) to provide for a phaseout of such deduction for taxpayers whose adjusted gross income exceeds $100,000 ($200,000 for joint return filers). The $100,000 phaseout threshold is adjusted for inflation annually for taxable years beginning after 2021.
Revitalizing Downtowns Act This bill expands the investment tax credit to add a qualified office conversion credit. The amount of such credit is 20% of the qualified conversion expenditures with respect to a qualified converted building. The bill defines qualified converted building as any building if (1) prior to conversion, the building was nonresidential real property which was leased, or available for lease, to office tenants; (2) the building has been substantially converted from an office use to a residential, retail, or other commercial use; (3) the building was initially placed in service at least 25 years prior to the beginning of the conversion, and (4) straight line depreciation is allowable with respect to the building.
Saving America's Pollinators Act of 2021 This bill addresses the use of certain pesticides and the health and status of native bees and other pollinators. First, the bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a Pollinator Protection Board to develop an independent review process for pesticides that pose a threat to pollinators and their habitats. All active ingredients and pesticide products that contain one or more specified neonicotinoid pesticides must be deemed to generally cause unreasonable adverse effects to the environment. Under the bill, the registration of all uses of neonicotinoid pesticides must be immediately and permanently canceled. The EPA must revoke any tolerance or exemption that allows the presence of a neonicotinoid pesticide, or any pesticide chemical residue that results from neonicotinoid pesticide use, in or on food. The continued sale or use of existing stocks of neonicotinoid pesticides is prohibited, and the EPA may not register any such pesticides under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act. The bill requires the Department of the Interior, the EPA, and the Department of Agriculture to coordinate monitoring activities and report on the health and population status of native bees and other pollinators. Finally, a state or federal agency may be granted an exemption to use neonicotinoid pesticides if the board votes that use of the pesticide is warranted (1) in an emergency situation to avert significant risk to threatened or endangered species, (2) to quarantine invasive species, or (3) to protect public health.
