VA Caregiver Transparency Act This bill modifies the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and Program of General Caregiver Support Services, including by requiring any assistance or support decisions to be subject to the VA's clinical appeals process.
Closing the Meal Gap Act of 202 1 This bill revises the requirements for calculating Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The bill increases the minimum SNAP benefit and requires benefits to be calculated using the value of a low-cost food plan. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must determine the requirements for the low-cost food plan, which is the diet required to feed a family of four, consisting of a man and a woman 19-50 years of age, a child 6-8 years of age, and a child 9-11 years of age. USDA must (1) reevaluate and publish the market baskets of the plan by January 1, 2027, and every five years thereafter, based on current food prices, food composition data, consumption patterns, and dietary guidance; and (2) make adjustments to the plan to account for household size, changes in the cost of the diet, and the costs of food in specified areas. The bill modifies the requirements for calculating household income to determine SNAP eligibility by (1) authorizing a standard medical expense deduction for households containing an elderly or disabled member, and (2) eliminating the cap on the excess shelter expense deduction. The bill eliminates certain work requirements for SNAP. The requirements apply to able-bodied adults who are ages 18-49 and have no dependent children. The bill allows Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands to participate in SNAP. Currently, the three territories receive block grants instead of participating in SNAP.
Reforming Disaster Recovery Act This bill addresses the response of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to disasters. The bill establishes the Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency at HUD to coordinate HUD disaster preparedness and response responsibilities. The office must also coordinate with other federal agencies in supporting recovery and resiliency activities. Further, the bill creates the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund to fund the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program. The program must provide states, tribes, and communities with grants for rebuilding affordable housing and infrastructure after a disaster. Grantees are required to certify that funds will be administered in compliance with specified fair housing and civil rights laws. Grantees must also prioritize assistance for extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income victims of disasters, as well as other vulnerable groups. The bill also provides for increased data sharing regarding disasters, including by requiring HUD to share data with other federal agencies regarding disaster benefits and by requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration to share data on disaster benefit applicants with HUD.
Supermarket Tax Credit for Underserved Areas Act This bill expands the tax credits that are available for the establishment of supermarkets in underserved areas. The bill includes provisions that (1) increase the rate of the rehabilitation tax credit for a supermarket building placed in service after December 31, 2021, and before January 1, 2025, in an underserved area; (2) increase by $1,000 the limit on wages eligible for the work opportunity tax credit for employees of a new underserved area supermarket; and (3) allow a business-related tax credit for 15% of the gross receipts from the retail sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in a new underserved area supermarket.
Expanding Contracting Opportunities for Small Businesses Act of 2021 This bill increases the allowable award price for federal government contracts with certain small businesses, including socially and economically disadvantaged small businesses, small businesses owned and controlled by women, and small businesses owned and controlled by service-disabled veterans.
Humane Research and Testing Act of 2021 This bill establishes the National Center for Alternatives to Animal Research and Testing within the National Institutes of Health to promote alternatives to animal research and testing and to reduce the number of animals used in such research and testing. In addition, federal departments or agencies and federally funded research entities that use animals for research and testing must develop plans to reduce the use of animals in their activities. They must also annually report the number of animals that they use to the center, and the center must make this information publicly available.
Extending Tribal Broadband Priority Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to, within 30 days, establish a new tribal priority window for the 2.5 gigahertz band, through which tribes in rural areas may apply for unassigned spectrum. The new window is subject to the same terms and conditions as the tribal priority window that was adopted by the FCC on July 10, 2019, and that closed on September 2, 2020.
Smoke Planning and Research Act of 2021 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to research and mitigate the impacts of smoke emissions from wildland fires. Specifically, the EPA must establish (1) four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke at institutions of higher education, and (2) a grant program to support community mitigation efforts.
This bill permits state, tribal, and territorial governments to use designated COVID-19 relief funding to support mental and behavioral health programs. Currently, this funding is available to eligible governments through December 31, 2024, for responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency or its negative economic impacts; supporting essential workers and businesses; maintaining government services; and investing in water, sewer, or broadband infrastructure.
Cargo Flight Deck Security Act of 202 1 This bill requires all-cargo aircraft to be equipped with intrusion-resistant cockpit doors that remain locked while such aircraft is in flight. The requirement takes effect on January 1, 2023, regardless of whether the Federal Aviation Administration has issued regulations to implement such requirement.
