Rep. Jake LaTurner

Open Schools Act This bill directs the Department of Education to make grants to parents of eligible students for certain education-related expenses. Eligible student refers to a student who is enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year in an elementary or secondary school that (1) is located in a local educational agency that received certain COVID-19 relief funds; and (2) does not provide, for any reason related to COVID-19, in-person learning for each enrolled student for each school day during the school year. Grant funds may be used to pay the tuition and fees for a private elementary or secondary school, pay the cost of attending a public school that provides in-person learning, or for other expenses and educational materials.

Emergency SNAP Staffing Flexibility Act of 2021 This bill authorizes a state agency to hire contractors to administer parts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) if the state experiences an increase in SNAP applications or an inability to timely process the applications because of workforce shortages, emergencies, or disasters.

Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities for scientific research utilizing data from expanded access to investigational ALS treatments for individuals who are not otherwise eligible for clinical trials.  The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress about the grants provided under this bill, including an analysis of the impact of such grants on research and development of treatments for ALS.

Strategically Lowering Gas Prices Act This bill prohibits, subject to certain exceptions, the Department of Energy from drawing down or selling stocks from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve at the direction of a President if that President has withdrawn federal land subject to any of the mineral leasing laws from oil and gas leasing.

This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.

Preserving Rights Of Tenants by Ensuring Compliance To the Second Amendment Act or the PROTECT the Second Amendment Act This bill establishes a right for a resident of covered federally assisted rental housing to lawfully possess a firearm within the residential dwelling unit occupied by the resident and any common area of the federally assisted rental housing in which the resident resides in the course of entering or exiting the rental housing.

Strategic Production Response Act This bill limits the drawdown of petroleum in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve until the Department of Energy develops a plan to increase the percentage of federal lands leased for oil and gas production.

This concurrent resolution authorizes the use of the Capitol rotunda on December 9, 2021, for the lying in honor of the remains of the Honorable Robert Dole, formerly a Senator and a Representative from Kansas. The resolution also directs the Architect of the Capitol to move the catafalque (a wooden platform) from the Capitol Visitor Center to the Capitol rotunda for use in connection with services for the Honorable Robert Dole.

Community Bank Relief Act of 2021 This bill requires banking agencies to set the community bank leverage ratio between 8% and 8.5% for calendar years 2022, 2023, and 2024 for community banks seeking to satisfy simplified capital adequacy requirements. Currently, banking agencies are statutorily required to set the rate between 8% and 10% through rulemaking. Under current regulations, the rate will increase from 8.5% to 9% on January 1, 2022.

This resolution commemorates the 125th anniversary of the National Grain and Feed Association. It also recognizes the National Grain and Feed Association for 125 years of promoting the noble purpose of its members in transforming the American farmer's bounty into safe, nutritious, sustainable, and affordable human and animal food.