This bill designates the community-based outpatient clinic of the Department of Veterans Affairs in San Angelo, Texas, as the Colonel Charles and JoAnne Powell VA Clinic.
Supporting Disabled National Guardsmen Act This bill provides disability pay and medical care for members of the National Guard who were physically disabled as a result of state active duty. State active duty includes training or other duty in service to the governor of a state for which the member is not entitled to federal pay, but excludes required drills and field exercises. The bill expands eligibility for Department of Defense retired pay to such members who are physically disabled as a result of state active duty after September 23, 1996. Such pay must be reduced if it is determined to duplicate any other federal or state benefit to such members based on disability. The bill also makes such members eligible for hospital care and medical services from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to treat the disability and any illness or condition arising from the disability. The VA may provide reimbursement for hospital care or medical services provided to such members only after a member or the provider of care has exhausted (without success) all claims and remedies reasonably available against a third party.
Afghanistan Withdrawal Threat Assessment Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress an assessment of any terrorist threats to the United States posed by prisoners who the Taliban released from certain detention facilities in Afghanistan.
Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
Puppies Assisting Wounded Servicemembers for Veterans Therapy Act or the PAWS for Veterans Therapy Act This bill implements a program and a policy related to service dog therapy for veterans. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to implement a five-year pilot program to provide canine training to eligible veterans diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder as an element of a complementary and integrative health program. Eligible veterans are those who are enrolled in the VA health care system and have been recommended for participation by a qualified mental health care provider or clinical team. The VA must seek to enter agreements containing specified elements with accredited nongovernmental entities that have demonstrated ability to provide canine training. Veterans who participate in the program are authorized to adopt the dog they assisted in training if their health provider determines it is in the best interest of the veteran. The VA must establish processes to document and track the progress of participating veterans with respect to health benefits and improvements. The Government Accountability Office must brief Congress and submit a report on the program. The bill also authorizes the VA to provide service dogs to veterans with mental illnesses, regardless of whether they have a mobility impairment.
This resolution condemns the President's failure to heed military and intelligence advisors about the speed and nature of the Taliban offense in Afghanistan and urges the President to commit to maintaining the evacuation operation as long as necessary to evacuate any U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or Afghan partner who requests evacuation assistance .
This resolution commends Steve Verett for his lifelong dedication and service to the cotton industry and to Plains Cotton Growers, Inc. It also congratulates Mr. Verett on his retirement and extends him best wishes in all his future endeavors.
Border Security for America Act of 2021 This bill addresses border security and related issues. For example, the bill requires the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to resume all activities to construct a border barrier system along the U.S.-Mexico border that were underway or planned prior to January 20, 2021; requires DHS to deploy, in addition to physical barriers, tactical infrastructure and technology to achieve situational awareness and operational control of the southwest border; authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to carry out a program to acquire innovative commercial items through a competitive selection of proposals; imposes certain requirements for DHS border security technology acquisition programs that have a total expenditure of at least $300 million; requires CBP to implement certain technologies, including a program to establish a biometric exit data system at ports of entry; requires CBP to increase or maintain certain staffing levels for agents, officers, processing coordinators, and other positions; requires CBP to implement a workload staffing model for the U.S. Border Patrol and for CBP's Air and Marine Operations; and provides statutory authority through FY2026 for Operation Stonegarden, a Federal Emergency Management Agency program that provides grants to states and territories involved in certain active CBP border security operations.
Plugging Orphan Wells and Environmental Restoration Act of 2021 or the POWER Act of 2021 This bill addresses orphaned, abandoned, or idled oil and gas wells on federal, tribal, state, or private lands. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2026 the program to remediate, reclaim, and close orphaned, abandoned, or idled oil and gas wells located on federal land. Additionally, the Department of the Interior must establish a program to provide grants to states and Indian tribes to remediate, reclaim, and close orphaned oil and gas wells located on state, tribal, or private lands. In providing grants, priority must be given to states and Indian tribes that already have an established program to carry out such activities. Finally, the Department of Energy must provide technical assistance to oil and gas producing states and Indian tribes to ensure practical and economical remedies for environmental problems caused by orphaned or abandoned oil and gas well sites on state, tribal, or private land.
Reimbursing Agricultural Producers for Immigration Damages Act or the RAPID Act This bill temporarily establishes a program to reimburse agricultural producers for damages to livestock, crops, and property that result from the actions of an alien present in the United States without lawful immigration status. The Department of Agriculture may not provide reimbursements on or after September 30, 2023. The bill also rescinds specified unobligated funding available to states, Indian tribes, and territories for mitigating fiscal effects that stem from the COVID-19 pandemic and makes such funding available to carry out the reimbursement program.
