Rep. Daniel Meuser

Partnerships for American Jobs Act This bill allows the Department of Education to award grants to, or enter into contracts with, public telecommunications entities for the purpose of supporting programming that illustrates the value of in-demand careers, encourages secondary and postsecondary graduation, and informs individuals about certain career and educational options.

Metastatic Breast Cancer Access to Care Act This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with metastatic breast cancer (i.e., breast cancer that has spread to other sites in the body). Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with metastatic breast cancer. Under current law, individuals generally must wait five months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.

Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder Act of 2021 or the HELPER Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide mortgage assistance to law enforcement officers, elementary and secondary school teachers, firefighters, or other first responders. Specifically, these individuals may be eligible for a one-time mortgage on a primary family residence with no down payment and no monthly mortgage insurance premium.

EIDL Oversight Act of 2021 This bill establishes oversight requirements for economic injury disaster loans and advances made on those loans. Such requirements include directing the Small Business Administration (SBA) to (1) ensure that loan and advance proceeds are deposited in a legitimate account of a borrower, (2) ensure that any modification of a request for a loan or an advance is reviewed by an SBA employee, and (3) verify the legitimacy of loan or advance applicants through tax returns or other documentation.

Family Support Services for Addiction Act of 2021 This bill directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to award grants to certain nonprofits to develop or expand services for individuals with substance use disorders and their families.

Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act This bill requires state Medicaid programs to establish a process through which qualifying out-of-state providers may enroll as participating providers without undergoing additional screening requirements. Among other things, a qualifying provider must (1) serve minors, or adults whose condition began as a minor; and (2) have previously been screened for Medicare participation or for participation in the Medicaid program of the state in which the provider is located.

This resolution calls for the International Olympic Committee to rebid the 2022 Winter Olympics if China fails to demonstrate significant progress in securing fundamental human rights. The resolution also expresses support for the well-being of Olympic athletes and the integrity of sport.

Motor Carrier Safety Selection Standard Act This bill establishes a standard of care for the selection of brokers and other entities that contract with motor carriers for the shipment of goods or household goods. A broker is a person, other than a motor carrier or an employee or agent of a motor carrier, that as a principal or agent sells, offers for sale, negotiates for, or holds itself out by solicitation, advertisement, or otherwise as selling, providing, or arranging for, transportation by motor carrier for compensation. Specifically, the bill requires such entities to verify that a transporting motor carrier (1) is properly registered with the Department of Transportation (DOT); (2) has obtained the minimum required insurance coverage; and (3) is not determined unfit to safely operate commercial motor vehicles, or otherwise ordered to discontinue operations by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration or a state. DOT must prescribe by regulation a process for revoking the registration of an owner or operator determined unfit to safely operate a commercial motor vehicle.

Putting Our First Responders First Act of 2021 This bill modifies the requirements for calculating taxable income to allow first responders to exclude from gross income certain service-connected disability payments received as part of a pension or annuity after reaching the age of retirement. The bill applies to law enforcement officers, employees in fire protection activities, and individuals who provide out-of-hospital emergency medical care.

Investing in American Workers Act This bill allows a business-related tax credit for employers who increase worker training expenditures. The credit is equal to 20% of the excess of (1) the qualified training expenditures for the year, over (2) the average of the adjusted qualified training expenditures for the three previous years. If the employer had no qualified training expenditures in any one of the three previous years, the credit is equal to 10% of the adjusted qualified training expenditures for the year. The credit applies to expenditures for the training of non-highly compensated employees (annual compensation does not exceed $82,000). The training must result in the attainment of a recognized postsecondary credential and be provided through an apprenticeship program; a program of training services that is included on a list of eligible training providers that states are required to maintain under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; a program that is conducted by an area career and technical education school, a community college, or a labor organization; or a program that is sponsored and administered by an employer, industry trade association, industry or sector partnership, or labor organization. Certain small businesses and tax-exempt organizations may apply the credit against payroll taxes, subject to specified limits and requirements. Eligible small businesses may also apply the credit against the alternative minimum tax.