Public Buildings Renewal Act of 2021 This bill allows tax-exempt financing of certain government-owned buildings by expanding the definition of exempt facility bond to include bonds used for qualified government buildings. A qualified government building is a government-owned building or facility that consists of one or more of the following an elementary or secondary school; facilities of a state college or university used for educational purposes; a public library; a court; hospital, health care, laboratory, or research facilities; public safety facilities; or offices for government employees. The bill excludes buildings or facilities that include specified recreational equipment or are used for the primary purpose of providing retail food and beverage services, recreation, or entertainment. The bill establishes (1) a $5 billion limit on the amount of tax-exempt financing which may be provided for government buildings, and (2) procedures for allocating and applying for the financing of a building, including a certification that the project owner will use reasonable efforts to ensure against job losses. The bill also allows an exemption from the volume cap for private activity bonds used to finance government buildings.
PPP Flexibility for Farmers and Ranchers Act This bill expands eligibility for agricultural producers under the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to include certain agricultural producers organized as partnerships. Currently, only certain agricultural producers that are sole proprietorships, independent contractors, or self-employed individuals may receive support under the program.
Black History is American History Act This bill requires entities (e.g., institutions of higher education, libraries, and museums), in order to be eligible for certain grants administered by the Department of Education (ED), to include Black history in their teaching of American history. It also requires Black history to be included in tests administered by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Specifically, the bill mandates the inclusion of Black history as a required component of American history for such entities to be eligible for American History and Civics Academies' competitive grants. These grants support the establishment of (1) Presidential Academies for Teachers of American History and Civics, which offer workshops to teachers of American history and civics to strengthen their knowledge and prepare them to teach in these subjects; and (2) Congressional Academies for Students of American History and Civics, which support high school students in developing an understanding of these subjects. (Currently, Black history is not a required component of American history for either academy.) In addition, ED must give priority to grant applicants that align their activities with programs and resources of the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture. The bill also requires the inclusion of Black history in tests administered by the NAEP, which measures student academic achievement in various subjects.
Safety and Opportunity for Girls Act of 2021 This bill addresses protections related to sex and sex-segregated spaces. Sex is defined as sex determined solely by a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth. The bill prohibits construing the provisions of title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 in a manner that would require forgoing the maintenance of sex-segregated spaces (such as bathrooms) and of sex-segregated athletic or academic programs by educational institutions.
Susan Harwood Training Grant Program Authorization Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which awards grants to employer associations, labor unions, and other organizations to provide education and training to employees and employers on workplace safety and health. This training must include information on employee rights and employer responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Promoting Women in Trucking Workforce Act This bill directs the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to establish and facilitate a Women of Trucking Advisory Board to promote organizations and programs that (1) provide education, training, mentorship, or outreach to women in the trucking industry; and (2) recruit, retain, or advance women into the trucking industry.
Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act This bill increases the Medicaid federal matching rate, also known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), for states and U.S. territories that experience economic downturns (i.e., high unemployment) beginning on or after January 1, 2020, in accordance with specified requirements and limitations. The bill's increase is in addition to previously enacted FMAP increases relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) but may not result in an FMAP greater than 95%.
Urban Indian Health Parity Act This bill applies a Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., the federal matching rate under Medicaid) of 100% with respect to amounts expended as medical assistance for services received through an Urban Indian organization under a grant or contract with the Indian Health Service.
Telehealth Modernization Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill extends certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); (2) the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services); and (3) all types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Workforce Mobility Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of noncompete agreements in the context of commercial enterprises except under certain circumstances. The first exception is that the seller of the entirety of a business interest may enter an agreement to refrain from engaging in a similar business in the geographic areas where the business being sold has conducted business prior to the agreement. This exception extends to agreements by senior executive officials who have a severance agreement as part of the conditions of sale (i.e., a buyout provision). Second, a partner of an enterprise, in anticipation of the dissolution of the partnership or disassociation of a partner, may enter an agreement to refrain from engaging in a similar business in the geographic areas where the partnership has conducted business prior to the agreement. Commercial enterprises must post notice of this prohibition in the workplace. The Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Labor shall investigate or enforce the provisions of this bill.
Children's Health Insurance Program Pandemic Enhancement and Relief Act or the CHIPPER Act This bill extends through FY2022 the 11.5% increase to the enhanced federal matching rate, also known as the enhanced Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), that is otherwise applicable under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), subject to specified conditions. For example, in order to receive the increased FMAP in FY2021 and FY2022, a state must cover, without cost-sharing, testing and treatment for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), including vaccines, specialized equipment, and therapies.
This resolution designates the week of February 22-February 26, 2021, as Public Schools Week.
