Expediting Assistance to Renters and Landlords Act of 2021 This bill modifies the Department of the Treasury's Emergency Rental Assistance program by extending time limits on payments, allowing landlords to seek rents and arrears from the program without renter consent, and allowing renters to prove eligibility through attestation. The program provides grants to state and local governments to assist eligible households in paying rent and utility costs and other expenses related to housing incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill extends the availability of program assistance from 18 to 24 months for eligible households. The bill also relaxes requirements for proof of eligibility by requiring only that households attest that they meet eligibility requirements instead of requiring proof of eligibility. It also allows for direct payment of funds to eligible households where the landlord refuses direct payment. Additionally, the bill allows a landlord to apply for program funds without the consent of a renter if the landlord agrees to certain terms, including a 120-day bar on evicting the renter for nonpayment. This bill also expands the stable housing services available under the program to additional low-income households. Further, the bill requires Treasury and state and local governments to increase outreach to renters and landlords and allows for coordination with public entities to provide application assistance services.
This resolution expresses support for the designation of September 2021 as PCOS Awareness Month. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is caused by a hormone imbalance, which may result in infertility, weight gain, excess hair growth, and other symptoms.
This resolution requires the House Committee on Ethics to carry out a pilot program during the 118th Congress to require each member of House leadership to use a body-worn camera while carrying out official business and to make footage available online to the public.
Prevent Government Shutdowns Act of 2021 This bill provides continuing appropriations to prevent a government shutdown if any of the appropriations bills for a fiscal year have not been enacted before the fiscal year begins and continuing appropriations are not in effect. The bill also limits official travel, congressional recesses or adjournments, and the consideration of legislation that is unrelated to appropriations after the beginning of a fiscal year if the appropriations process has not been completed.
This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 certain activities under the Impact Aid Program. The program provides funding to local educational agencies that have lost property tax revenue due to the presence of tax-exempt federal property or to those that have experienced increased expenditures due to enrollment of federally connected children (e.g., children living on Indian lands or military bases).
Supporting Early-childhood Educators' Deductions Act or the SEED Act This bill expands the tax deduction for the expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers to include early childhood educators.
Streamlining Nutrition Assistance Paperwork Act of 2021 or the SNAP Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for a Department of Agriculture (USDA) waiver that allows states to use a written record to document telephonic signatures for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) applications. Under current law, states may allow individuals to sign their SNAP applications over the telephone, but states must preserve audio recordings of those telephonic signatures. During the COVID-19 emergency, USDA waived the requirement to preserve the audio recording and allowed states to document the telephonic signatures through written records.
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself; or 3 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years and the state administers the elections. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the extent of any history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program for states, Indian tribes, and territories to respond to the opioid crisis. In awarding the grants, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must give priority to recipients with the highest opioid dispensing rates. Recipients must use at least 20% of grant funds to implement a program that requires a prescription for an opioid overdose reversal drug along with an opioid prescription if (1) a patient is prescribed benzodiazepines, medication-assisted treatment, or high-dose opioids; or (2) the prescriber has reason to know of the patient's history with substance use disorders. As part of this program, recipients must also require continuing education on opioid-prescribing practices for prescribers and on recognizing opioid overdose fatalities for coroners. Recipients must use the remaining funds to develop a strategic plan for the jurisdiction's response to the opioid crisis.
Student Mental Health Helpline Act of 2021 This bill authorizes grants to support student mental health and safety helplines (i.e., a free, confidential service that is accessible via telephone and other communication platforms that assists students facing challenges with abuse, bullying, depression, self-harm, and related issues). The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) may award the grants to agencies or other subdivisions of a state, Indian tribe, or local government that are primarily responsible for health, public health, or education. Among other purposes, recipients must use funds to establish or maintain a helpline that provides information to school officials (to the extent permitted by federal privacy standards for health information) about student mental health and safety concerns. The bill also requires SAMHSA to report on the feasibility of setting up a nationally available student mental health and safety helpline.
Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for implementing and evaluating specified models of care that integrate the delivery of behavioral health and primary care services. Specifically, HHS must award grants to primary care providers for the initial costs (e.g., hiring staff) of implementing such models. In awarding the grants, HHS must prioritize recipients that provide care to medically underserved populations and in areas where the prevalence of behavioral health conditions exceeds the national average. HHS must also provide additional incentive payments to recipients that use appropriate billing codes and quality measures for behavioral health services. In addition, HHS must award grants to national and regional organizations for providing technical assistance to health care providers and systems to improve implementation of integrated behavioral health and primary care models. Furthermore, HHS may direct its agencies to expand efforts to evaluate current and emerging integrated behavioral health and primary care models.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States shall recognize kind actions in our country, encourage kindness, spread love, and foster a culture of being kind to one another.
