Strengthening the Vaccines for Children Program Act of 2021 This bill modifies vaccination programs and coverage for children under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Specifically, the bill expands and otherwise modifies the Vaccines for Children Program, which provides free vaccinations to individuals 18 years of age or younger who are uninsured or underinsured (i.e., with limited or no insurance for vaccines), are eligible for Medicaid, or are American Indians or Alaskan Natives. The bill expands the program to include children enrolled in CHIP and temporarily provides for additional payments to incentivize provider participation. The Government Accountability Office must report on the related effects of the bill's changes. The bill also expands coverage under Medicaid and CHIP to include vaccine counseling and educational services for children and temporarily requires payments to be made at a rate that is no less than the rate under Medicare for equivalent services. It also temporarily increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for states that conduct culturally appropriate outreach regarding the benefits of vaccinations for children.
Refugee Sanitation Facility Safety Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State, when providing overseas assistance for refugees, to ensure the provision of safe and secure access to sanitation facilities, with a special emphasis on women, girls, and vulnerable populations.
This resolution supports the designation of a Muslim-American Heritage Month. The resolution also honors the contributions and integral role of Muslim Americans in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
This resolution reaffirms the House of Representatives' commitment to media diversity and expresses its pledge to eliminate barriers to such diversity.
Entrepreneurs Need Timely Replenishment (for) Eating Establishments Act or the ENTRÉE Act This bill provides FY2021 supplemental appropriations for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and modifies requirements related to administration of the fund. The fund was established in response to COVID-19 to make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors for covering specified costs such as payroll, operational expenses, and paid sick leave. The bill correspondingly rescinds unobligated amounts previously made available for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program and coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds. Further, the bill requires the Small Business Administration (SBA) to (1) review and process grant applications in the order in which they are received; (2) impose requirements on applicants that reduce waste, fraud, and abuse; and (3) submit and report monthly on an oversight and audit plan outlining the SBA's policies, procedures, and activities with respect to these grants.
Water and Agriculture Tax Reform Act of 2021 This bill permits tax-exempt mutual ditch or irrigation companies to earn income from dispositions of certain property and stock interests without affecting their tax-exempt status, but requires that such income be used to pay the costs of operations, maintenance, and capital improvements of such a company. The bill also establishes a rule regarding the organizational governance of mutual ditch or irrigation companies. Where state law provides that such a company may be organized in a manner that permits voting on a basis that is pro rata to share ownership on corporate governance matters, the tax-exempt status of the mutual ditch or irrigation company must be determined without taking into account whether its member shareholders have one vote on corporate governance matters per share held in the corporation.
Generating Resilient, Environmentally Exceptional National Streets Act or the GREEN Streets Act This bill establishes national goals to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and improve the resilience of the transportation system. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to establish minimum standards for states to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMTs) on the National Highway System; DOT to establish measures for states to assess and reduce carbon dioxide; states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to consider projects and strategies that reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions and decrease per capita VMT's; states and MPOs to publish an analysis of the impact on per capita VMTs and mobile source greenhouse gas emissions for each project that adds new lanes or otherwise increases traffic capacity and costs more than $25 million; states that are out of compliance with the per capita VMT standards or carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emission measures to dedicate federal highway funding to achieve compliance; and DOT to establish national transit access standards and performance measures for transit accessibility, transit stop distance, and transit mode share.
Urban Indian Health Providers Facilities Improvement Act This bill expands the authority of the Indian Health Service (IHS) to make funds available for urban Indian organizations to renovate, construct, or expand urban Indian health facilities. Specifically, the bill authorizes the IHS to (1) make funds available for renovations even if the renovations are not minor, and (2) make funds available for purposes other than assisting the organizations in meeting certain accreditation standards.
Accountability for Acting Officials Act This bill makes a series of changes with respect to the appointment, tenure, and qualifications of acting officials of executive agencies. Among other things, the bill specifies that, for a position that requires an appointment by the President (by and with the advice and consent of the Senate), the first assistant to the office may temporarily fill the position only if the individual has been the first assistant for at least 30 days during the preceding year; an officer or employee of the agency who is directed by the President to temporarily fill the position may only do so if the officer or employee has served at the agency for at least the entire preceding year (rather than 90 days); and an individual who is a presidential appointee and is directed by the President to temporarily fill the position, including an acting Inspector General, must possess the requisite qualifications for the position as provided by law or regulation. The bill also limits the tenure of acting heads of agencies to no more than 120 days (rather than 210 days).
Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to implement a program to facilitate and encourage public-private partnerships in order to address and mitigate the physical security and cybersecurity risks of electric utilities. In carrying out the program, DOE must take into consideration different sizes of electric utilities and the regions that such utilities serve, prioritize electric utilities with fewer available resources due to size or region, and utilize and leverage existing DOE programs.
Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services for Success Act This bill renames the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program as the Jobs and Opportunity with Benefits and Services (JOBS) program, reauthorizes the program through FY2027, and makes changes relating to work requirements for beneficiaries. States providing aid under the program shall create an individual opportunity plan for each beneficiary. States shall impose work requirements on all work-eligible beneficiaries and shall reduce benefits for noncompliance. (Currently, individual plans are optional under TANF, and states have discretion as to whether to reduce benefits for noncompliant individuals.) States providing aid shall meet annual performance targets related to the number of beneficiaries who exit the program and find unsubsidized employment. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall reduce grants to states that fail to meet such targets. States shall provide data related to beneficiary employment and wages to HHS, which shall be publicly available. The bill modifies certain limitations that restrict the use of funds for case management and other purposes and requires states to spend at least 25% of funds from various grants on core activities. Certain existing laws relating to monitoring and recovering improper benefits payments shall apply to the JOBS program. The bill eliminates programs providing (1) supplemental grants for population increases, (2) bonuses for high performance states, (3) welfare-to-work grants, and (4) contingency funds for state welfare programs.
Improving Transparency in TANF through Data Act This bill revises state reporting requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Family (TANF) program. It eliminates the option for states to use certain sampling methods in their reporting and requires states to report additional information related to the work eligibility status and participation in work activities for individuals participating in TANF programs. The Department of Health and Human Services must also determine reporting requirements related to employment and earnings outcomes in consultation with the Department of Labor.
