Home Educators are Teachers Act of 2021 This bill expands the tax deduction for certain expenses of elementary and secondary school teachers to include home school teachers and home schooling expenses.
Defense Energy Efficiency Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to amend the Unified Facilities Criteria relating to military construction planning and design to ensure that DOD building practices and standards incorporate the latest consensus-based codes and standards for energy efficiency and conservation. Not more than 25% of the funds authorized for FY2022 for DOD planning and design accounts relating to military construction projects may be obligated until DOD certifies that it has initiated the Unified Facilities Criteria amendment process and intends to complete the process by September 1, 2022. Any DOD Form 1391 submitted after September 1, 2022, must comply with the amended Unified Facilities Criteria. Not later than March 1, 2023, DOD must certify to Congress the completion and full incorporation of the amendments to the Unified Facilities Criteria into military construction planning and design. DOD must annually review the Unified Facilities Criteria to compare it to industry best practices for energy efficiency and energy conservation.
Do No Harm Act This bill prohibits the application of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993 (RFRA) to specified federal laws or the implementation of such laws. Currently, RFRA prohibits the government from substantially burdening a person's exercise of religion even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability, except in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest when using the least restrictive means. Under the bill, RFRA is inapplicable to laws or the implementation of laws that protect against discrimination or the promotion of equal opportunity (e.g., the Civil Rights Act of 1964); require employers to provide wages, other compensation, or benefits, including leave; protect collective activity in the workplace; protect against child labor, abuse, or exploitation; or provide for access to, information about, referrals for, provision of, or coverage for, any health care item or service. The bill prevents RFRA from being used to deny (1) goods or services the government has contracted, granted, or made an agreement to provide to a beneficiary of or participant in a program or activity funded by such government contract, grant, agreement, or other award; or (2) a person's full and equal enjoyment of a government-provided good, service, benefit, facility, privilege, advantage, or accommodation. In order for a person to assert a RFRA claim or defense in a judicial proceeding, the government must be a party to the proceeding.
This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
Temporary Responders for Immediate Aid in Grave Emergencies Act of 2021 or the TRIAGE Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Provider Bridge Program, a technology platform funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to facilitate the provision of health care services via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies. The bill also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states for expediting the reactivation of expired licenses or the issuance of temporary authorizations for health care professionals who volunteer to provide services through the Provider Bridge Program.
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 recognition of a National Latino Small Business Day.
Climate Risk Disclosure Act of 2021 This bill directs the Securities and Exchange Commission to require an issuer of securities to annually disclose information regarding climate change-related risks posed to the issuer, including an issuer's strategies and actions to mitigate these risks. Specifically, issuers must report their direct and indirect greenhouse-gas emissions and disclose their fossil fuel-related assets.
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.
Responding Aggressively to Prevent Insects and Disease Act or the RAPID Act This bill expands exemptions from environmental review requirements for projects of the Forest Service concerning wildfire resilience or insects and disease.
Fiscal Analysis by Income and Race Scoring Act or the FAIR Scoring Act This bill requires the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) cost estimates for legislation to include a distributional analysis by race and income if the legislation will have a gross budgetary effect of at least 0.1% of gross domestic product in any fiscal year during the 10-year budget window. CBO's analysis must show the transfers that would result by race and income level, and the effects must be shown both in dollars and as a percent change in after-tax-and-transfer-income. The bill also requires CBO to report to Congress on methods for conducting such a distributional analysis by gender.
