Mongolia Third Neighbor Trade Act This bill allows the President to provide duty-free treatment for certain apparel and textile articles imported from Mongolia.
This bill extends the authority of certain federal agencies to provide support for western water infrastructure and extends consultation requirements concerning projects in California. Specifically, the bill extends through 2028 the authority of the Bureau of Reclamation to provide support for projects in certain western states related to federal or state-led water storage, water desalination, and water recycling and reuse. It also extends provisions specific to California, including drought relief and the operations of the Central Valley Project (a hydropower and water management project in California that is operated by Reclamation). Further, the bill extends through 2033 consultation requirements concerning biological assessments and the coordinated operations of the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project in California.
This resolution states that the August 9, 2020, election in Belarus was neither free nor fair and, as such, the House of Representatives does not recognize Alyaksandr Lukashenka as the country's legitimate president. The resolution also states that the people of Belarus have the right to determine the country's future without unwelcome intervention from outside actors and condemns the human rights violations committed by Belarusian authorities.
Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.
This resolution condemns the actions taken by the governments of China and Hong Kong to put in place national security legislation that violates the freedoms and rights guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong. (Hong Kong is a part of China but, by agreement, has operated a legal and economic system largely separate from China's.)
504 Credit Risk Management Improvement Act of 2021 This bill revises the duties of the Office of Credit Risk Management to include oversight of a certified development company (CDC) that participates in the 504 Loan Program of the Small Business Administration (SBA), and it requires the SBA to issue rules related to certain environmental requirements. The 504 Loan Program provides a small business with SBA financing—through a CDC intermediary—for expansion or modernization. Specifically, the bill requires the office to oversee any CDC that participates in the program and to conduct file reviews with respect to loan closings under the program. Further, the bill authorizes the office to take formal and informal enforcement actions against a CDC for specified violations and to charge each CDC a fee. The SBA must issue rules to clarify the procedures necessary for an eligible CDC to comply with certain environmental requirements.
504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill modifies the Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 Loan Program, which provides a small business with SBA financing—through a certified development company (CDC) intermediary—for expansion or modernization. Specifically, the bill adds policy goals, at least one of which a CDC must demonstrate to be eligible for assistance. These include (1) enhancing the ability of a small business to reduce costs by using energy efficient products and generating renewable energy, and (2) aiding the revitalization of any area for which a disaster has been declared or determined. The bill also authorizes a CDC to take specified actions to facilitate the closing of a 504 loan, such as correcting borrower or lender information on loan documents or reallocating up to 10% of the cost of a project. For small manufacturers, the bill (1) increases the maximum loan amount from $5.5 million to $6.5 million, (2) reduces the amount that they must contribute to project costs, (3) increases job retention requirements, and (4) revises collateral requirements and debt refinancing considerations. Further, each SBA district office must partner with a resource partner to provide certain training for small manufacturers.
Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions of the low-income housing tax credit and renames it as the affordable housing credit . The bill increases the per capita dollar amount of the credit and its minimum ceiling amount beginning in 2021 and extends the inflation adjustment for such amounts. The bill modifies tenant income eligibility requirements and the average income formula for determining such income. It also revises rules for student occupancy of rental units and tenant voucher payments, and prohibits any refusal to rent to victims of domestic abuse. The bill further modifies the credit to increase state allocations of the credit; repeal the qualified census tract population cap; prohibit local approval and contribution requirements; increase the credit for certain projects designated to serve extremely low-income households; increase the credit for certain bond-financed projects designated by state agencies; eliminate the basis reduction for properties that receive certain energy-related tax benefits; and increase the population cap for difficult development areas (i.e., areas with high construction, land, and utility costs relative to area median gross income). The bill also includes Indian and rural areas as difficult development areas and modifies other requirements relating to casualty losses, acquisition credits, and foreclosures.
Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act This bill allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a Dementia Care Management Model that provides comprehensive care to Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Under the model, participating health care providers receive payment under Medicare for comprehensive care management services that are provided to individuals with diagnosed dementia, excluding Medicare Advantage enrollees, hospice care recipients, and nursing home residents. Required services include medication management, care coordination, and health, financial, and environmental monitoring, as well as trainings and other support services for unpaid caregivers. Providers must furnish services through interdisciplinary teams and must ensure access to a team member or primary care provider 24-7. The CMMI must set payments and determine quality measures for the model in accordance with specified requirements. The bill also allows the CMMI to design a similar model under Medicaid.
Wage Equity Act of 2021 This bill addresses workplace wage discrimination based on sex. Specifically, it limits the acceptable reasons for wage disparities based on sex to legitimate business-related factors unrelated to sex. Italso protects from liability for such discrimination those employers who conduct a job and wage analysis audit to identify wage disparities and take reasonable steps to remedy any such disparities. Further, the bill prohibits employers from relying on, or requesting, the wage history of a prospective employee for hiring and wage determination purposes unless it is voluntarily provided by the prospective employee. Employers generally may not prohibit employees from inquiring about, or discussing, wage information concerning another employee or from requesting information from an employer about wage differentials. Finally, the bill permits the Department of Labor to establish a grant program for negotiation skills education for women and girls. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the causes and effects of sex-based wage disparities.
