Retail Revitalization Act of 2021 This bill modifies rules related to rents received by real estate investment trusts (REITs) from related parties. It increases the permissible stock ownership and constructive stock ownership percentage in a REIT to 50% and modifies rules for taxable REIT subsidiaries.
Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now Act of 2021 or the GREEN Act of 202 1 This bill provides tax incentives for investment in renewable energy resources and energy efficiency programs. Among other provisions, the bill extends for five years the tax credit for production of electricity from certain renewable resources (e.g., wind facilities, biomass, landfill trash facilities), allows an election to treat certain tangible property as energy property for purposes of the energy tax credit, and modifies certain provisions of the energy tax credit and expands the credit for four years; expands the 30% energy tax credit to include energy storage technology or qualified biogas property; extends for one year the tax credit for carbon oxide sequestration; allows elective payments in lieu of certain energy-related tax credits; modifies the phaseout provisions of the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel and alternative fuels and extends the termination date for such credits; extends and increases the tax credits for nonbusiness energy property and the new energy efficient home tax credit; extends for five years the residential energy efficient property tax credit; increases the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; modifies the limitations on new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles tax credit and allows a new credit for such vehicles that are previously-owned; allows a new tax credit for zero emission heavy vehicles (vehicles with a gross weight rating of not less than 14,000 pounds and not powered by an internal combustion engine); extends for five years the tax credits for qualified fuel cell motor vehicles and alternative fuel cell refueling property; provides for additional allocations of the advanced energy project tax credit; allows a new tax credit for the labor costs of installing mechanical insulation property; allows a new tax credit to promote environmental justice programs (programs to improve health and economic outcomes of individuals residing in low-income areas or areas populated disproportionately by racial or ethnic minorities); and requires the Department of the Treasury to report on the utility of data from the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program for determining the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by taxpayers for purposes of imposing a fee on them for such emissions.
Scientific Integrity Act This bill revises provisions regarding the release of scientific research results by federal agencies. Each agency that funds, conducts, or oversees scientific research must (1) adopt and enforce a scientific integrity policy that includes requirements such as that scientific conclusions are not based on political considerations, and (2) submit such policy to the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for approval. Each agency must make such policy available to the public and submit such policy to Congress. Agencies and the OSTP must periodically review the policies. The Government Accountability Office shall review implementation of the policies. Each agency shall (1) appoint a Scientific Integrity Officer, (2) establish a process for dispute resolution consistent with the scientific integrity policy, and (3) establish a specified training program for current and new employees.
Restoring Communities Left Behind Act This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a grant program for local partnerships to carry out neighborhood revitalization support activities in economically distressed areas. Eligible activities include weatherization and energy efficiency improvements; housing accessibility improvements for seniors and persons with disabilities; purchasing delinquent mortgages; purchasing and developing vacant or distressed properties to create affordable rental housing and for other purposes; and improving parks, sidewalks, and street lighting.
Climate and Health Protection Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Climate and Health Program within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
States Afforded Funding Extensions To Oppose Driving Recklessly In Vehicular Engagements Act or the SAFE TO DRIVE Act This bill requires the Department of Transportation to use up to 25% of the amounts available for national priority safety program grants to award grants to any state that certifies it has enacted a distracted driving statute that (1) is applicable to drivers of all ages, (2) makes a violation of the statute a primary offense, and (3) prohibits texting or all non-navigational viewing of a personal wireless communications device.
Sustainable Aviation Fuel Act This bill establishes targets and standards for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from airplane flights and provides incentives for the production and use of sustainable aviation fuel. Specifically, this bill establishes a national goal to achieve a net 35% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from flights by 2035 and net zero emissions by 2050. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must establish a low carbon fuel standard for aviation fuels. Under the standard, the EPA must set annual targets in order to reduce certain greenhouse gas emissions associated with aviation fuel by at least (1) 20% by 2030, and (2) 50% by 2050. Beginning in FY2023, the Department of Defense must make a bulk purchase of an amount of sustainable aviation fuel that is not less than 10% of the total amount of aviation fuel procured for operational purposes. Additionally, the Department of Transportation must implement a program that offers grants and cost-sharing agreements for projects to produce, transport, blend, or store sustainable aviation fuel. The projects must be located in the United States. Finally, the bill provides tax credits for the production of sustainable aviation fuel.
Rural Maternal and Obstetric Modernization of Services Act or the Rural MOMS Act This bill expands initiatives to address maternal health in rural areas. The bill provides funding through FY2026 for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish rural obstetric networks. These networks must foster collaboration to improve birth outcomes and reduce maternal morbidity in rural areas. HRSA also must award demonstration grants to medical schools and other health professional training programs to support education and training on maternal health in rural areas. In addition, the bill incorporates maternal health services in certain telehealth grant programs. It also revises various research and other activities of the Department of Health and Human Services that pertain to maternal health. Furthermore, the Government Accountability Office must report on maternal health topics, including health inequities and data issues.
FEMA Climate Change Preparedness Act This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to (1) revise its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan to ensure that the plan explicitly mentions climate change and addresses the implications of climate change on homeland security and near- and long-term national disaster risk, and (2) ensure that future strategic plans do likewise. The Department of Homeland Security must establish, as a subcommittee of the National Advisory Council, the Climate Change Subcommittee, which shall advise FEMA on how to best incorporate climate change, including risk assessments and strategies for adaptation and mitigation, into and throughout FEMA's policies, plans, programs, and operations. FEMA must publish as a report, submit to specified congressional committees, and make available to Congress and the public, a comprehensive assessment of climate change risks and preparedness.
Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine and report on the various health impacts of air traffic noise and pollution.
Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to award grants to health departments to increase rates of recommended immunizations during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. The CDC must also develop, in consultation with specified entities, guidance for health care providers on counseling patients about COVID-19 vaccines.
Green Bus Act of 2021 This bill requires all buses purchased or leased with Federal Transit Administration funds to be zero-emission beginning on October 1, 2029. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue an annual best practices report on zero-emission bus programs to help states and transit agencies implement zero-emission bus fleets. DOT must give preference in awarding grants under the low or no emission program to transit agencies who have completed a full fleet transition plan. The federal share of the cost of any zero-emission bus purchased or leased in accordance with this bill shall be 90%.
