Civics Secures Democracy Act of 2021 This bill provides resources to expand educational programs in American civics and history, including by establishing grant and fellowship programs and reauthorizing various programs. First, the bill authorizes the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to states, qualified nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education (IHEs), and qualified researchers to support and expand access to civics and history education. Next, the bill establishes a fellowship program to diversify the civics and history education workforce. In addition, the bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and revises the American History for Freedom grant program. The bill renames the program as the American Civics Education Program. The bill revises the grant program to authorize ED to award grants to IHEs once every three years to establish or strengthen academic programs to promote American political thought and history; the history, achievements, and impact of American representative democracy and constitutional democracies globally; and the means of participation in political and civic life. IHEs may use grants to support additional activities, such as collaborating with federal or state humanities programs and using open educational resources. Further, the bill reauthorizes through FY2022 and revises the Harry S. Truman Memorial Scholarship Trust Fund and the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Trust Fund. Finally, the bill requires the National Assessment of Educational Progress in civics and history to be administered every two years to certain grade levels.
Clean Energy Hydrogen Innovation Act This bill expands the types of hydrogen projects that are eligible for loan guarantees from the Department of Energy.
Rent and Mortgage Cancellation Act of 2021 This bill provides housing assistance during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, the bill suspends rental and mortgage payments for primary residences through April 1, 2022. The bill also forgives rental and mortgage debt accrued from March 13, 2020, through April 1, 2022. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must establish funds to reimburse lessors and lenders for payments suspended or forgiven under the bill. In addition, HUD must establish an Affordable Housing Acquisition Fund to support the acquisition of multifamily housing projects by nonprofit organizations, public housing agencies, cooperative housing associations, community land trusts, and state and local governments. For a five-year period, entities that are approved for such assistance shall be provided the first right of purchase with respect to these projects.
Responsible Additions and Increases to Sustain Employee Health Benefits Act of 2021 This bill modifies the tax exclusion for distributions from health flexible spending arrangements provided to employees under a cafeteria plan to (1) increase the annual limit on employee salary reduction contributions to $5,000, with an additional $500 for each additional employee dependent above two dependents that has not been taken into account by another person for the year; (2) revise the adjustment for inflation after 2021; and (3) allow a carryforward into the next year for unused amounts in such plans.
QUEST Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Energy to establish and carry out a program (to be known as the Quantum User Expansion for Science and Technology program or the QUEST program) to encourage and facilitate access to U.S. quantum computing hardware and quantum computing clouds for research purposes in order to (1) enhance the quantum research enterprise of the United States, (2) educate the future quantum computing workforce, and (3) accelerate the advancement of U.S. quantum computing capabilities.
COVID Community Care Act This bill provides FY2021 supplemental appropriations for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill provides appropriations to the HHS Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund and the Indian Health Service for implementing programs to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 in medically underserved communities and among tribal populations, respectively. The bill designates the funding as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits.
Quantum Network Infrastructure Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to carry out a research, development, and demonstration program to accelerate innovation in quantum network infrastructure in order to (1) facilitate the advancement of distributed quantum computing systems through the internet and intranet, (2) improve the precision of measurements of scientific phenomena and physical imaging technologies, and (3) develop secure national quantum communications technologies and strategies. DOE shall submit to Congress a four-year research plan that identifies and prioritizes basic research needs relating to quantum network infrastructure.
Guard Reimbursement for Unhealthy Bites Act or the GRUB Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to pay National Guard members a per diem for each day they performed duty between January 26, 2021, and March 15, 2021, in response to the attacks on January 6, 2021, on the U.S. Capitol building and grounds. The per diem rate must be equal to the proportional meal rate determined by the Defense Travel Management Office for the National Capital Region.
No Tax Breaks for Outsourcing Act This bill modifies the tax treatment of the foreign source income of domestic corporations. The bill includes provisions that modify calculations of the gross income of U.S. shareholders to include net CFC tested income in the current taxable year, apply limitations on the foreign tax credit on a country-by-country basis, limit the tax deduction for the interest expense of a U.S. corporation that is a member of a financial reporting group (i.e., a group that prepares consolidated financial statements according to generally accepted accounting principles or international financial reporting standards), modify the rules for the taxation of inverted corporations (i.e., U.S. corporations that acquire foreign companies to reincorporate in a foreign jurisdiction with income tax rates lower than the United States), and treat certain foreign corporations managed and controlled primarily in the United States as domestic corporations for tax purposes.
Developing Responsible Individuals for a Vibrant Economy Act or the DRIVE-SAFE Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation to promulgate regulations to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21. Under the program, an apprentice must complete two probationary periods that total 400 hours of on-duty time, of which at least 240 hours must be driving time in a commercial motor vehicle. Additionally, the apprentice must be accompanied in the cab of the commercial motor vehicle by an experienced driver. Further, the bill requires all commercial motor vehicles used in the program for training to be equipped with safety technology such as active braking collision mitigation systems and video event capturing systems. An employer shall not knowingly allow, require, permit, or authorize a driver under the age of 21 to operate a commercial motor vehicle unless the driver is participating in, or has completed, an apprenticeship program that meets the requirements set forth in this bill.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Iran's decision to enrich uranium to 20% purity (a point from which it is quicker to develop weapons-grade uranium) is escalatory and that Iran should immediately reverse this decision and abandon its pursuit of a nuclear weapon.
Support Children Having Open Opportunities for Learning Act of 2021 or the SCHOOL Act of 2021 This bill allows certain federal funds for elementary and secondary education to follow the student to the school that they attend (i.e., public, private, or home school), regardless of whether the student is learning in person or remotely. These funds may be used for educational and instructional materials, tutoring, tuition for private school, and extracurricular activities.
