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.
This resolution commends the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons football team for winning the 2021 National Junior College Athletic Association football National Championship.
Taiwan Partnership Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to submit a report annually to the Congressional defense committees on the feasibility and advisability of enhanced cooperation between the National Guard and Taiwan.
Defense Community Teacher Support Act This bill makes certain teachers who teach in military impacted communities eligible for student loan forgiveness. A school in a military impacted community is served by a local educational agency for which at least 20% of the students in average daily attendance in all schools served by the agency during the preceding school year had a parent on active duty. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to cancel up to $17,500 of federal student loans for a borrower who is an elementary or secondary school teacher employed for five consecutive years in a school in a military impacted community. In addition, a teacher who is required to move due to a permanent change in duty station of their spouse may meet the five-year teaching requirement by teaching in multiple schools in different military impacted communities.
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.
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.
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.
Accelerating Individuals into the Workforce Act This bill requires the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to make grants to states for demonstration projects that provide wage subsidies to enable low-income individuals to enter and retain employment. States may use grant funds to subsidize an individual's wages for up to 12 months. The subsidy may be up to 50% of an individual's wages. Individuals are eligible for subsidized wages if they (1) are recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families or similar state assistance or a noncustodial parent of a child receiving such assistance, and (2) are unemployed when the subsidy begins or have an income below 200% of the poverty line. States must ensure that participants in subsidized job programs do not displace current workers. The ACF must reserve funding to carry out this bill from amounts in the Contingency Fund for State Welfare Programs.
Home for the Brave Act of 2021 This bill excludes from income veterans' service-connected disability or death benefits for purposes of determinations made in connection with the Department of Housing and Urban Development's housing assistance programs.
Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act This bill imposes importation limits on goods produced using forced labor in China, especially the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, and imposes sanctions related to such forced labor. The Department of Homeland Security shall report to Congress a strategy for preventing the importation of goods produced in China using forced labor. The strategy must contain certain information, including a list of entities working with the government in Xinjiang to move forced labor or Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, or members of other persecuted groups out of Xinjiang. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection shall generally presume that goods produced by these entities and certain other entities, generally those sourcing material from Xinjiang or involved with Chinese government forced labor programs, are barred from importation into the United States. The bill also expands existing asset- and visa-blocking sanctions related to Xinjiang to cover foreign individuals and entities responsible for serious human rights abuses in connection with forced labor. The Department of State shall report to Congress a strategy to enhance international awareness of forced labor in Xinjiang and to address such forced labor.
Tax Fairness for Tribal Youth Act of 2021 This bill treats certain payments made by Indian tribal governments to children as earned income of the child for the purposes of the kiddie tax (the tax on the unearned income of children). This has the effect of exempting the payments from the tax. The bill applies to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2021.
This resolution recognizes and expresses support for the efforts of democracy and human rights activists in Cuba.
