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.
Neuroscience Center of Excellence Act of 2021 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish the Neuroscience Center of Excellence to address neuroscience diseases and disorders (e.g., addiction, Alzheimer's disease, and psychotic disorders). The center must carry out various activities, including (1) coordinating with FDA programs that focus on certain areas, such as drug evaluation; (2) convening periodic public meetings to engage with stakeholders to address challenges associated with developing medical products for neuroscience diseases and disorders; (3) establishing a program to facilitate the collection and systemic use of patient experience data to develop such medical products; and (4) convening a public meeting to discuss how to promote equity and the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented populations in the development of such medical products. The FDA must take actions related to these issues, such as issuing final guidance with recommendations on the collection and use of patient experience data for developing such medical products. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress a study that (1) reviews the participation of traditionally underrepresented populations in clinical trials for such medical products, and (2) provides recommendations for improving the participation of these populations.
Stop Iranian Drones Act of 2021 This bill expands existing provisions requiring sanctions against individuals or entities that provide certain types of weapons to Iran. Specifically, the bill modifies the provisions by adding unmanned combat aerial vehicles to the list of weapons covered by the sanctions.
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act This bill authorizes the establishment of a National Global War on Terrorism Memorial in the area of the National Mall.
York River Wild and Scenic River Act of 2021 This bill designates specified segments of the main stem and the tributaries of the York River in Maine as a recreational river. The Department of the Interior may enter into cooperative agreements to provide for the long-term protection, preservation, and enhancement of the river segments. No land or interest in land within the watersheds of the river segments may be acquired by condemnation.
This bill authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia in honor of the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients. The foundation shall be solely responsible for the acceptance of contributions for, and the payment of expenses of, the establishment of the commemorative work. Federal funds may not be used to pay any expenses for the establishment of the commemorative work.
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.
STEM Education in Accounting Act This bill authorizes states and local educational agencies (LEAs) to use grant funds provided through the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Program for accounting education. In particular, LEAs may use these grant funds to implement programs to teach accounting, including by increasing access to high-quality accounting courses through 12th grade for students who are members of underrepresented groups.
Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty Department of Veterans Affairs Educational Assistance Parity Act of 2021 or the GRAD VA Educational Assistance Parity Act of 2021 This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 educational assistance to members of the National Guard who perform full-time National Guard duty or full-time service in the National Guard when performing active duty.
Brian Neuman Department of Veterans Affairs Clothing Allowance Improvement Act of 2021 This bill modifies the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) clothing allowance policy for veterans who, due to a service-connected disability, wear a prosthetic, use an orthopedic appliance (e.g., a wheelchair), or use a prescription skin medication that the VA determines causes irreparable damage to clothing. The bill requires the VA to continue the clothing allowance for such a veteran on an annual basis until the veteran elects to no longer receive the allowance, or the VA determines the veteran is no longer eligible for the allowance, whichever occurs first. The bill sets forth a procedure by which the VA must conduct reviews of clothing allowance claims to determine the continued eligibility of veterans. Specifically, the VA must conduct a review (1) five years after the date on which a veteran initially receives a clothing allowance and periodically thereafter, and (2) whenever the VA receives notice that the veteran no longer meets eligibility requirements. If a veteran is eligible for a clothing allowance based on a circumstance that is not subject to change, the VA does not need to review whether the veteran has continued eligibility. If the VA determines, as the result of a review of a claim, that a veteran no longer meets the eligibility requirements for a clothing allowance, the VA must provide notice of the determination and discontinue the clothing allowance. The notice must include a description of applicable actions that may be taken following the determination (e.g., filing a notice of disagreement).
Reforming Disaster Recovery Act This bill addresses the response of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to disasters. The bill establishes the Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency at HUD to coordinate HUD disaster preparedness and response responsibilities. The office must also coordinate with other federal agencies in supporting recovery and resiliency activities. Further, the bill creates the Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund to fund the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program. The program must provide states, tribes, and communities with grants for rebuilding affordable housing and infrastructure after a disaster. Grantees are required to certify that funds will be administered in compliance with specified fair housing and civil rights laws. Grantees must also prioritize assistance for extremely low-, low-, and moderate-income victims of disasters, as well as other vulnerable groups. The bill also provides for increased data sharing regarding disasters, including by requiring HUD to share data with other federal agencies regarding disaster benefits and by requiring the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Small Business Administration to share data on disaster benefit applicants with HUD.
Department of Veterans Affairs Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Processing Claims Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update an ongoing national training program for claims processors who review compensation claims for service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such claims processors will be required to participate in the training at least once a year starting in their second year of being a VA claims processor. The training program must be standardized at regional offices of the VBA and include instruction on stressor development and verification. The VBA must establish a formal process to annually analyze training needs based on identified processing error trends. Additionally, the VBA must establish a formal process to conduct annual studies to help guide the national training program for claims processors. Finally, the VBA must evaluate the guidance relating to PTSD to determine if updates are warranted to provide claims processors with better resources regarding best practices for claims processing, including specific guidance regarding development of claims involving compensation for service-connected PTSD.
