TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act This bill aligns eligibility for TRICARE health coverage with the age at which personnel of the Retired Reserve (former National Guard and Reserve members) begin receiving retired pay. Specifically, personnel of the Retired Reserve who are not yet age 60 but are receiving their retirement pay may purchase TRICARE health coverage for retired military personnel, rather than the presently allowed TRICARE Retired Reserve. Under current law, Reserve Component personnel may retire below age 60, but not below 50, based on active duty performance.
American Dream Employment Act of 2021 This bill establishes that, for the purposes of eligibility to be an officer or employee of an office of Congress, an individual shall be treated as a U.S. citizen if that individual has (1) employment authorization under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, (2) employment authorization under a grant of deferred enforced departure, or (3) temporary protected status. (Generally, these programs and statuses allow eligible aliens to remain and work in the United States.)
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2021 or the JOBS Act of 2021 This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by establishing the Job Training Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to award a job training Pell Grant to a student who does not have a degree; attends an institution of higher education (IHE); is enrolled in a career and technical education program at an IHE that provides 150 to 600 clock hours of instructional time over a period of 8 to 15 weeks and provides training aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors (i.e., job training programs); and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Pell Grant. It also specifies that any period during which a student receives a job training Pell Grant counts toward that student's Pell Grant eligibility period.
Federal Bird Safe Buildings Act of 2021 This bill requires the General Services Administration (GSA) to develop and implement strategies for reducing bird fatalities from collisions with public buildings. Specifically, the GSA must incorporate relevant features and strategies into public buildings that are newly constructed, acquired, or substantially altered so as to reduce bird fatalities. The GSA must also develop a related design guide and annually certify its active use. The bill's provisions do not apply to buildings and sites on the National Register of Historic Places, the White House and its grounds, the Supreme Court building and its grounds, or the U.S. Capitol and any buildings on its grounds.
SFC Sean Cooley and SPC Christopher Horton Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program Resolution This resolution establishes in the Senate the Congressional Gold Star Family Fellowship Program under which certain family members of a member of the Armed Forces who is a hostile casualty or died from a training-related injury may serve a 12-month fellowship in the office of a Senator.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the Congress should not impose a financial transaction tax on individuals or market intermediaries in connection with trades executed on the National Market System or alternative trading systems.
This resolution congratulates the people of Greece as they celebrate the 200th anniversary of Greece's independence. The resolution also expresses support for the principles of democratic governance to which the people of Greece are committed.
Stop for School Buses Act This bill addresses safety measures and programs to prevent the illegal passing of school buses. Specifically, the Department of Transportation must conduct a review of existing state laws and programs regarding the illegal passing of school buses, including laws that may inhibit school bus loading zone countermeasures; establish and implement a nationwide public safety campaign to highlight the dangers of illegally passing school buses, including by providing students and the public information relating to safe loading and unloading of school buses; review and evaluate the effectiveness of various technologies to enhance school bus safety; review driver education materials in states to determine how the illegal passing of school buses is addressed; and research and prepare a report on the connections between the illegal passing of school buses and other safety issues.
Major Richard Star Act This bill allows a veteran with a combat-related disability and fewer than 20 years of creditable service to receive retirement pay, without reduction, concurrent with disability compensation.
Enhancing Credit Opportunities in Rural America Act of 2021 or the ECORA Act of 2021 This bill modifies the requirements for calculating taxable income to exclude from gross income interest received by a lender from real estate loans secured by agricultural real estate or by a leasehold mortgage (with a status as a lien) on agricultural real estate. Agricultural real estate includes real property that is substantially used for the production of one or more agricultural products. It also includes any single family residence that is (1) the principal residence of its occupant, (2) located in a rural area which is not within a Metropolitan Statistical Area and has a population of 2,500 or less, and (3) is purchased or improved with the proceeds of a loan secured by agricultural real estate or by a household mortgage.
Disaster Savings and Resilient Construction Act of 2021 This bill allows a tax credit through 2023 for certain residential or commercial buildings owned by a taxpayer in a disaster area that are designed and constructed to meet resilient construction requirements. The bill defines resilient construction requirements as requirements with respect to buildings in a disaster area that make such buildings resistant to hazards brought on by a major disaster, reduce the magnitude or duration of a disruptive event, and have the capacity to withstand a potentially disruptive event.
Tax Excessive CEO Pay Act of 2021 This bill increases the current 21% income tax rate of corporations whose ratio of compensation of their principal executive officers or other highest compensated employees to median worker compensation is more than 50 to 1, in which case the increase is 0.5%. The pay ratio disparity extends from 100 to 1 to 500 to 1, in which case the increase is 5%. The bill exempts from such increase certain corporations based upon their average annual gross receipts.
