Family and Medical Insurance Leave Act or the FAMILY Act This bill entitles every employee to a family and medical leave insurance (FMLI) monthly benefit payment of two-thirds of the employee's regular pay, limited to a maximum of $4,000, for not more than 60 days of qualified caregiving. The bill establishes the Office of Paid Family and Medical Leave within the Social Security Administration to administer the FMLI program. An FMLI benefit payment must be coordinated with any periodic benefits received under a state or local temporary disability insurance or family leave program. The bill imposes a tax on employers, employees, and self-employed individuals to fund FMLI benefits. It also establishes the Federal Family and Medical Leave Insurance Trust Fund to hold tax revenues.
Loan Interest Forgiveness for Taxpayers Under a Pandemic Act of 2021 or the LIFT UP Act of 2021 This bill extends the six-month period during which the Small Business Administration (SBA) must subsidize payments on certain loans made in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) for those who have previously received SBA disaster assistance for non-COVID emergencies.
American Opportunity Accounts Act This bill establishes tax-exempt American Opportunity Accounts to provide children at birth with a $1,000 savings account with annual contributions up to $2,000 depending on family income. The accounts are available to children at age 18 for specified purposes, including educational expenses, home ownership, and investment that provides long-term returns.
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.
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.
No Congressional Gun Loophole Act This bill prohibits the Capitol Police Board from allowing Members of Congress or their staff to carry firearms on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol or in its buildings. Members and their staff may store firearms in their cars in Capitol complex garages if their possession complies with the firearms laws of the District of Columbia and the firearms are locked with gun locks while on the complex. Current board regulations allow Members of Congress to keep firearms in their offices; the regulations also allow Members and their staff to transport unloaded and securely wrapped firearms within the Capitol grounds. Firearms are prohibited inside the chambers of the Senate and the House of Representatives, as well as in adjacent lobbies and cloakrooms, the galleries, the Marble Room of the Senate, and the Rayburn Room of the House, unless approved by the Sergeants at Arms for security purposes.
Innovation Centers Acceleration Act This bill establishes a program to advance economic development by designating nine cities as innovation centers and providing and modifying certain related grants. It also establishes the Innovation Center Selection Committee to designate these cities. The innovation center designation entitles selected cities—and the businesses, research institutions, and other organizations that operate within them—to various federal funding and benefits for research activities, business and workforce development, and transportation infrastructure projects. These benefits include expanding various tax credits and incentives for businesses. The bill also makes it easier for those businesses to access loans and other financial instruments to raise capital. In addition, the bill establishes a grant program for local and tribal governments that partner with innovation centers to develop and preserve affordable housing. It also modifies existing grants, loans, and other programs that support transportation infrastructure to specifically target initiatives in innovation centers.
Flood Resiliency and Taxpayer Savings Act of 2021 This bill requires federal agencies to take specified actions to evaluate and mitigate the risk of floods to federally funded projects. Specifically, the bill directs federal agencies to evaluate the potential for flooding throughout the planned lifetime or duration of a federally funded project to reduce the risk of financial and property losses and prevent the disruption of critical services during floods. Further, federal agencies must consider certain data and information (e.g., the most recent flood insurance rate map published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency) when evaluating whether a federally funded project is in a floodplain. If the agency determines the data and information are not adequate for understanding the flood risks to the project, then the agency must use an alternative design standard outlined by the bill. Finally, the bill directs the Federal Interagency Floodplain Management Task Force to issue guidelines for federal agencies related to flood risk management.
Health Force, Resilience Force, and Jobs to Fight COVID-19 Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands programs to bring on individuals to perform public health functions, such as contact tracing and vaccine administration, to respond to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency and meet future public health needs. The bill provides funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a Health Force. The funds are designated as an emergency requirement, which exempts the funds from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules. To establish the force, the CDC must award grants within 30 days to state, tribal, territorial, and local governments and community health centers to recruit and train individuals for roles in public health and health care. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must hire and train additional individuals for its Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees. These employees may be detailed to certain federal agencies or to state, local, or tribal governments to support response efforts related to COVID-19 or other disasters or emergencies.
Health Care Affordability Act of 2021 This bill revises the tax credit for health care premium assistance to expand the eligibility of low-income taxpayers for such credit and reduce the cost of health care premiums.
