Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
Department of Homeland Security Reform Act of 2021 or the DHS Reform Act of 2021 This bill makes extensive changes to the structure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to the responsibilities of DHS components. Specifically, the bill, among other things creates a new Associate Secretary responsible for overseeing DHS's law enforcement functions; modifies the responsibilities of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, including to require engagement with individuals and communities whose civil rights and liberties may be affected by DHS programs and activities; establishes within DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis an analytic unit to serve as a focal point for intelligence and analysis of domestic terrorism threats; directs DHS to establish an employee engagement steering committee to identify factors that have a negative impact on employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; establishes within DHS a school security coordinating council; directs DHS to develop and disseminate a strategy with respect to biometric technology and identity management enterprise pilot programs and programs; requires DHS to develop, disseminate, and implement a DHS-wide directive to update or replace the strategic framework relating to countering terrorism and targeted violence; requires that DHS's use-of-force policy be updated to emphasize de-escalation; and requires DHS to issue a DHS-wide strategy to enhance partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutes that includes yearly goals.
Optimizing the Cattle Market Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish and maintain a library or catalog of each type of contract offered by packers to producers for the purchase of all or part of the production of fed cattle (including cattle that are purchased or committed for delivery). Fed cattle means a steer or heifer that has been feeding on a ration of roughage and feed concentrates prior to slaughter, including grains, protein meal, grass, and other nutrient-rich feeds. USDA must create and maintain a publicly available library or catalog of the types of contracts that are being offered by packers to, and are open to acceptance by, producers for the purchase of fed cattle. It must also conduct educational outreach activities for producers on how best to use the library or catalog. Additionally, USDA must also establish (1) regional mandatory minimum thresholds to enhance price discovery and transparency for cattle market participants; and (2) methods for establishing such thresholds, which shall be publicly available. Further, the bill revises daily reporting requirements for packer processing plants by requiring them to include the number of cattle scheduled to be delivered for slaughter each day for the subsequent 14 days.
American Broadband Act This bill addresses broadband and other communications services. The bill limits applicable state and local regulatory authority. Limitations include setting (and providing statutory authority for) deadlines for reviews and decisions related to personal wireless and other telecommunication service facilities, as well as cable franchises and services. Further, a state or locality may not provide broadband services in areas with more than one other commercial provider. The bill exempts certain telecommunications infrastructure projects from environmental and historic preservation reviews, including projects carried out after a declared disaster or emergency (e.g., a wildfire). The bill also establishes a rebuttable presumption that a request for a review of the effects of deploying wireless service on historically, culturally, or religiously significant tribal or Native Hawaiian land is complete if the tribe or Native Hawaiian organization receives certain forms. The bill enhances criminal penalties for willful or malicious destruction of a communication facility. Furthermore, the General Services Administration must establish a common fee schedule for deploying wireless facilities that affect federal property. Additionally, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration must award grants for expanding high-speed broadband access, facilitate through an interagency strike force timely reviews of telecommunications-related requests that affect federal property (e.g., a request for an easement or right-of-way), and report on certain requests concerning communications facilities on federal real property. The bill also requires collaboration among federal agencies that support broadband deployment.
Broadband for Rural America Act This bill modifies and consolidates Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs for expanding broadband internet in rural areas. Specifically, the bill modifies a program that provides grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support broadband expansion in rural areas. Modifications include revising the criteria used to prioritize applications and projects and changing the name of the program to the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program. Additionally, the bill terminates on June 30, 2022, a Department of Agriculture (USDA) COVID-19 response program that supports broadband expansion in rural areas for distance learning and telemedicine. Any remaining program funds available after the termination date shall be used for the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program. The bill also expands coordination requirements that apply to the Department of Commerce, USDA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. This includes requiring the use of specified FCC maps when assessing a community's access to broadband.
Women and Minorities in STEM Booster Act of 2021 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to award competitive grants to enable eligible entities to carry out the activities specified below in order to increase the participation of women and underrepresented minorities in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). An eligible entity that receives a grant shall use grant funds to carry out one or more of the following activities designed to increase the participation of women or minorities underrepresented in science and engineering, or both: online workshops, mentoring programs that partner STEM professionals with students, internships for undergraduate and graduate students in STEM fields, outreach programs providing elementary and secondary school students with opportunities to increase their exposure to STEM fields, and programs to increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty.
Better Opportunity and Outcomes for Socially Disadvantaged Talent Act of 2021 or the BOOST Act of 2021 This bill allows an exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, of 50% of any gain from the sale or exchange of a certified equity interest held for more than 3 years for corporations and partnerships in which a socially disadvantaged individual who is a U.S. citizen has an ownership interest.
America's Red Rock Wilderness Act This bill designates specified lands in the following areas of Utah as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System: (1) Great Basin, (2) Grand Staircase-Escalante, (3) Moab-La Sal Canyons, (4) Henry Mountains, (5) Glen Canyon, (6) San Juan-Anasazi, (7) Canyonlands Basin, (8) San Rafael Swell, and (9) Book Cliffs and Uinta Basin. The bill sets forth administrative requirements for (1) the exchange of state-owned lands within such areas, (2) federal reservation of water rights, (3) measurement of setbacks for roads with adjacent wilderness, (4) authorized livestock grazing, and (5) withdrawal of such lands from disposition under certain public land laws.
National Community Violence De-Escalation Training Act of 2021 This bill establishes and expands grant programs for training on de-escalating violence and crisis situations involving individuals with behavioral health issues. Specifically, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) must award grants to state and local governments, educational institutions, nonprofits, faith institutions, or small businesses for community-based training to de-escalate and avoid violence. As part of this grant program, SAMHSA must also establish an advisory board and develop relevant training standards. The training funded by the grants must apply evidence-based de-escalation and avoidance techniques to potentially violent scenarios that are regularly encountered by community members, including public safety officers, public transit operators, educators, and faith leaders. Additionally, the training must address implicit bias, crisis interventions for those experiencing mental health or substance use issues, and other specified topics. The bill also expands and extends through FY2027 mental health awareness training grants.
Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of states that may participate in two-year Medicaid demonstration programs that improve access to community mental health services. It also provides for additional grants to certified community behavioral health clinics.
Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Coverage includes (1) routine dental cleanings and exams, basic and major dental services, emergency dental care, and dentures; (2) routine eye exams, eyeglasses, and contact lenses; and (3) routine hearing exams, hearing aids, and exams for hearing aids. With respect to such care, the bill establishes special payment rules, limitations, and coinsurance requirements.
Build Local, Hire Local Act This bill imposes various requirements on certain federally assisted infrastructure projects. The bill also creates infrastructure-related grant programs and establishes the Buy America Bureau. Such federally assisted infrastructure projects must (1) employ a certain percentage of local workers to the maximum extent practicable; and (2) prioritize hiring certain individuals, such as veterans and those facing barriers to employment. A certain percentage of funds for these projects must be used for contracts with small businesses that have fewer than 10 employees. When applying for a contract, grant, or loan related to a project, the applying entity must disclose whether there are any rulings, such as a civil judgment, finding that the entity has violated certain federal labor and occupational safety laws in the last three years. In addition, the Department of Transportation must award grants to entities in disadvantaged and underserved communities for infrastructure projects that create connected, economically prosperous, and environmentally healthy communities. Further, the Department of Labor must provide grants to workforce development boards and industry partnerships for job training programs to train certain groups, such as individuals with barriers to employment, for jobs in targeted infrastructure industries. The bill also establishes the Buy America Bureau within the Department of Commerce to oversee project compliance with existing laws that require the use of U.S.-made materials in certain federally funded projects.
