Fiscal Year 2022 Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Authorization Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs to carry out specified major medical facility projects during FY2022. The bill also indicates the maximum amount that can be spent on each project.
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.
Rural Veterans Travel Enhancement Act of 2021 This bill addresses Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) transportation benefits for certain veterans. First, the bill makes permanent the authority for the VA to transport any person to or from a VA facility or other place in connection with vocational rehabilitation, required counseling, or for an examination, treatment, or care. The bill also permanently extends the authorization of appropriations for grants provided to state veterans service agencies and veterans service organizations to transport highly rural veterans for medical care. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study fraud, waste, and abuse of benefits under the VA beneficiary travel program and report the findings to Congress. The GAO must also study and report on (1) the efficacy of the current mileage reimbursement rate under the program in mitigating the financial burden of transportation costs for traveling to and from VA medical facilities for care, (2) the origins of the amount of the deductible and its impact on the efficacy of the benefits provided in mitigating the financial burden on veterans seeking medical care, and (3) recommendations for how this program or another program could further encourage veterans to seek medical care. The bill also requires the VA to implement various pilot programs related to transportation benefits for veterans for specified purposes.
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.
Vet Center Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to evaluate productivity expectations for readjustment counselors of Vet Centers, including by obtaining feedback from counselors that must be audited annually for five years by the Government Accountability Office. The VA must also (1) develop and implement a staffing model for Vet Centers, (2) standardize descriptions of position responsibilities at Vet Centers, and (3) award grants to address food insecurity among veterans and family members of veterans who receive services through Vet Centers or other VA facilities.
Department of Veterans Affairs Information Technology Reform Act of 2021 This bill addresses the management and implementation of information technology projects and investments of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, the bill prohibits the VA from obligating or expending funds for any major information technology project that begins after the date of enactment of this bill unless a report is submitted that includes information on the cost, schedule, and performance of the project. The information in the report must be used as a baseline against which changes or variances are measured and reported on during the life cycle of the project. Projects must be managed by an interdisciplinary team that includes a certified project manager, a functional lead, a technical lead, a contracting officer, and other appropriate personnel. The VA's Chief Information Officer must (1) exercise authority over the management, governance, and oversight processes relating to information technology of the VA's Financial Services Center; and (2) supervise the information technology employees and contractors of the center. The VA must ensure its annual budget justification materials include a list of its active information technology projects and specified information about such projects, projected funding needs for projects, a prioritized list of every proposed project that is unfunded, and information about the decommissioning of information technology systems and applications. Finally, the VA must assess all of its information technology investments to determine the suitability for migration to a cloud computing service.
Protecting Access to Credit for Small Businesses Act This bill prohibits the Small Business Administration from directly making a loan under the 7(a) Program, which authorizes loans and loan guaranties to small businesses that meet certain requirements.
Protecting Medicare and American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act This bill makes several budgetary, technical, and procedural changes, particularly in relation to Medicare and increasing the debt limit. Specifically, the bill continues to exempt Medicare from sequestration until March 31, 2022. (Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.) The bill also establishes expedited Senate procedures for considering legislation to increase the debt limit. The procedures limit debate, waive points of order, and prohibit amendments. The procedures may only be used once and expire after January 16, 2022. Additionally, the bill (1) temporarily extends other provisions under Medicare, including a payment increase under the physician fee schedule; and (2) requires any debits recorded for FY2022 on the statutory pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) scorecards to be deducted from the scorecards for 2022 and added to the scorecards for 2023.
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor emergency temporary standard for preventing the transmission of COVID-19 in employment settings. Under the standard issued on November 5, 2021, employers with 100 or more employees must require their onsite employees to either be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly COVID-19 testing.
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to submit a report on the potential costs and benefits of its proposed rule governing the importation of live sheep, goats, other ruminants, and products derived from sheep and goats. It also bars USDA from finalizing, implementing, administering, or enforcing the rule until one year after the date that USDA submits the report.
This bill authorizes Hershel Woodrow Williams, who is the last surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor for acts performed during World War II, to lie in state in the Capitol rotunda upon his death.
Fixing Announcements for Intermittent Remapping and Notification Expectations to Stop Surprises in Flood Insurance Act of 2021 or the FAIRNESS in Flood Insurance Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide notice through the mail to property owners of any revision or update to any floodplain areas and flood risk zones identified, delineated, or established under the National Flood Insurance Program for coverage and rate purposes. Specifically, such notice must be provided not less than 15 days before the remapping process begins. The bill also sets forth notification requirements regarding the remapping appeals process and the finalization of the remapping process.
