White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, Hunger, and Health Act This bill directs the President to convene a conference to make policy recommendations for ending hunger, creating sustainable markets for agricultural producers, and improving nutrition and the resiliency of the food system. The bill also requires specified congressional committees to hold hearings on the conference recommendations and on the status of hunger, nutrition security, and food systems.
This bill requires the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment within the Department of Defense (DOD) to review unmanned aerial systems to determine and develop appropriate actions related to sourcing and industrial capacity. The bill also requires designated senior DOD officials to conduct annual assessments of workforce, infrastructure, and industrial base capabilities and capacity to support a strategy to support domestic manufacturing and industrial base capabilities to support future defense requirements. The Government Accountability Office must brief Congress and report on, among other topics, its findings related to the strategy, effectiveness, and responsibilities of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy.
Expanding Access to Diabetes Self-Management Training Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage of diabetes outpatient self-management training. It also requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to test a model in which such training is provided virtually.
Servicemembers and Veterans Empowerment and Support Act of 2021 This bill modifies and implements policies and procedures related to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for veterans who have experienced military sexual trauma (MST), which is generally defined as physical assault of a sexual nature, battery of a sexual nature, or sexual harassment that occurred while the veteran was serving in the military. The VA must revise its regulations to update the definition of MST to include matters relating to technological abuse. In the case of any veteran who claims that a covered mental health condition (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) based on MST was incurred or aggravated by active service, the VA must accept specified diagnoses and evidence as proof of service-connection. The VA may not deny a veteran's claim of compensation for a covered mental health condition based on MST without first (1) advising the veteran that nonmilitary evidence and behavioral evidence may constitute credible corroborating evidence, and (2) allowing the veteran an opportunity to furnish the corroborating evidence or advise the VA of potential sources of such evidence. The Veterans Benefits Administration must conduct an annual special focus review on the accuracy of the processing of claims for disability compensation for disabilities relating to MST. Additionally, the bill (1) expands access to mental health care at VA facilities for survivors of MST, and (2) requires the VA and the Government Accountability Office to report on access to such care for MST survivors.
Administrative False Claims Act of 2021 This bill modifies provisions regarding fraud committed against the federal government. Specifically, the bill raises the maximum amount of a fraud claim that may be handled administratively from $150,000 to $1 million, allows responsibilities in the administrative process assigned to the Attorney General or an Assistant Attorney General to be delegated to other Department of Justice employees, and allows the government to recoup costs for investigating and prosecuting these frauds.
Overseas Americans Financial Access Act This bill modifies tax reporting requirements that apply to foreign financial institutions and individuals with foreign financial assets to create exceptions for the foreign accounts of certain U.S. residents or citizens living abroad.
Helicopter Data and Voice Recorder Requirement Act This bill makes it unlawful for an air carrier to operate a single or multiengine, turbine-powered helicopter with one or more passenger seats and one or more pilots without a flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder.
This resolution supports the designation of Oxi Day in commemoration of Greece's refusal to submit to the Axis Powers during World War II and notes that this resistance likely led to the ultimate defeat of Nazi Germany. (Greece's Prime Minister at the time, Ioannis Metaxas, had responded to Italy's demand for surrender with the single word Oxi! or No! )
Promoting American Energy Jobs Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish an Energy Jobs Council to (1) conduct a survey of employers in the energy, energy efficiency, and motor vehicle sectors of the U.S. economy; (2) preform an analysis of the employment figures and demographics in those sectors; and (3) publish a U.S. Energy and Employment Report that is based on the survey and analysis.
Smart Manufacturing Leadership Act of 2021 This bill addresses the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector as well as the development of smart manufacturing technologies (certain advanced technologies in information, automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and networking). Specifically, the Department of Energy (DOE) may make grants to states for supporting the implementation of smart manufacturing technologies. States must use those grants to (1) provide access to shared supercomputing facilities to small- and medium-sized manufacturers, (2) fund research and development of transformational manufacturing processes and materials technology that advance smart manufacturing, and (3) provide tools and training to aid the adoption of energy management systems and implement smart manufacturing technologies in the manufacturers' facilities. In addition, DOE must expand the scope of technologies covered by its Industrial Assessment Centers to (1) include smart manufacturing technologies and practices, and (2) equip the centers' directors with the training and tools necessary to provide technical assistance in smart manufacturing technologies and practices. DOE must also (1) study how it can increase access to existing high-performance computing resources in its National Laboratories, and (2) facilitate access to the laboratories by small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
Emergency Relief for Servicemembers Act of 2021 This bill authorizes a servicemember to terminate specified contracts (e.g., contracts for commercial mobile service or internet service) that are entered into in relation to military orders for a permanent change of station if the member then receives a stop movement order in response to a local, national, or global emergency which prevents the member from using the services provided under the contract.
Pay Our Correctional Officers Fairly Act This bill provides increased locality pay rates to certain Bureau of Prisons employees whose duty stations are located in the pay locality designated as Rest of U.S. The Rest of U.S. GS (general schedule) locality is the default locality area that applies to GS employees in any city that does not fall within another specified GS locality. Such an employee shall not be subject to this bill if his or her official work site is not located within 100 miles of any pay locality other than Rest of U.S .
