Secure Data and Privacy for Contact Tracing Act of 2021 This bill establishes grants for state, tribal, and territorial health departments to incorporate digital contact tracing technology in COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) contact tracing programs. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must award the grants. Any technology developed or procured with these grants must meet privacy, security, and other conditions. Grantees that acquire technology that does not meet these conditions lose eligibility for this, and future, funding for COVID-19 contact tracing technology. In addition, federal privacy standards for personal health information expressly apply to information transmitted or maintained by grant-funded programs. Current law restricts the use and disclosure of personal health information by health care providers, health plans, health clearinghouses, and their business associates. However, there is an exception to these standards for information used by, or disclosed to, a public health authority. The bill also prohibits the use of data derived from the contact tracing technology in legal proceedings or for immigration enforcement. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate this program.
Vaccinate Americans, Not Terrorists Act This bill prohibits federal entities from administering COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccines to prisoners at the United States Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, until certain conditions are met. Specifically, federal entities may not vaccinate any prisoners if there are outstanding requests from states, tribal nations, and territories for vaccines or other COVID-19 relief; or members of the Armed Forces or reserve components who intend to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have yet to receive it.
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.
Sending Outside Support Act of 2021 or the SOS Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to distribute funds to allow states to establish strike teams that may be deployed to skilled nursing facilities and nursing facilities with cases of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) to help with clinical care, infection control, or staffing.
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.
Air Traffic Noise and Pollution Expert Consensus Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration to enter into an arrangement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to examine and report on the various health impacts of air traffic noise and pollution.
Green Bus Act of 2021 This bill requires all buses purchased or leased with Federal Transit Administration funds to be zero-emission beginning on October 1, 2029. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must issue an annual best practices report on zero-emission bus programs to help states and transit agencies implement zero-emission bus fleets. DOT must give preference in awarding grants under the low or no emission program to transit agencies who have completed a full fleet transition plan. The federal share of the cost of any zero-emission bus purchased or leased in accordance with this bill shall be 90%.
Safe And Friendly for the Environment Streets Act or the SAFE Streets Act This bill revises the Highway Safety Improvement Program to create special rules for vulnerable road users. The bill defines vulnerable road user as a nonmotorist such as a pedestrian, pedalcylcist, bicyclist, other cyclist, or person on personal conveyance. Specifically, the bill requires states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) with above the median rate of vulnerable road user fatalities and serious injuries to dedicate at least 75% of funds under the program for projects to improve safety for such users, and states and MPOs to create vulnerable road user safety assessments that include locations and corridors where serious injuries and fatalities occur and strategies to reduce safety risks for such users in the corridors.
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.
Aviation Manufacturing Jobs Protection Act of 202 1 This bill makes available payroll assistance to eligible aviation employers impacted by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Specifically, aviation employers demonstrating at least a 15% decline in revenues and economic conditions that justify assistance may enter an agreement with the Secretary of the Treasury to receive up to 50% of the amount of total compensation for the 25% of its workforces most at risk of permanent reduction or furlough, excluding senior executive and highly-compensated employees. Assistance under this program is available through April 30, 2023, and Treasury must establish an application process and minimum eligibility requirements for participation in the program not later than 10 days after the enactment of this bill.
Transportation Alternatives Enhancements Act This bill revises the surface transportation block grant program (Transportation Alternatives Program) of the Department of Transportation (DOT). The bill requires DOT to set aside 10% of apportioned funds under the program each fiscal year for states, and allows states to allocate funds to counties, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), regional transportation planning organizations, and local governments. Funds may be used for certain projects or activities, including the construction, planning, and design of infrastructure-related projects and systems that will provide safe routes for nondrivers, such as children, older adults, and individuals with disabilities, to access daily needs. MPOs that serve an urbanized area with a population of 200,000 or fewer are eligible for funding under the program. The bill also adjusts funding limits for states to improve the ability of applicants to access funding in an efficient and expeditious manner.
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.
