Rep. Maxine Waters

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.

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.

Tenant Empowerment Act of 2021 This bill generally expands the rights of tenants in federally assisted housing. Specifically, the bill allows tenants to place rent in an escrow account in the event that a housing project is found to be in violation of certain housing standards; seek judicial enforcement of specified housing agreements; and access information related to a housing project, including the ownership, specified reports, and contracts. The bill also provides for continuing rental assistance payments for tenants if the property is in foreclosure.

Large-Scale Water Recycling Project Investment Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior to award grants to water or power delivery authorities for the planning, design, and construction of large-scale water recycling and reuse projects in drought-stricken regions of certain western states. Additionally, the Government Accountability Office must report on the selection process for each project.

Patriotic Corporations of America Act of 2021 This bill establishes new requirements for federal contracts, including Department of Defense contracts, with respect to issues of labor, environmental sustainability, taxes, and private equity firms. Specifically, the bill prohibits an executive agency from awarding a contract unless the offeror, among other requirements pays employees wages that meet certain minimums; agrees to sign a neutrality agreement with respect to efforts to form a labor organization and an agreement not to hire replacement workers in any strike; submits to the agency an actionable plan to address natural disasters and health crises, including policies and plans for paid family and medical leave and for whistleblower protections; and submits to the agency an actionable plan to recruit and promote people of color, women, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and veterans. The bill sets forth additional provisions to assure that the offeror meets specified requirements with respect to the payment of environmental penalties, federal income tax liability and financial performance, and a controlling private equity firm meeting certain labor and environmental requirements. The bill establishes specified contract preferences (e.g., in favor of an offeror that does not outsource jobs outside the United States and that has a collective bargaining agreement with employees).

Better Care Better Jobs Act This bill establishes programs and provides funds for state Medicaid programs to improve home- and community-based services (HCBS), such as home health care, personal care, case management, and rehabilitative services. Specifically, the bill provides funds for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award planning grants, develop quality measures, and provide technical assistance to states regarding specified HCBS improvements, particularly with respect to access, utilization, and the associated workforce. The bill also increases the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for HCBS in states that develop plans and meet specified benchmarks for improvements. The bill also makes permanent (1) the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program (a grant program to help states increase the use of HCBS for long-term care and decrease the use of institutional care), and (2) certain provisions regarding Medicaid eligibility that protect against spousal impoverishment for recipients of HCBS.

Advancing FASD Research, Services, and Prevention Act or the FASD Respect Act This bill expands and establishes programs for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Specifically, it directs the Department of Health and Human Services, the National Institutes of Health, the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, and the Health Resources and Services Administration to carry out and coordinate research, surveillance, and related activities to diagnose, prevent, and treat FASD. Furthermore, the bill establishes various grant programs to support FASD coalitions and develop systems of care; provide services for individuals affected by FASD and other conditions related to prenatal substance exposure; identify and implement best practices for educating children with FASD; and establish centers for excellence to build relevant capacity for preventing, treating, and responding to the needs of individuals with FASD. The bill also directs the Department of Education and the Department of Justice to develop and disseminate trainings and best practices related to FASD in schools and correctional facilities, respectively.

Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act of 20 21 This bill prohibits commercial conversion therapy, which is a practice or treatment designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity or otherwise change behaviors, thoughts, or expressions related to gender or sexual attraction. This prohibition does not apply to treatment that assists an individual undergoing a gender transition or facilitates identity exploration and development.

Vanessa Guillén Military Justice Improvement and Increasing Prevention Act This bill modifies the process and policy related to the disposition of charges and convening of courts-martial for certain sexual assault cases and other specified offenses under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ). Among other elements, the bill provides that the determinations on the preferral, disposition, and referral of charges for specified offenses under the UCMJ must be made by a commissioned officer of the Armed Forces who is designated as a court-martial convening authority (in grade O-6 or higher) and who is available for detail as trial counsel, has significant trial experience, and is outside the chain of command of the member subject to the charges.

Central Liquidity Facility Enhancement Act This bill permanently extends waivers applicable to the National Credit Union Administration Central Liquidity Facility with respect to membership, credit extension, and borrowing requirements. Currently, these waivers expire on December 31, 2021. The facility extends credit to member credit unions experiencing liquidity shortfalls. Specifically, the bill increases the facility's maximum borrowing authority, allows corporate credit unions to borrow for additional purposes, expands agent memberships, and revises the requirements for loan approval.