Representation for Exceptional Military Families Act This bill establishes the Exceptional Family Member Program Advisory Council in the Department of Defense to provide recommendations on how to improve the Exceptional Family Member Program. The program provides assistance, services, and support to military family members who have special needs.
Reopening to address Every COmplete Record request for Devoted Servicemembers Act of 2021 or the RECORDS Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to take specified steps to address record request backlogs. Specifically, the office must take actions to ensure that (1) the number of individuals employed by the National Personnel Records Center is equal to or exceeds the number of such individuals employed on March 2, 2020, and (2) the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person is equal to or exceeds the percentage of such individuals regularly reporting to work in person on that date. The office shall submit to specified congressional committees a report that provides a comprehensive plan to address the record request backlog of the National Personnel Records Center and improve the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at the center, identifies measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals, and describes strategies to prevent future record request backlogs.
Stop Mandating Additional Requirements for Travel Act or the SMART Act This bill nullifies on July 4, 2021, the rule issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on January 29, 2021, that requires the use of face masks on planes, trains, buses, and other public conveyances and at transportation hubs to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
Human-Powered Travel in Wilderness Areas Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to authorize their respective local offices to determine all permissible forms of nonmotorized travel over routes within wilderness areas. Local offices must seek to accommodate all forms of nonmotorized travel to the maximum extent practicable. If a local office fails to make such a determination about a route within two years after this bill's enactment, then any form of nonmotorized travel shall be allowable on that route.
Making Obligations Right by Enlarging Payments In Lieu of Taxes Act or the MORE PILT Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to develop a modeling tool that calculates the approximate market value of land covered by the payment in lieu of taxes (PILT) program and the approximate amount of local tax revenue the land would generate if privately owned. The PILT program compensates local governments for tax revenue lost due to tax-exempt federal lands within their boundaries. Interior must annually report on the value of land covered by the PILT program, the tax revenue the land would generate if privately owned, and how PILT payments could more accurately reflect that tax revenue.
Modernizing Financing of Early Care and Education in America Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Bipartisan Commission on Early Childhood Education Financing to submit recommendations to Congress on how to modernize federal financing of early care and education programs to streamline and reduce duplicate funding streams.
Informed Electorate Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2027 and otherwise revises the American History for Freedom grant program. In particular, the bill allows eligible institutions of higher education to use grant funds to establish academic centers or programs that promote the importance of civic engagement and the First Amendment to the Constitution. The bill prohibits the use of grant funds to promote, endorse, teach, or distribute material related to (1) the 1619 Project, which is an initiative that addresses the beginning of slavery in the United States; or (2) critical race theory.
Making Aid for Local Disasters Equal Now Act or the MALDEN Act This bill modifies requirements pertaining to the time frame for approval of major disaster or emergency declarations and the ability to make federal resources available to rural communities. Specifically, a major disaster or emergency declaration must be made not later than 30 days after a request by a governor or the chief executive of an affected Indian tribal government. Failure to meet the 30-day requirement shall result in an automatic approval of the request. Additionally, if a disaster or emergency occurs in a rural area, regardless of whether a declaration has been made, the Small State and Rural Advocate within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) shall work in coordination with local agencies to provide guidance on developing a recovery team, including resources to help prevent flooding, mudslides, rockslides or any other natural disaster that could result after a wildfire and identifying available resources for both short-term and long-term recovery. If a request for individual assistance for residents in a rural area is made but denied, the Small State and Rural Advocate shall work in coordination with local agencies to make disaster case workers available to such residents.
Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act This bill requires manufacturers of internet-connected devices (e.g., smart appliances) that are equipped with a camera or microphone to disclose to consumers that a camera or microphone is part of the device. The bill does not apply to mobile phones, laptops, or other devices that a consumer would reasonably expect to include a camera or microphone.
Toxic Exposure in the American Military Act or the TEAM Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand health care, benefits, and resources for veterans with conditions related to exposure to toxic substances. Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to include veterans who (1) were exposed to toxic substances, radiation, or other conditions, and were awarded certain medals (e.g., the Armed Forces Service Medal); (2) are eligible for inclusion in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry; or (3) have been identified by the Department of Defense to have been possibly exposed during service to an open burn pit, toxic substance, or specified hazardous sites. (A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.) The bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain toxic substances and that become manifest within a certain time period; the VA must specify such diseases and requirements through regulations. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill also requires the VA to take specified actions to (1) evaluate scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to toxic substances; (2) train its health care personnel on identifying, treating, and assessing illnesses related to such exposure; and (3) provide resources to veterans exposed to toxic substances.
Michael Lecik Military Firefighters Protection Act This bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for specified diseases becoming manifest in certain veterans to a degree of disability of 10% or more within 15 years of the veteran's separation from active military, naval, or air service. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific diseases or disabilities diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. Veterans addressed by this bill are those who (1) are trained in fire suppression, and (2) served on active duty in a military occupational specialty or career field with a primary responsibility of firefighting or damage control for at least five years in the aggregate.
This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits to members of the National Guard who perform certain full-time service at the request of the President or the Secretary of Defense (i.e., full-time National Guard duty). Specifically, the bill eliminates the existing requirement that eligible full-time service must be in response to a declared national emergency. The bill also specifies that training is not included as full-time service for purposes of eligibility for these members.
