United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2021
Safeguarding Educational Institutions, Colleges, Universities, and Research Entities from China's Attempts to Misappropriate Property of the United States Act of 2021 or the SECURE CAMPUS Act of 2021 This bill prohibits certain Chinese citizens from receiving visas to participate in graduate or post-graduate studies in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) and contains other related provisions. This prohibition applies to F (academic student) and J (exchange visitor) visas and does not apply to citizens or permanent residents of Taiwan or Hong Kong. (China considers Taiwan a Chinese province. Hong Kong is a special administrative region within China, and most of its permanent inhabitants are Chinese citizens.) The Department of State may waive this prohibition on a case-by-case basis for national security purposes or if the applicant is a member of a religious or ethnic group that is systematically oppressed by the Chinese Communist Party. Institutions of higher education in the federal Student and Exchange Visitor Program must annually certify that no prohibited Chinese citizens are permitted to participate in the institution's graduate or post-graduate STEM programs. A recipient of a federal STEM research grant must certify that the recipient (1) is not a Chinese citizen or a participant in a Chinese government foreign researcher recruitment program (a program that compensates individuals to conduct STEM-related research and development), and (2) will not knowingly use grant funds to employ such an individual. Entities that receive certain federal research or education assistance shall not knowingly employ any individual participating in a Chinese government foreign researcher recruitment program. An individual who recruits or performs research for such a program must register as an agent of a foreign principal.
United States · United States Congress · 22 April 2021
Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act This bill provides for Medicare coverage and payment with respect to certain pharmacist services that (1) are furnished by a pharmacist in a health-professional shortage area, and (2) would otherwise be covered under Medicare if furnished by a physician.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021 This bill establishes and modifies several programs and requirements to address prescription drug prices. The bill modifies provisions under Medicare and Medicaid relating to prescription drug coverage and price transparency. Among other changes, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish certain information, as reported by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), relating to generic dispensing rates, drug discounts and rebates, and payments between PBMs, health plans, and pharmacies; caps annual out-of-pocket spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit; allows prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to offer additional plans in a region; requires pass-through pricing models, and prohibits spread-pricing, for payment arrangements with PBMs under Medicaid; and allows states to include in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program covered outpatient drugs that are provided as part of physician or outpatient hospital services. The bill also generally modifies other provisions relating to the regulation and costs of generic and brand-name drugs. Among other changes, the bill prohibits the manufacturer of a brand-name, generic, or biosimilar drug from entering into certain agreements to resolve or settle a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product; permanently allows high deductible health plans to waive deductibles for insulin and associated products; and establishes the position of Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2021
Israel Relations Normalization Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State to take certain actions promoting the normalization of relations between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. Specifically, the State Department must develop a strategy on expanding and strengthening the Abraham Accords (the term used to refer collectively to agreements between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and between Israel and Bahrain marking the public normalization of relations between the two Arab countries and Israel). The strategy must include a description of how the U.S. government will encourage further normalization of relations with Israel. In addition, the State Department must report on options for U.S. international efforts to promote the strengthening of ties between Israel, Arab states, and other relevant countries and regions. The State Department must also report on the status of the normalization of relations with Israel, including information on (1) laws that punish individuals for people-to-people relations with Israelis (i.e., anti-normalization laws), and (2) evidence of steps taken by Arab governments toward permitting or encouraging normalized relations between their citizens or residents and Israeli citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 20 April 2021
Sunshine for Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act of 2021 This bill establishes transparency and public accountability standards for federal agencies with respect to (1) certain civil actions seeking to compel agency action, and (2) related consent decrees and settlement agreements. For example, an agency must publish a complaint filed against it within 15 days. Additionally, settlement proceedings must be conducted through mediation or an alternative dispute resolution program of the court, and those proceedings must include intervening parties. The bill also creates a presumption in favor of a motion to intervene in settlement proceedings. Further, at least 60 days prior to entering a consent decree or settlement agreement, an agency must publish, and accept and respond to public comment on, the proposed agreement or decree. An agency also must provide the court with the administrative record, a summary of the public comments, and access to the record of any public hearings on the proposed decree or agreement. The Department of Justice, or the agency litigating a matter independently, must certify to the court its approval of certain terms included in an agreement or decree, including terms that convert a discretionary authority into a nondiscretionary duty. A court may not approve a consent decree or settlement agreement unless the agency has sufficient time and procedures to comply with federal administrative procedures, other rulemaking statutes, and applicable executive orders. Finally, courts must review a consent decree or settlement if an agency files a motion to modify the decree or agreement on the basis of changed facts or circumstances.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2021
Trillion Trees Act This bills establishes a variety of requirements and incentives to plant trees and conduct other land management practices for the purposes of capturing and storing carbon in domestic and international trees and forests. Additionally, the bill provides incentives to research or develop other carbon sequestration tools. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to set targets to increase forest carbon stock through January 1, 2100, for the purposes of sequestering and storing carbon in U.S. forests. It also establishes and provides funding for the Trillion Trees Challenge Fund to provide grants to nonfederal entities for activities related to reforestation efforts on public or private lands. In addition, it raises the cap on the Reforestation Trust Fund to enhance forest health in the National Forest System and requires the USDA to establish a Tree City USA Grant Program. The bill also allows the U.S. Agency for International Development to enter into an agreement with a nonprofit organization to establish an International Forest Foundation to promote reforestation and prevent deforestation. Additionally, it establishes requirements and incentives to address seedling shortages and support nurseries. Finally, the bill provides market incentives to research or develop other carbon sequestration tools relating to biochar, sustainable building practices, biochemical and bioplastic products, and biomass energy.
United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2021
Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.
United States · United States Congress · 16 April 2021
Restoring Environments, Soils, Trees, and Operations to develop the Rural Economy Act of 2021 or the RESTORE Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA), at the request of a governor of a state, to select a forest landscape in the state on which to conduct a forest landscape project. For a project, USDA must carry out one or more specified management activities, including installing fuel breaks, conducting controlled burns, and removing dead trees.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Sponsoring USDA Sustainability Targets in Agriculture to Incentivize Natural Solutions Act of 2021 or the SUSTAINS Act This bill authorizes the Natural Resources Conservation Service to accept contributions of nonfederal funds to support a broader range of conservation programs. Current law authorizes the service to accept nonfederal contributions of funds to support certain programs, such as the Environmental Quality Incentives Program and the Conservation Stewardship Program. This bill expands the authority to include other conservation programs, including those that address climate change, carbon sequestration, wildlife habitat improvement, and protection of drinking water sources. The bill also makes other changes to the administration of contributed funds, such as by allowing the service to match contributions and permitting contributors to designate funds for use in a specific program or geographic area.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Eradicate Crossing of Illegal Tunnels Act of 2021 or the EXIT Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to take various actions to facilitate the search for and remediation of unlawful border crossing tunnels on private land. Specifically, DHS may waive federal, state, or local environmental permits and reviews as necessary to search for or remediate such tunnels. U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement may enter into indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts with two or more sources to facilitate such border tunnel activities. (Indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contracts provide for an indefinite quantity of services for a fixed time.)
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Forestry Improvements to Restore the Environment Act of 2021 or the FIRE Act of 2021 This bill provides for salvage activities after a wildfire is contained on certain National Forest System lands. No later than 60 days after a wildfire is contained on such lands (1) the Forest Service, to the maximum extent practicable, shall complete a survey of the lands that were impacted by such wildfire; and (2) the Department of Agriculture (USDA) shall convert the timber sales applicable to such lands that were impacted by such wildfire to salvage sales. The bill designates a categorical exclusion for forest management activities where the primary purpose of the activity is for roadside salvage activities that allow for the removal of hazard trees that are within 200 feet of a roadway center line. Activities carried out pursuant to this bill shall be subject to judicial review in the same manner as authorized hazardous fuels reduction projects. A court may not order a preliminary injunction enjoining the USDA from proceeding with timber sales authorized under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Cormorant Relief Act This bill provides statutory authority for certain regulations that allow for the taking of double-crested cormorants (birds) to protect fish at aquaculture facilities and to protect public resources (e.g., fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats).
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Ensuring Seniors Access to Local Pharmacies Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements for prescription drug plans under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Specifically, the bill requires prescription drug plans to allow any pharmacy located in a health professional shortage area, a medically underserved area, or a rural area to be included as an in-network pharmacy if the plan already has other in-network pharmacies in the same area. The bill also establishes certain standards for prescription drug plans regarding pharmacy reimbursements and related disclosures. Among other things, the bill prohibits prescription drug plans from reimbursing a pharmacy in an amount that is less than the amount the pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) reimburses an affiliated pharmacy (i.e., a pharmacy that has a shared ownership interest with the PBM) for the same services.
United States · United States Congress · 15 April 2021
Accelerate Long-term Investment Growth Now Act or the ALIGN Act This bill makes permanent the expensing of certain new business equipment. Expensing allows the deduction of the full amount of an expense item in the same taxable year.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
Producing Responsible Energy and Conservation Incentives and Solutions for the Environment Act or the PRECISE Act This bill incorporates support for precision agriculture into various programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Precision agriculture refers to an information- and technology-based management system used to identify, analyze, and manage variability in agricultural production for optimum profitability, sustainability, and environmental protection. Specifically, the bill makes changes to eligibility criteria, administrative procedures, and other aspects of the Conservation Loan Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. These changes include allowing the programs to support the adoption of precision agriculture practices and acquisition of precision agriculture technologies. In addition, the bill expands a program through which USDA makes and insures loans to for-profit and nonprofit organizations that invest in rural areas by allowing the loans to be used for precision agriculture practices. The bill also requires USDA to emphasize the use of third-party providers with respect to technical assistance on matters related to soil health for participants in certain USDA conservation programs.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
Competition in Professional Baseball Act This bill removes the limited exemption from the antitrust laws for professional baseball clubs. For purposes of this bill, the term antitrust laws means laws to protect against unlawful restraints and monopolies (Clayton Act) and to protect against unfair methods of competition (Federal Trade Commission Act).
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act This bill allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a Dementia Care Management Model that provides comprehensive care to Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Under the model, participating health care providers receive payment under Medicare for comprehensive care management services that are provided to individuals with diagnosed dementia, excluding Medicare Advantage enrollees, hospice care recipients, and nursing home residents. Required services include medication management, care coordination, and health, financial, and environmental monitoring, as well as trainings and other support services for unpaid caregivers. Providers must furnish services through interdisciplinary teams and must ensure access to a team member or primary care provider 24-7. The CMMI must set payments and determine quality measures for the model in accordance with specified requirements. The bill also allows the CMMI to design a similar model under Medicaid.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that (1) clean water is a national priority, and (2) the 2020 final rule titled The Navigable Waters Protection Rule: Definition of "Waters of the United States" should not be withdrawn or vacated.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
Naturally Offsetting Emissions by Managing and Implementing Tillage Strategies Act of 2021 or the NO EMITS Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to carry out activities to improve soil health, including to address climate change. Specifically, USDA must establish a program that provides agricultural producers incentives (i.e., payments) for and technical assistance with adopting or maintaining practices or cropping systems to improve soil health, award grants to states and Indian tribes for implementing soil health programs, and use a portion of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide agricultural producers with technical assistance for mitigating and adapting to climate change. The bill also (1) makes practices related to livestock production eligible for certain competitive grants under the On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials program, and (2) increases funding for the program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2021
BUILDER Act of 2021 or the Building United States Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews Act of 2021 This bill places limits on the environmental review of proposed major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and establishes deadlines and other requirements to expedite the environmental review of such actions. Specifically, the bill limits the scope of the environmental review of major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment as specified by the bill. The bill also specifies the thresholds that trigger when agencies must issue environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for proposed agency actions, outlines when agencies are not required to prepare environmental documents for such actions, and establishes deadlines to complete such documents. The bill also establishes a process for designating a lead federal agency as well as a joint lead agency, such as a state government, to supervise the environmental review under NEPA. A lead agency may allow a project sponsor to prepare environmental documents under specified circumstances. Additionally, the bill revises requirements concerning the judicial review of NEPA cases, including by establishing deadlines to file lawsuits under NEPA.
United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2021
No Taxpayer Funding for Vaccine Passports Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to develop a system that requires proof of an individual's COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccination status as a condition of performing any action. If a state, territory, or locality implements such a system, it loses eligibility for specified COVID-19 relief funding.
United States · United States Congress · 8 April 2021
Paving the Way for Rural Communities Act of 2021 This bill provides exemptions from environmental, endangered species, or historic preservation requirements for federally funded projects or activities that are not in metropolitan statistical areas.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2021
Credit Union Governance Modernization Act of 2021 This bill revises the procedure for expelling members from a federal credit union. Specifically, a member may be expelled for cause pursuant to a policy adopted by a majority vote of a quorum of the directors of a credit union. Currently, a member may be expelled by a two-thirds vote of the credit union membership present at a special meeting. The member may request a hearing from the board of directors. After the hearing, the board shall hold a vote on expelling the member. The expelled member may request reinstatement through a two-thirds vote of the members present at a meeting. Member conduct that may be cause for expulsion includes a material loss to the credit union, a violation of the credit union membership agreement, a substantial disruption to the operations of a credit union, fraud or attempted fraud, and other illegal or inappropriate behavior.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2021
Accountability Through Electronic Verification Act This bill expands the E-Verify program by requiring all employers to use it and permanently reauthorizes the program. Currently, E-Verify use is voluntary for most employers, although some states mandate its use. All employers shall use E-Verify to confirm the identity and employment eligibility of all recruited, referred, or hired individuals, including current employees who were never verified under the program. Failure to use E-Verify shall create a rebuttable presumption that the employer is violating immigration law. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services shall generate weekly reports about individuals who have received a final nonconfirmation of employment eligibility. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shall use the report to enforce immigration laws. DHS shall establish a program to help certain small businesses verify employee eligibility. DHS shall also update E-Verify's design to help prevent and detect fraud and identity theft. The bill increases civil and criminal penalties for hiring unauthorized aliens. DHS shall debar repeat offenders and those criminally convicted from holding federal contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. The Social Security Administration, Internal Revenue Service, Department of the Treasury, and DHS shall jointly establish a program to share information to help identify unauthorized aliens. The bill establishes the Employer Compliance Inspection Center within Homeland Security Investigations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The center's duties include processing I-9 employment eligibility verification forms and ensuring compliance with employment eligibility laws. DHS shall report to Congress on ways to simplify procedures relating to I-9 forms and on whether the I-9 process should be eliminated.
United States · United States Congress · 29 March 2021
Freight Rail Assistance and Investment to Launch Coronavirus-era Activity and Recovery Act of 2021 or the Freight RAILCAR Act of 2021 This bill provides a new tax credit for 50% of freight railcar fleet modernization expenses. The bill defines freight railcar fleet modernization expenses to include amounts for railcar replacement and modernization, railcar scrap amounts, and for railcar facility and technology modernization. The Department of the Treasury must report to Congress on the credit to provide information on the number of times the credit was claimed and the number of railcars scrapped or built as a result of the credit.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act This bill authorizes appropriations through FY2026 to the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on the federal-aid highway system. DOT must provide competitive grants to states, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, and certain public agencies for projects that provide parking for commercial motor vehicles on federal-aid highways or on a facility with reasonable access to such a highway or a freight facility. The federal share for a project carried out in accordance with the bill must be 100%.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Camp Lejeune Justice Act of 2021 This bill allows certain individuals to sue and recover damages for harm from exposure to contaminated water at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987. This action is available only to individuals who were exposed to contaminated water for at least 30 days. The bill prohibits the U.S. government from asserting specified immunity from litigation in response to such a lawsuit. The bill also prohibits an individual who brings such an action from bringing a separate tort action against the United States based on the same harm.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Flexible Financing for Rural America Act This bill allows rural utility service providers to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a request to adjust the interest rate or modify the terms of certain loans. The request shall include a report summarizing how the adjustment or modification will assist the borrower in providing critical utility services to a rural community. Specifically, on receipt of a request, USDA or the Department of the Treasury (in the case of a loan owned by the Federal Financing Bank) must adjust the interest rate on the loan to match certain interest rates for obligations of comparable maturity to the term remaining on the loan (or a higher rate requested by the borrower), and make modifications to the loan terms as necessary to address changes in the financial position of the borrower due to the COVID-19 public health emergency and to promote the financial sustainability of the borrower. In carrying out the adjustments or modifications, USDA or Treasury shall not impose or collect any fee from, or impose any penalty on, a borrower. The bill also provides funding to implement the adjustments and modifications and for the liquidation of residual intragovernmental amounts owed by the Federal Financing Bank in connection with certain loans.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2023-FY2029; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree or, if unavailable, to a member of his family, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Reopening America by Supporting Workers and Businesses Act of 2021 This bill permits states to provide a one-time lump sum payment, through July 1, 2021, to individuals who (1) were eligible for COVID-19 pandemic unemployment compensation during any week after enactment of this bill, and (2) are no longer eligible as a result of becoming thereafter reemployed. Payments of $1,200 shall be paid to individuals who work at least 30 hours and $600 to individuals who work at least 20 hours but less than 30. The payments are available for claimants (1) who are not employed by a government entity, (2) who return to work for at least four consecutive weeks, and (3) whose annual salary does not exceed $75,000. Before receipt of a payment, the individuals' employers must verify their hours and earnings. Additionally, the bill (1) accelerates a scheduled increase in funding for reemployment services and eligibility assessments (RESEA), (2) allows states to use RESEA funds to serve all workers receiving unemployment benefits, and not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits; and (3) allows states to provide reemployment services to individuals receiving pandemic unemployment assistance and pandemic emergency unemployment compensation. Finally, the bill reinstates the requirement that unemployment claimants certify they are able, available, and actively seeking work.
United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2021
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. After the award the medal shall be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2021
Agricultural Guest Worker Reform Initiative Act of 2021 or the AGRI Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions related to H-2A (temporary agricultural worker) visas, including to eliminate certain requirements to hire U.S. workers, expand the program to include dairy and ranch workers, and shift administrative responsibilities from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill establishes a trust fund to be used to (1) administer and enforce the program, (2) collect a portion of guest worker wages to be paid upon a worker's return to the worker's country of origin, and (3) provide emergency medical services for guest workers. The bill eliminates a requirement that, during the first half of the time period of a guest worker contract, certain employers must hire any qualified U.S. employee who applies to perform the job the guest worker was hired to perform. Furthermore, an employer shall not be required to pay a guest worker a wage higher than the highest of federal, state, or local minimum wage rates. The bill places limitations on when guest workers may receive civil legal assistance for low-income individuals. Employer-provided housing shall be governed generally by USDA regulations, where currently such housing must meet applicable federal, state, or local standards. Employers shall not have to provide housing to workers who can reasonably return to their permanent residence within the same day. An employer may file a civil action to recover transportation costs from a guest worker who absconds from a contract.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2021
Dr. Neil Compton Conservation Act This bill redesignates the Tyler Bend Visitor Center located on Tyler Bend Road in St. Joe, Arkansas, as the Dr. Neil Compton Visitor Center. The Department of the Interior may display information at the Dr. Neil Compton Visitor Center to educate the public about the contributions of Dr. Neil Compton to the history of the Buffalo National River.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2021
Providing Americans with LNG Safely Act or the PALS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Transportation (DOT) from issuing any regulation or order that (1) prohibits the transportation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by rail, or (2) restricts the transportation of LNG by rail in DOT-113 tank cars. The bill does not limit the authority of DOT to issue short-term emergency orders related to the transportation of LNG by rail.
United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2021
This bill prohibits the use of federal funds (1) 15 days after its enactment, to support the mission of the National Guard in the District of Columbia in response to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol buildings and grounds on January 6, 2021; or (2) to install permanent fencing around the perimeter of any U.S. Capitol buildings or grounds. On January 7, 2021, in response to the attacks, razor wire fencing was erected to secure the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol; the fencing was initially to remain in place for 30 days and was kept in place through periodic extensions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Stopping Illicit Trafficking Act of 2021 or the SIFT Act of 2021 This bill adds five fentanyl analogues and the entire category of fentanyl-related substances to schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act. The bill also creates a process to remove from schedule I certain fentanyl-related substances that do not have a high potential for abuse.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
This resolution urges the U.S. Capitol Police Board to direct the Architect of the Capitol to remove the fencing installed around the perimeter of the U.S. Capitol complex in response to the attacks of January 6, 2021, and it recommends the end of the National Guard's mission in the District of Columbia in response to those attacks.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Huntington's Disease Disability Insurance Access Act of 2021 This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with Huntington's disease. This is an inherited disorder that causes brain cells to die, including in areas of the brain that help to control voluntary movement. Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with Huntington's disease. Under current law, individuals generally must wait five months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Let States Cut Taxes Act This bill removes a prohibition on states and territories using COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funding under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to offset a reduction in revenue resulting from a reduction in taxes or a delay in the imposition of a tax or tax increase.
United States · United States Congress · 18 March 2021
Protect Seniors and Cut Waste Act This bill prohibits the budgetary effects of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 from being counted for the purposes of determining whether a specified sequester occurs under the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010. (The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 provided funding to address the impact of COVID-19. 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 modifies several other provisions related to COVID-19 spending. Among other modifications, the bill provides supplemental appropriations for the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund to reimburse certain health care providers for health care related expenses or lost revenues that are attributable to the coronavirus; rescinds certain funds that were provided for payments to states, territories, and tribal governments to mitigate the fiscal effects stemming from the COVID-19 public health emergency; prohibits individuals who are incarcerated or unlawfully present in the United States from receiving 2021 recovery rebates; and rescinds funds that were provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the Emergency Federal Employee Leave Fund.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects, such as reconstructive services and items. Coverage must include services and items that functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part that is medically necessary for normal bodily functions or appearance, as determined by the treating physician. Coverage limits and cost-sharing requirements for such services and items may not be more restrictive than those applicable to all medical and surgical benefits under the plan.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
End Taxpayer Funding of Gender Experimentation Act of 2021 This bill modifies provisions relating to federal funding for, and health insurance coverage of, gender reassignment medical interventions, which include surgical remedies and hormone therapy arising from a conflict between an individual's gender identity and the sex the individual has or was identified as having at birth. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds for gender reassignment medical interventions or for health coverage that includes such interventions. Additionally, such interventions may not be provided in a federal health care facility or by a federal employee. Under current law, coverage of these interventions through Medicare and Medicaid is generally determined at the state level. The bill's restrictions regarding the use of federal funds do not apply to treatment of individuals with medically verifiable disorders of sex development, such as individuals born with atypical development of chromosomal, gonadal, or anatomical sex. The bill also prohibits qualified health plans from including coverage for gender reassignment medical interventions. Further, plans that include coverage for such interventions are not eligible for federal subsidies.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2021
Protecting Children From Experimentation Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for performing gender reassignment medical interventions on minors. It also provides that a minor who receives such an intervention may bring a civil action against each person who performed that intervention. The bill defines these interventions as certain surgeries or the use of hormones to change the body of an individual to correspond to a sex that is discordant with the individual's biological sex. It excludes, however, interventions in cases where an individual has ambiguous external biological sex characteristics or where a physician has determined that an individual does not have normal sex chromosome structure, sex steroid hormone production, or sex steroid hormone action. An individual who performs these interventions on a minor is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. A minor who receives these medical interventions may not be arrested or prosecuted for an offense under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Gun Owner Registration Information Protection Act This bill prohibits federal funding of, or support for, state databases that list (1) firearms lawfully owned or possessed by individuals, or (2) individuals who lawfully own or possess firearms.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
One Federal Decision Act of 202 1 This bill provides statutory authority for the policy that requires federal agencies to coordinate environmental reviews and authorization decisions for major infrastructure projects. It also sets a goal for completing environmental reviews within two years. The Department of Transportation (DOT) must review existing practices, procedures, programmatic agreements, and applicable laws to identify potential changes that would facilitate an efficient environmental review process for projects. All authorization decisions for construction of a major project must be completed within 90 days of the issuance of a record of decision for the project, although the lead agency could extend the deadline in some cases. The lead agency must develop an environmental review schedule with the project sponsor that is consistent with an agency average of not more than two years for the completion of the environmental review process for major projects. DOT must also (1) establish a performance accountability system to track each major project, and (2) provide other relevant federal agencies with a list of categorical exclusions under the National Environmental Policy Act that are applicable to highway projects and that would accelerate project delivery. The bill also eliminates the two-year limitation on filing claims seeking judicial review of permits, licenses, or approvals issued by a federal agency for railroad projects.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2021
Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act of 2021 This bill revises requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program of the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, schools participating in the program must provide milk that is consistent with the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans; USDA regulations require milk to be fat-free or low-fat and allow only fat-free milk to be flavored. The bill removes these restrictions and instead permits schools to offer students whole, reduced-fat, low-fat, and fat-free flavored and unflavored milk.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
Journalism Competition and Preservation Act of 2021 This bill creates a four-year safe harbor from antitrust laws for print, broadcast, or digital news companies to collectively negotiate with online content distributors (e.g., social media companies) regarding the terms on which the news companies' content may be distributed by online content distributors.
United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2021
Defending Veterans' Second Amendment Rights Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from transmitting personally identifiable information of veterans or their beneficiaries to the national instant criminal background check system utilized by licensed importers or dealers of firearms solely on the basis that a veteran has a service-connected disability.
![Official portrait of Rep. Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" [R-AR-1]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/6916065185b49de40f52cad4_200.jpg)