United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on October 1, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the "John R. Lewis Post Office Building."
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
This bill expands eligibility for Department of Veterans Affairs hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to include veterans of World War II who are not already covered.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Indian Programs Advance Appropriations Act of 2021 This bill authorizes advance appropriations for several covered appropriations accounts of (1) the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Bureau of Indian Education within the Department of the Interior, and (2) the Indian Health Service within the Department of Health and Human Services. The advance appropriations provide new budget authority that first becomes available for the first fiscal year after the budget year. The covered accounts within the Bureau of Indian Affairs are (1) Operation of Indian Programs, (2) Contract Support Costs, (3) the Indian Guaranteed Loan Program, (4) Construction, and (5) Payments for Tribal Leases. The covered accounts within the Bureau of Indian Education are (1) Operation of Indian Education Programs, and (2) Education Construction. The covered accounts within the Indian Health Service are (1) Indian Health Services, (2) Contract Support Costs, (3) Payments for Tribal Leases, and (4) Indian Health Facilities. The bill also requires the President's budget and the supporting documents submitted to Congress to include detailed estimates related to the advance appropriations.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Manufacturing American Dynamism in Entrepreneurship and Harnessing Education to Retool Employees Act or the MADE HERE Act This bill requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Defense to establish a manufacturing cluster program to award resources and grants to eligible manufacturing clusters, and it establishes an interagency entity to oversee and coordinate the activities of manufacturing cluster programs at federal agencies. A manufacturing cluster is a geographic concentration of companies and institutions within a particular field of manufacturing that engage collaboratively in workforce development, technology development, supply chain sourcing, and other activities. The program shall be comprised of three phases wherein awards shall be distributed to manufacturing clusters for (1) the development of a detailed implementation plan, (2) the implementation of such plan, and (3) continuing the activities of the cluster. Phase two and three awards may be used for purposes such as developing and deploying educational programs for cluster members, funding efforts with respect to supply chain sourcing and innovation, and developing shared infrastructure or resources for cluster members.
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2021
Fair Drug Prices for Kids Act This bill allows states to apply the requirements of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program to covered outpatient drugs under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Fostering Overseas Rule of law and Environmentally Sound Trade Act of 2021 or the FOREST Act of 2021 This bill restricts certain commodities produced on illegally deforested land from accessing the U.S. market. Specifically, the bill prohibits the importation of any product made wholly or in part of a covered commodity produced from illegally deforested land. The bill outlines requirements for import declarations of covered commodities. The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) must, within 30 days, publish (1) an initial list of covered commodities that consists of palm oil, soybeans, cocoa, cattle, rubber, and wood pulp; and (2) an initial list of covered products that are defined by the bill in accordance with the Harmonized Tariff Schedule. These lists must be updated at least on an annual basis. Further, the USTR must identify foreign countries without adequate and effective protection against illegal deforestation caused by the production of commodities that are likely to enter the United States. The USTR must develop an action plan that includes benchmarks for each identified country. Additionally, the bill creates an interagency working group to provide advice and recommendations to the USTR, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and other relevant agencies. The bill provides funding to assist foreign governments in combating illegal deforestation. The bill also includes illegal deforestation as a specified unlawful activity under a federal financial crime statute. The bill establishes a federal procurement preference for commodities that are not produced from land subject to deforestation.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Veterans Census-Enabled National Treatment Equitable Resource Supplement for Mental Health Act of 2021 or the Vet CENTERS for Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure the number of Vet Centers in certain states is increased by at least one additional center if the VA determines the state meets specified requirements. The VA must also establish a community-based outpatient clinic in each state that does not share a land border with another state, is located at least 2,000 miles from the contiguous United States, and contains no such clinic.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Accountability in Foreign Animal Research Act This bill prohibits the National Institutes of Health from conducting or supporting research that involves testing on vertebrate animals in China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, or other countries determined to be a foreign adversary.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Choose Home Care Act of 2021 This bill provides for coverage of home-based extended care services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of services that are furnished to Medicare beneficiaries in their homes by home health agencies, including nursing care, meals and nutritional support, home medical supplies, nonemergency medical transportation, and care coordination. Coverage includes 30 days of post-hospital care and other periods of extended illness, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Home health agencies that provide such services may receive additional payments in accordance with a specified methodology. The CMS may make payments for covered services furnished before 2022 during any period in which there is a public health emergency.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Improving Mental Health and Wellness in Schools Act This bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs) participating in the school lunch or breakfast programs to include in their local school wellness policies (1) goals for mental health promotion and education, and (2) nutrition guidelines for reducing childhood eating disorders. Such LEAs must also include registered dietitians and school-based mental health services providers in the development, implementation, and periodic review of such policies. The bill also requires the Department of Agriculture to provide information and technical assistance to school health professionals (including school-based mental health services providers) for use in establishing healthy school environments. Such technical assistance must promote mental health, encourage mental health assessments, and establish resilient school environments.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Primary and Virtual Care Affordability Act This bill extends until December 31, 2023, the exemption for telehealth services from certain high deductible health plan rules. It also provides a high deductible health plan safe harbor for the absence of a deductible for certain primary care services provided in any plan year beginning on or before December 31, 2023 (COVID-19 emergency period). The Government Accountability Office must complete a study, and report on, the effects of the safe harbor for certain primary care services provided during the COVID-19 emergency period.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Preventing Youth Substance Abuse Act of 2021 This bill authorizes for FY2022-FY2026 the Opioid Affected Youth Initiative, which is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
This bill requires online marketplaces (e.g., Amazon) to collect and verify certain contact and financial information from third-party sellers whose transactions and related revenues exceed specified thresholds. Subject to certain exceptions, online marketplaces must clearly and conspicuously disclose the contact information of certain high-volume third-party sellers to consumers and must also provide consumers with methods to report suspicious activity on the marketplace. The bill provides the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general with the authority to enforce these requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability Act of 2021 or the BURMA Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions pertaining to Burma (Myanmar) and addresses related issues. The President must impose property- and visa-blocking sanctions on certain foreign persons (i.e., an individual or entity), including those that (1) knowingly operate in Burma's defense sector, (2) are responsible for or complicit in undermining Burma's democratic processes, or (3) are senior leaders in Burma's military or government. The Department of the Treasury must prohibit or impose strict conditions on certain accounts used to facilitate transactions for such sanctioned persons. The President may impose sanctions on Myanma Oil and Gas Enterprise if such sanctions would support certain objectives, including reducing the Burmese military's ability to undermine democracy in Burma. The President may also prohibit imports of precious and semiprecious gemstones from Burma. Before removing certain foreign persons from a list of specially designated nationals and blocked persons (commonly known as the SDN list), the President must certify to Congress that the person in question has not knowingly engaged in certain activities, such as supporting terrorism. The bill authorizes Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development activities in Burma and the surrounding region to support democracy activists, humanitarian assistance, and reconciliation efforts. The State Department may (1) continue to assist organizations supporting political prisoners in Burma, and (2) provide assistance to entities investigating crimes against humanity. The President must direct U.S. representatives to the United Nations to vote and advocate for certain actions related to Burma, such as cutting off assistance to Burma's government.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
Stillbirth Health Improvement and Education for Autumn Act of 2021 or the SHINE for Autumn Act of 2021 This bill authorizes grants and establishes other programs to improve data collection on stillbirths. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants for surveillance and data collection on stillbirths, and HHS must issue guidelines for health departments and vital statistics units concerning the collection of stillbirth data. HHS must also develop educational awareness materials about stillbirths and make them publicly available. Furthermore, HHS must implement a fellowship program to provide postgraduate training in perinatal autopsy pathology and otherwise support research on stillbirths and fetal autopsies. The bill also requires the Surgeon General to issue a report with educational guidelines on stillbirths and stillbirth risk factors.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
This resolution requests the President and directs the Department of State to transmit to the House of Representatives, not later than 14 days after the adoption of this resolution, copies of both classified and unclassified documents that refer or relate to certain information on the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, including reactions, concerns, or objections expressed by certain allies and partners; any agreement reached with the Taliban related to the evacuation of specified individuals; and numbers of specified individuals in contact with the State Department to request evacuation assistance from Afghanistan, from July 30, 2021, to the present.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act of 2021 or the PAST Act of 2021 This bill addresses the practice of soring horses. The soring of horses includes various actions taken on horses' limbs to produce higher gaits that may cause pain, distress, inflammation, or lameness. Specifically, the bill expands soring regulation and enforcement at horse shows, exhibitions, sales, and auctions, including by establishing a new system for inspecting horses for soring. In addition, the bill increases penalties for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Furthering Opioid Services, Training, and Education Resources Act or the FOSTER Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and expands the scope of grants available for states and Indian tribes to address the opioid crisis. Specifically, the bill allows the use of grant funds for workforce recruitment and training, health care services, and foster and adoptive parent recruitment and training to support opioid abuse prevention and treatment services for children and caregivers, kinship care families, and kinship caregivers.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Bringing Regulatory Advances Into Neuroscience Act of 2021 or the BRAIN Act of 2021 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish the Neuroscience Center of Excellence. The center must develop and implement processes to coordinate FDA activities related to a major disease area or areas affecting the brain or central nervous system. The FDA must also establish and maintain the Neuroscience Translation Working Group to advise the center. If the FDA terminates the center, the working group shall advise the FDA.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Protecting Financial Privacy Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a federal agency from creating, implementing, or administering a program that requires financial institutions or individuals to report on the balances of, transactions involving, or transfers into and out of financial accounts. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on September 1, 2021, or to the Bank Secrecy Act (laws that require financial institutions and other entities to report on certain financial transactions to prevent money laundering, the financing of terrorism, and other criminal activity). This prohibition does apply, however, to regulations issued under the Bank Secrecy Act after September 1, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
Growing Opportunities in Agriculture Act or the GO Ag Act This bill directs the Department of Education to award competitive grants to eligible entities (e.g., local educational agencies) to create new agricultural education programs in secondary schools. Agricultural education refers to career and technical education that is focused on agriculture, including classroom or laboratory instruction, work-based learning, and leadership education that is delivered through career and technical student organizations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2021
Outdoors for All Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program under which Interior may award grants to states, certain political subdivisions of a state, special purpose districts, Indian tribes, or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian communities or organizations. Funds must be used for projects to (1) acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas, and (2) develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public in qualifying areas. A qualifying area is an area that has a population of 30,000 or more in the most recent census, or that is administered by an Indian tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization. Interior shall give priority to projects that create or significantly enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban neighborhood or community, engage and empower underserved communities and youth, provide opportunities for employment or job training for youth or underserved communities, establish or expand public-private partnerships, and take advantage of coordination among various levels of government.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2021
Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act of 2021 This bill provides for Medicare coverage of staff-assisted home dialysis services for certain individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of services for ESRD individuals who are either initiating peritoneal or home hemodialysis or receiving home dialysis and are unable to self-dialyze due to illness, injury, caregiver issues, or other temporary circumstances. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must develop a payment system for such services. The bill also requires the development of a patient-centered decision tool that includes home dialysis as an option, as well as a report on racial disparities with respect to the use of staff-assisted home dialysis services.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2021
Save our Stages Extension Act This bill extends to March 11, 2023, the time frame during which Shuttered Venue Operators Grant recipients may use grant funds to cover their expenses. These grants provide funds to certain types of entities in the arts and entertainment industry affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, a recipient may use such funds to cover expenses incurred between March 1, 2020, and December 31, 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2021
BuyAmerican.gov Act of 2021 This bill directs the President and specified federal agencies to take steps to increase transparency and limit the use of waivers of Buy American laws. Generally, Buy American requires agencies to procure domestic goods. The bill requires (1) the Department of Commerce to report periodically to Congress and the President on the implementation of, and compliance with, Buy American laws; (2) Commerce and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to assess the impacts of all U.S. free trade agreements and the World Trade Organization Agreement on Government Procurement on the operation of such laws; and (3) the General Services Administration (GSA) to establish a free, publicly available BuyAmerican.gov website. Public interest waivers from Buy American laws shall be construed to ensure the maximum utilization of goods, products, and materials produced in the United States. The President shall develop a mechanism to collect information on requests to waive Buy American laws and other domestic content restrictions for purposes of providing early notice to possible waivers via the website. Executive agencies shall make information concerning the intention to issue a waiver or exception in connection with a federal procurement available to the GSA at least 20 days prior to waiving a Buy American law. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress within two years of this bill's enactment describing the bill's implementation.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2021
Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act This bill requires the Department of Education to encourage institutions of higher education to develop and implement comprehensive campus mental health and suicide prevention plans.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2021
Meaningful Access to Federal Health Plan Claims Data Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a program that allows clinician-led clinical data registries to access Medicare claims data for purposes of research, quality of care measurement, and reporting. (Clinician-led clinical data registries are data repositories operated by clinician organizations and that collect information about particular diseases and related medical procedures and therapies.) The new program must allow for various types of data queries, including provider, state, and nationwide claims data. Such data may be used for public reports about provider performance, specified nonpublic analyses (e.g., medical research), and fee-based data services. Registries must apply to the CMS for access. Additionally, registries and their authorized users must enter into data use agreements and are subject to monetary penalties for breaching such agreements. The bill also allows for Medicare coverage of new and emerging items and services for purposes of evidence collection in relation to such items and services.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2021
Veteran's Electronic Transcript of Residency for Entering New Tenancies Act or the VET RENT Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to establish and implement a standard record of housing history for members of the Armed Forces who reside in housing provided by the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2021
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and expresses support for the month's goals and ideals.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2021
Providing Officers With Electronic Resources Act or the POWER Act This bill authorizes the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to make grants to law enforcement agencies to purchase a chemical screening device and to train personnel to use, and interpret data collected by, such device.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2021
Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021 This bill provides for coverage of certain cancer diagnostic and laboratory tests under Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Specifically, the bill provides for coverage of microarray analysis, DNA and RNA sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, and other next-generation sequencing for individuals diagnosed with cancer. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must establish an education and awareness program for physicians and the public about genomic testing and the role of genetic counselors.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2021
Promoting Readiness and Ensuring Proper Active pharmaceutical ingredient Reserves of Essential medicines Act of 2021 or the PREPARE Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Reserve. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must annually publish a public list of essential generic medicines that are medically necessary to have available at all times. HHS must report and implement a plan to establish the reserve, which must be designed to minimize the impact of an interruption or reduction in imports of (1) key starting materials (including active pharmaceutical ingredients) for essential generic medicines, and (2) finished dosage forms of essential generic medicines for which key starting materials are not imported. The plan must also contain provisions to strengthen domestic capacity for active pharmaceutical ingredient production, storage, and conversion. Within one year of this bill's enactment, the plan must include at least 25 of the essential generic medicines on the required list. The plan must add at least 25 medicines each year until the full list is covered. HHS must prioritize domestically manufactured key starting materials for the reserve to the maximum extent possible. A manufacturer of an essential generic medicine that switches to an active pharmaceutical ingredient sourced through the reserve shall not have to update the approved application for that medicine. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, including the time and costs needed to develop domestic manufacturing capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2021
This resolution condemns Belarusian authorities' assault on freedom of expression and human rights in Belarus since the August 2020 presidential election. The resolution also calls for the immediate release of journalists, cultural figures, and dissidents currently held as political prisoners in Belarus. Furthermore, the resolution calls on the Biden Administration to support initiatives to assist survivors of torture and other human rights violations from Belarus, including by working with allies in the region to grant them protection and providing avenues for them and their families to access safety in the United States; examine all available accountability options for violators of human rights and fundamental freedoms; and demand that Belarus cooperate fully with international partners and organizations, including the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Finally, the resolution supports the aspirations of the Belarusian people in their struggle for freedom and human rights.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2021
Permanently Preserving America's Investment in Manufacturing Act This bill makes permanent the allowance for depreciation, amortization, or depletion for purposes of determining the income limitation on the tax deduction for business interest.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2021
Medically Tailored Home-Delivered Meals Demonstration Pilot Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to establish a demonstration program to allow hospitals to provide medically tailored, home-delivered meals to Medicare beneficiaries who have a diet-impacted disease (e.g., kidney disease) and have daily living limitations. Participating hospitals must (1) retain a physician, registered dietitian or nutrition professional, or clinical social worker to screen, monitor, and coordinate services for individuals who receive meals through the program; and (2) contract with experienced organizations for meal delivery. Hospitals may choose to also provide meals to an individual's primary caregiver or to a dependent under the age of 18 who resides in the same household.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
ESP Family Leave Act This bill allows education support professionals to meet the hours of service requirements for family and medical leave if they have worked a number of hours equal to not less than 60% of the total monthly hours expected for their job descriptions and duties, as assigned for the previous school year. Education support professionals are employees within a public school or public institution of higher education which may include specified staff, such as paraeducators, administrative support staff, custodians, skilled trade workers, and nursing support staff. The Department of Labor may provide a method for calculating such leave for these professionals.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant Act This bill establishes programs within the Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the use of drones and other small, unmanned aircraft systems when inspecting, repairing, or constructing road infrastructure, electric grid infrastructure, water infrastructure, or other critical infrastructure. Specifically, DOT must award grants to state, tribal, and local governments; metropolitan planning organizations; or regional groups of those entities to purchase or otherwise use drones to increase efficiency, reduce costs, improve worker safety, and reduce carbon emissions when carrying out inspections, repairs, and construction. Grant recipients must use domestically manufactured drones that are made by companies not subject to Chinese influence or control. DOT must also award grants to certain institutions of higher education for training students for careers using drones and related technologies.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum Act This bill designates the memorial and museum that is being constructed on an approximately 26-acre area on the POW-MIA Memorial Parkway in Jacksonville, Florida, as the National POW/MIA Memorial and Museum. The director of the memorial and museum shall submit a report to Congress that includes a budget for the memorial and museum.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2021
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives supports the goals of researching new interventions to prevent and treat malaria and encourages continued leadership by the United States to ensure that service member health is not jeopardized by vector-borne disease. The resolution also supports sustained or enhanced efforts to ensure that once malaria is eliminated in a country it does not return.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Canada should not allow construction of a nuclear waste repository within the Great Lakes Basin and that the President and the Department of State should work with Canada to prevent such construction and craft a long-term solution for nuclear waste storage that does not threaten the Great Lakes.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Animal Freedom from Testing, Experiments, and Research Act of 2021 or the AFTER Act of 2021 This bill requires federal research facilities to facilitate the adoption or nonlaboratory placement of certain warm-blooded animals (e.g., dogs, cats, monkeys, guinea pigs, hamsters, and rabbits) with animal rescue organizations, animal sanctuaries, animal shelters, or individuals. In order to be adopted or placed, the animals must (1) no longer be needed for research; (2) be suitable for release; (3) not be birds, rats, or mice.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Temporary Responders for Immediate Aid in Grave Emergencies Act of 2021 or the TRIAGE Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the Provider Bridge Program, a technology platform funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration to facilitate the provision of health care services via telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic and future public health emergencies. The bill also authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states for expediting the reactivation of expired licenses or the issuance of temporary authorizations for health care professionals who volunteer to provide services through the Provider Bridge Program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Paws Off Act of 2021 This bill forbids the sale of food that contains xylitol unless the food's label contains a warning about the toxic effects of xylitol for dogs if ingested.