United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Advanced Research Project Agency-Health Act or the ARPA-H Act This bill establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health to accelerate innovation in health and medicine by investing in high-risk, high-reward research projects. The bill also establishes an interagency committee to inform, and a fund in the Treasury to support, the agency's activities. The President must appoint from the personnel of HHS a director to lead the agency. The director may submit testimony and recommendations concerning the agency to Congress without review or approval by other federal officers or agencies. The director must designate personnel to serve as program managers who administer the agency's research programs, including by selecting projects to support, setting progress milestones for projects, and making recommendations about terminating or continuing projects. The agency may use a variety of mechanisms to support the research projects, including grants, contracts, and prize competitions. The agency's budget is separate from that of HHS. The agency must coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expedite development and coverage of high-need cures. Additionally, the agency may partner with other public and private entities, such as institutions of higher education and patient advocacy organizations. The bill also requires the agency to develop and periodically update a strategic plan and annually report on its activities. Furthermore, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine must evaluate the agency's performance.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Bolstering Infectious Outbreaks Preparedness Workforce Act of 2021 or the BIO Preparedness Workforce Act of 2021 This bill establishes a student loan repayment program for health care and related professionals who are engaged in either bio-preparedness and response activities or infectious disease care in underserved communities. For each year that a professional meets the work requirements of the program, the Health Resources and Services Administration may pay up to $50,000 of the professional's student loan principal and interest, up to a maximum amount of $150,000.
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2021
Cybersecurity Opportunity Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to establish a grant program to promote cybersecurity training and education at institutions of higher education with an enrollment of needy students, historically Black colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions.
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 · 8 October 2021
Witness Security and Protection Grant Program Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Justice to award competitive matching grants to state, local, and tribal governments to establish or maintain witness protection programs in cases involving (1) a homicide, serious violent felony, or serious drug offense; or (2) gangs or organized crime.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2021
Stabilizing Medicare Access to Rehabilitation and Therapy Act or the SMART Act This bill modifies the application of a certain Medicare payment methodology for outpatient physical therapy services and outpatient occupational therapy services that are furnished by a therapy assistant. Under current law, effective January 1, 2022, payment for such services is 85% of the otherwise applicable rate. The bill delays this effective date by one year and excludes services that are furnished in rural or medically underserved areas from this payment methodology. The bill also specifies that supervision requirements for outpatient physical therapy services that are furnished through private practice may not be more stringent for purposes of Medicare coverage than under state law.
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
Dr. Joanne Smith Memorial Rehabilitation Innovation Centers Act This bill directs the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish and biennially update a list of all rehabilitation innovation centers. The bill defines rehabilitation innovation centers as rehabilitation facilities that (1) hold specified federal research and training designations for traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury research, and (2) serve at least a certain number of Medicare patients.
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
Supply Chain Health And Integrity for the Nation Act or the Supply CHAIN Act This bill establishes the Supply Chain Resiliency and Crisis Response Office to monitor and respond to disruptions in critical industries and supply chains. Specifically, the office must (1) identify high-priority supply chain gaps and vulnerabilities in critical industries, (2) identify and evaluate the effect of supply chain disruptions on U.S. economic security, and (3) collaborate with other governmental bodies and key international partners to identify opportunities to reduce supply chain gaps and vulnerabilities. The office also must establish a unified coordination group to oversee the interagency response to supply chain shocks and the office must designate certain critical industries, supply chains, and critical goods and services. The bill includes various reporting requirements.
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
Safety Enhancements for Communities Using Reasonable and Effective Firearm Storage Act or the SECURE Firearm Storage Act This bill establishes security requirements for the business premises of a licensed firearms importer, manufacturer, or dealer. Specifically, when the premises are closed for business, an importer, manufacturer, or dealer must secure the firearms inventory and securely store paper business records. A violator is subject to penalties—a civil fine, suspension or revocation of a license, or both a civil fine and suspension or revocation of a license.
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
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 · 22 September 2021
Tyler Clementi Higher Education Anti-Harassment Act of 2021 This bill addresses harassment at institutions of higher education (IHEs). Specifically, the bill requires each IHE to include in its annual security report a statement of policy regarding harassment on the basis of a student's actual or perceived race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation, gender identity, pregnancy, childbirth, a medical condition related to pregnancy or childbirth, and a sex stereotype), disability, or religion. In addition, the Department of Education may award grants to IHEs to initiate, expand, or improve programs to (1) prevent the harassment of students; (2) provide counseling or redress services to students who have been harassed or accused of subjecting other students to harassment; or (3) educate and train students, faculty, or staff to prevent harassment or address harassment if it occurs.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Reese's Law This bill requires the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish product safety standards with respect to batteries that pose an ingestion hazard (e.g., button cell or coin batteries). Specifically, consumer products with these batteries must include (1) a warning label instructing consumers to keep the batteries out of the reach of children, and (2) a battery compartment that prevents access to the batteries by children who are six years of age or younger. Additionally, such batteries, if sold separately or included separately with a product, must comply with federal child-resistant packaging regulations.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Protecting Our Democracy Act This bill addresses issues involving (1) abuses of presidential power; (2) checks and balances, accountability, and transparency; and (3) foreign interference in elections. Specifically, regarding abuses of presidential power, the bill requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the President to submit to Congress specified materials relating to certain pardons, prohibits self-pardons by the President, suspends the statute of limitations for federal offenses committed by a sitting President or Vice President, prohibits the acceptance of foreign or domestic emoluments, and sets forth provisions regarding Office of Government Ethics and Office of Special Counsel jurisdiction and enforcement authority. To address checks and balances, accountability, and transparency, the bill authorizes specified actions to enforce congressional subpoenas, imposes limits on presidential declarations of emergencies, requires DOJ to maintain a log of specified communications between it and the White House, requires cause for removal of inspectors general, increases whistleblower protections, requires a candidate for President or Vice President to submit to the Federal Election Commission a copy of the individual's income tax returns for the 10 most recent taxable years, and establishes penalties for political appointees who engage in prohibited political activities. To protect against foreign interference in elections, the bill requires federal campaign reporting of foreign contacts, requires federal campaigns to establish a foreign contacts compliance policy, and specifies that foreign donations to political campaigns and candidates of nonpublic information relating to a candidate are prohibited.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2021
This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to conduct outreach to build awareness among former members of the Armed Forces of the process established for the review of discharge characterizations related to sexual orientation (i.e., on the basis of Don't Ask, Don't Tell or a similar policy). DOD must also provide for specified relief for former members of the Armed Forces who were impacted by the discharge characterizations and ensure that DOD oral historians review related facts and receive testimony from affected individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
Gun Trafficker Detection Act This bill requires gun owners to report the theft or loss of a firearm to law enforcement. It imposes civil monetary penalties on a violator.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2021 or the LIFT the BAR Act of 2021 This bill repeals certain limits on the eligibility of noncitizens who lawfully reside in the United States for federal means-tested programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grants, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and certain nutrition and housing programs.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2021
Collaborate in an Orderly and Cohesive Manner Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to award grants for implementing and evaluating specified models of care that integrate the delivery of behavioral health and primary care services. Specifically, HHS must award grants to primary care providers for the initial costs (e.g., hiring staff) of implementing such models. In awarding the grants, HHS must prioritize recipients that provide care to medically underserved populations and in areas where the prevalence of behavioral health conditions exceeds the national average. HHS must also provide additional incentive payments to recipients that use appropriate billing codes and quality measures for behavioral health services. In addition, HHS must award grants to national and regional organizations for providing technical assistance to health care providers and systems to improve implementation of integrated behavioral health and primary care models. Furthermore, HHS may direct its agencies to expand efforts to evaluate current and emerging integrated behavioral health and primary care models.
United States · United States Congress · 31 August 2021
Maximizing Outcomes through Better Investments in Lifesaving Equipment for (MOBILE) Health Care Act This bill expands and otherwise modifies the allowable uses of New Access Point grant funds. These grants help health centers establish new delivery sites to provide comprehensive primary care to medically underserved populations. Specifically, health centers may use funds to construct or renovate buildings or to set up mobile medical clinics. In addition, a mobile clinic may qualify for grant funding as a new delivery site regardless of whether it is associated with a permanent, full-time site.
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2021
Next Generation Fuels Act of 2021 This bill supports the use of biofuels (e.g., gasoline blended with ethanol) in vehicles, including by establishing a minimum octane standard for gasoline as well as making related biofuel requirements for vehicles, their fuels, and fuel infrastructure.
United States · United States Congress · 24 August 2021
Quality Higher Education Act of 2021 This bill revises the accreditation standards under which an accrediting agency or association must assess an institution of higher education (IHE), and it requires the Department of Education to establish procedures for an agency or association to follow when an IHE fails to meet these standards. An accrediting agency or association must measure an IHE's success in student achievement against at least one standard each in the categories of completion, workforce participation, and progress toward meeting such completion and workforce participation standards. An agency or association must also make certain information such as student achievement standards and IHE performance benchmarks available on a publicly accessible website. Additionally, the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity must evaluate the effectiveness of the revised standards and compare similar accrediting agencies or associations based on their assessments of IHEs.
United States · United States Congress · 23 August 2021
Revising and Expediting Actions for the Crisis Hotline for Veterans Act or the REACH for Veterans Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update training and procedures for call responders of the Veterans Crisis Line. Specifically, the VA must enter into an agreement with an outside organization to review the training for crisis line call responders. The VA must update the training if any deficiencies are identified after the review. Among other requirements, the VA must develop guidelines on retraining and quality management for when a call responder has an adverse event or needs improvement, annually perform a common cause analysis for identified callers to the crisis line who died by suicide in situations where the crisis line was the last point of contact, develop enhanced guidance and procedures to respond to calls to the crisis line related to substance use and overdose risk, review the current emergency dispatch standard operating procedure of the crisis line, and solicit feedback from veterans service organizations on how to conduct outreach regarding the move to 988 as the new suicide and mental health crisis hotline. Each call responder must be subject to at least two calls per month that are silently monitored by a supervisor to check for quality of conduct. The Veterans Crisis Line, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention of the VA, and National Center for Patient Safety of the VA must establish quality management processes and expectations for staff of the crisis line.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 2021
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that policies concerning medication abortions should be grounded in science, be based on a review of medical evidence, and ensure equitable access for patients.
United States · United States Congress · 17 August 2021
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. A state and all of its political subdivisions shall be subject to preclearance of voting practice changes for a 10-year period if 15 or more voting rights violations occurred in the state during the previous 25 years; 10 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years, at least 1 of which was committed by the state itself; or 3 or more violations occurred during the previous 25 years and the state administers the elections. A political subdivision as a separate unit shall also be subject to preclearance for a 10-year period if three or more voting rights violations occurred there during the previous 25 years. States and political subdivisions that meet certain thresholds regarding minority groups must preclear covered practices before implementation, such as changes to methods of election and redistricting. Further, states and political subdivisions must notify the public of changes to voting practices. Next, the bill authorizes DOJ to require states or political subdivisions to provide certain documents or answers to questions for enforcing voting rights. The bill also outlines factors courts must consider when hearing challenges to voting practices, such as the history of official voting discrimination in the state or political subdivision.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2021
No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used for the creation, maintenance, or display of any Confederate symbol on federal public land or other federal property. An exception to such prohibition is provided (1) if the use of such funds is necessary to allow for the removal of the Confederate symbol to address public safety; or (2) in the case of a Confederate symbol created, maintained, or displayed in a museum or educational exhibit.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Children's Mental Health Infrastructure Act of 2021 This bill provides funding through FY2026 to the Health Resources and Services Administration for grants to improve the capacity of children's hospitals to provide pediatric behavioral health services, including by modernizing sites of care and enhancing telehealth capabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 6 August 2021
Helping Kids Cope Act of 2021 This bill provides funding through FY2026 to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) for grants to enhance access to and provider training in pediatric behavioral health care. Specifically, HRSA must award grants to pediatricians, children's hospitals, and other providers to support pediatric behavioral health integration and coordination within communities. Grant-funded activities may include hiring community navigators to assist families in accessing appropriate services, incorporating behavioral health services in pediatric practices, and delivering services via telehealth. In addition, HRSA must award grants to children's hospitals to expand training for providers in the pediatric behavioral health workforce.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women and its impact on women, families, and the nation, and reaffirms Congress' support for ensuring equal pay and closing the gender wage gap.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Local Public Health And Safety Protection Act This bill authorizes the Department of Justice to make grants to states that allow local governments to impose firearms laws that are more restrictive than state firearms laws. A state that receives a grant must award subgrants to localities to help implement the more restrictive firearms laws.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
National Discovery Trails Act This bill amends the National Trails System Act to include national discovery trails as part of the national trails system. Such trails (1) shall be extended, continuous, interstate trails located to provide for outstanding outdoor recreation and travel and to connect representative examples of America's trails and communities; (2) shall provide for the conservation and enjoyment of significant natural, cultural, and historic resources and be so located as to represent metropolitan, urban, rural, and back country regions of the Nation; and (3) may be designated on federal lands and, with the owner's consent, on nonfederal lands. The 6,000-mile American Discovery Trail extending from Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware, to Point Reyes National Seashore in California, splitting into northern and southern routes near Cincinnati, Ohio, and rejoining at Denver, Colorado, is designated as a national discovery trail. The bill sets forth requirements for designation of a trail as a national discovery trail. The appropriate federal department for each national discovery trail shall (1) administer the trail in cooperation with at least one competent trailwide volunteer-based organization; and (2) submit a comprehensive plan for the trail's protection, management, development, and use.
United States · United States Congress · 30 July 2021
Expanding Broadcast Ownership Opportunities Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take certain actions to increase diversity of ownership in the broadcasting industry and establishes a related tax incentive. Specifically, the bill requires the FCC to report to Congress regarding (1) recommendations for increasing the total number of broadcast stations that are owned or controlled by members of minority groups or women, (2) the total number of broadcast stations that are owned or controlled by members of minority groups or women, and (3) whether there is a nexus between diversity of ownership or control of broadcast stations and the diversity of the viewpoints expressed on the stations. In addition, the bill allows companies engaged in the qualifying sale of a broadcast station to receive favorable tax treatment by electing nonrecognition of the gain or loss resulting from the sale. To qualify for this treatment, the sale must result in or preserve ownership and control of a broadcast station by socially disadvantaged individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Unlawful Gun Buyer Alert Act This bill establishes a notification requirement following a firearms-related background check that results in a denial. Specifically, the bill requires the national instant criminal background check system to notify federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies if a firearms-related background check determines that an individual is ineligible to receive or possess a firearm. The notification requirement applies even if more than three business days have elapsed since the background check was initiated, and a firearm has already been transferred to the individual.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act This bill provides rights and protections for domestic workers (e.g., housekeepers, nannies, caretakers, personal assistants, and chauffeurs), including pay and leave rights, and health and safety protections. Specifically, the bill repeals the exemption of domestic live-in employees from certain minimum wage and maximum hour requirements. Employers must provide written notice of termination and provide at least 30 days of lodging and two weeks of severance pay to terminated live-in employees. Live-in employees also must be provided with reasonable access to telephone and internet service during their employment. The bill requires employers to provide domestic workers with a written agreement covering wages, sick leave, benefits, and other matters. Further, domestic workers may request and be granted changes to work schedules due to personal events. The bill also provides domestic workers with certain privacy rights, extends to domestic workers protections against discrimination in employment, and increases the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid-funded medical services provided by domestic workers. The Department of Labor must (1) award grants for a domestic worker national hotline for reporting emergencies, training on hazards facing domestic workers, and workforce investment activities for domestic workers; and (2) establish a Domestic Worker Wage and Standards Board to investigate standards in the domestic workers industry. Labor must publish online a document that describes the rights and protections for domestic workers under this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Protecting Renters from Evictions Act of 2021 This bill extends through December 31, 2021, the order issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention titled Temporary Halt in Residential Evictions To Prevent the Further Spread of COVID–19 and published on September 4, 2020.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
National Digital Reserve Corps Act This bill provides statutory authority for the National Digital Reserve Corps in the General Services Administration (GSA) to help address the digital and cybersecurity needs of executive agencies. The GSA shall issue guidance for the corps, including procedures for coordinating with such agencies to (1) identify digital and cybersecurity needs which may be addressed by the corps, and (2) assign active reservists to address such needs. The GSA must (1) begin recruiting reservists and assigning activities to reservists under the program within one year of this bill's enactment, and (2) report to Congress at specified intervals. The GSA may pay for reservists to acquire training and receive continuing education.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Improving Access for Afghan Refugees Act This bill requires the Department of State to provide priority refugee status to eligible habitual residents of Afghanistan. To be eligible for such priority status, a habitual resident of Afghanistan must also be a national of Afghanistan or stateless. Such an individual shall receive priority refugee status if the individual (1) has suffered persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution and worked in a specified field that makes the individual a target of persecution on account of race, religion, or other characteristics; (2) was employed for at least one year in Afghanistan by U.S.-based media or nongovernmental entities or an entity that received a contract or grant from the U.S. government; or (3) is the beneficiary of a visa petition sponsored by a relative who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. The State Department may also provide priority status to other groups of individuals who are nationals and residents of Afghanistan. Certain annual numerical limits on refugee admissions shall not apply to individuals who receive priority status under this bill. For refugee applications under this bill, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security shall ensure that all steps in the approval process in the U.S. government's control are completed within six months of an application's submission, with exceptions for cases that need more time to address national security concerns.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2021 or the EDOT Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to report on the effects of changes that were made during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 with respect to the provision or availability of telehealth services under Medicare and Medicaid. Among other information, the report must include (1) a summary of all services utilized by beneficiaries during the emergency period, including the number of telehealth visits and in-person visits; (2) any changes in utilization compared to prior periods; and (3) demographic characteristics of beneficiaries who utilized telehealth services. The CMS must submit the required reports after the end of the emergency period, as specified.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2021
Revitalizing Downtowns Act This bill expands the investment tax credit to add a qualified office conversion credit. The amount of such credit is 20% of the qualified conversion expenditures with respect to a qualified converted building. The bill defines qualified converted building as any building if (1) prior to conversion, the building was nonresidential real property which was leased, or available for lease, to office tenants; (2) the building has been substantially converted from an office use to a residential, retail, or other commercial use; (3) the building was initially placed in service at least 25 years prior to the beginning of the conversion, and (4) straight line depreciation is allowable with respect to the building.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act of 2021 This bill sets out programs and otherwise directs the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to carry out activities to prevent and treat malnutrition globally. Specifically, the USAID must leverage resources to address malnutrition through the Global Nutrition Coordination Plan (an interagency effort to strengthen the impact of U.S. investments in nutrition) and its role on the board of directors of the International Development Finance Corporation. The USAID must also select countries based on specified malnutrition-related indicators for purposes of targeting malnutrition prevention and treatment programs and update the selection within five years. Additionally, the USAID may establish the Nutrition Leadership Council to coordinate activities to prevent and treat malnutrition across the agency; target resources and nutrition interventions to the populations most susceptible to severe malnutrition and otherwise support efforts to prevent and treat malnutrition globally; and coordinate activities among partner countries, United Nations agencies, civil society, private sector actors, and others to, for example, build capacity in partner countries to sustain nutrition interventions. The bill also requires the USAID to provide to Congress an implementation plan and annual reports concerning its programs for treating and preventing malnutrition. The bill's provisions terminate seven years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2021
Supermarket Tax Credit for Underserved Areas Act This bill expands the tax credits that are available for the establishment of supermarkets in underserved areas. The bill includes provisions that (1) increase the rate of the rehabilitation tax credit for a supermarket building placed in service after December 31, 2021, and before January 1, 2025, in an underserved area; (2) increase by $1,000 the limit on wages eligible for the work opportunity tax credit for employees of a new underserved area supermarket; and (3) allow a business-related tax credit for 15% of the gross receipts from the retail sale of fresh fruits and vegetables in a new underserved area supermarket.
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2021
Medicare Dental Coverage Act of 2021 This bill expands Medicare coverage to include dentures and dental and oral health services, in accordance with specified limitations. Covered services include basic and major treatments (as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) as well as specified preventive and screening services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Bioeconomy Research and Development Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to implement a National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative to advance societal well-being, national security, sustainability, and economic productivity and competitiveness. Among other activities, the initiative must include sustained support for research centers, individual investigators, technologies, and training. The initiative shall include outreach to primarily undergraduate and minority-serving institutions about initiative opportunities, and shall encourage the development of research collaborations between research-intensive universities and such institutions. The OSTP shall designate an interagency committee to coordinate initiative activities as appropriate. The interagency committee shall submit triennial reports to Congress through FY2028 in support of the initiative. The National Science Foundation (NSF) shall seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a review of, and make recommendations with respect to, the ethical, legal, environmental, safety, security, and other appropriate societal issues related to engineering biology research and development. The NSF, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Department of Agriculture, Environmental Protection Agency, and Department of Health and Human Services shall carry out related activities as part of the initiative.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
Health Enterprise Zones Act of 2021 This bill provides for the designation of Health Enterprise Zones in certain geographic areas with documented and measurable health disparities. This designation, which expires 10 fiscal years after the bill's enactment, confers eligibility for certain grants, student loan repayment programs, and tax credits for those working to reduce health disparities and improve health outcomes in these zones. Specifically, community-based nonprofits or local government agencies, in coalition with health care providers, social service organizations, and others, may apply to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for the designation. The application must include a plan to reduce health disparities and achieve other outcomes. In implementing the program, HHS must consult with, among others, the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When approving applications, HHS shall consider factors including geographic diversity and the commitment of supporting funds from the private sector. HHS (1) may award grants to organizations or agencies that applied for the designation to support activities aligned with their plans, and (2) must carry out a student loan repayment program for health care providers who agree to provide services in a Health Enterprise Zone. In addition, the bill establishes tax credits for employers that hire, and individuals who work as, Health Enterprise Zone workers.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2021
This resolution acknowledges the maternal health crisis in the United States and supports action by the federal government and others to reduce adverse maternal health outcomes.
![Official portrait of Rep. Kelly, Robin L. [D-IL-2]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/116_rp_il_2_kelly_robin_200.jpg)