United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2021
This resolution (1) recognizes October 2021 as National Principals Month and supports its goals and ideals; and (2) honors the contributions of principals in elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2021
Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021 This bill prohibits using federal funds to establish any diplomatic facility in Jerusalem other than the U.S. Embassy to Israel.
United States · United States Congress · 25 October 2021
Medicare Mental Health Inpatient Equity Act of 2021 This bill removes the 190-day lifetime limit on inpatient psychiatric hospital services under Medicare.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2021
Cambodia Democracy and Human Rights Act of 2021 This bill directs the President to impose sanctions on foreign persons (i.e., entities and individuals) responsible for acts to undermine democracy in Cambodia, including acts that constitute serious human rights violations. The sanctions shall be directed at foreign persons, including senior Cambodian government, military, and security forces officials, responsible for such actions, as well as entities controlled or owned by such persons. The sanctions shall include blocking the assets of sanctioned persons and restricting the entry of sanctioned individuals into the United States, and shall not apply to the importation of goods. The President may waive the sanctions with respect to a person if it is in the national interest of the United States. The President may suspend the sanctions if Cambodia makes meaningful progress toward ending government efforts to undermine democracy, ending human rights violations, and meeting other specified conditions. The President must report to Congress on the presence of China's military in Cambodia, including the involvement of China's military in upgrading or constructing certain facilities in Cambodia.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2021
Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the balances, transactions, or the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on the date of enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2021
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 2021
Save Our Servicemembers Act of 2021 This bill requires the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness within the Department of Defense (DOD) to evaluate and standardize DOD's suicide prevention efforts. Specifically, the bill directs the Defense Suicide Prevention Office to collaborate with each military department to (1) develop and implement a process to ensure that individual nonclinical suicide prevention efforts are assessed for effectiveness, and (2) develop consistent suicide-related definitions for use throughout DOD. The bill also requires the use of such suicide-related definitions in any updated policies of DOD or each military department.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2021
This resolution supports the designation of October 3-October 9, 2021, as National 4-H Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of 4-H in youth development and education, and (2) encourages all citizens to recognize 4-H for the significant impact the organization and members have made and continue to make by empowering young people with the skills needed to lead for a lifetime.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2021
This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 - October 15, 2021; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 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. In coordination with relevant federal agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, partner countries, and other stakeholders, the USAID may scale up programs for preventing and treating malnutrition globally. This includes focusing on interventions for the populations most susceptible to severe malnutrition (e.g., pregnant and lactating women and children younger than five years of age). The USAID must select countries based on specified malnutrition-related indicators for purposes of targeting malnutrition prevention and treatment programs and update the selection within five years. To support these programs, the USAID must leverage additional private sector resources in priority countries, including by considering opportunities within the Development Finance Corporation's impact framework for supporting improved nutrition outcomes. The USAID must provide Congress with an implementation plan and annual reports concerning its programs for preventing and treating malnutrition. The bill also establishes the Nutrition Leadership Council, comprised of various USAID bureaus and offices, to coordinate agency activities to prevent and treat malnutrition. The bill's provisions terminate seven years after its enactment.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2021
FDA Modernization Act of 2021 This bill allows an applicant for market approval for a new drug to use methods other than animal testing to establish the drug's safety and effectiveness. Under this bill, these alternative methods may include cell-based assays, organ chips and microphysiological systems, computer modeling, and other human biology-based test methods.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2021
EMS Counts Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Labor, in collaboration with the Office of Management and Budget, to revise the broad description under the occupational series 33-2011 Firefighters of the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification System of the Bureau of Labor Statistics to separately account for firefighters who also serve as paramedics or emergency medical technicians. Specifically, the classification system must include the following detailed occupations: Firefighters; Firefighter/EMTs; Firefighter/Paramedics; and Firefighters, All Other.
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 2021
Arctic Diplomacy Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Arctic Affairs within the Department of State. The position shall maintain continuous observation and coordination of matters pertaining to foreign policy in the Arctic, including trade, the environment, and political-military affairs.
United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2021
Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by unNaturalized Emigrants or the BE GONE Act This bill expands, for immigration purposes, the definition of aggravated felony to include sexual assault and aggravated sexual violence. (Under current law, a conviction for an aggravated felony is grounds for deportation and may bar an individual from other immigration-related benefits.)
United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2021
Bicameral Congressional Trade Authority Act of 2021 This bill requires congressional approval for a presidential import adjustment due to a national security threat from an import related to military equipment, energy resources, or critical infrastructure essential to national security. Specifically, the bill requires the President to submit a proposal to Congress, which Congress may approve by a joint resolution. Under current law, the President determines whether any adjustment of an import is necessary and must submit to Congress the reasons for any action taken or not taken. The Department of Defense (currently, the Department of Commerce) must investigate the effect of these imports on national security. The bill retroactively applies to any proposed action made four years before enactment of this bill. In general, any rate of duty modification occurring in the time period beginning four years before and ending the day before enactment of this bill must revert to the previous rate unless it receives congressional approval.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Retirement Security Month and acknowledges the need to raise public awareness of a variety of tax-preferred retirement vehicles.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2021
American Broadband Buildout to Eliminate America's Digital Divide Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission to establish a program to provide funding to states for expanding access to broadband service in unserved areas. States must distribute these funds to certain broadband service providers for projects that offer a low-cost broadband service option for low-income subscribers. The bill also provides funding to carry out this program.
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 · 28 September 2021
Guardianship Accountability Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a National Resource Center on Guardianship for the publication of resources and data relating to court-determined adult guardianships. Further, HHS must award at least 5% of certain grant funds for state programs related to overseeing the administration of court-appointed guardian arrangements.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2021
Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements and procedures for the Department of the Treasury to transfer ownership of certain matured, unredeemed savings bonds and related records to states.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2021
Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021 This bill imposes sanctions involving Afghanistan and addresses related issues. The President must impose, with certain exceptions, visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that (1) provides support to any terrorist group in Afghanistan, (2) is responsible for or complicit in serious human rights abuses in Afghanistan, or (3) plays a significant role in international narcotics trafficking centered in Afghanistan. The President may also impose such sanctions on any foreign individual or entity that provides certain support for (1) the Taliban or any Taliban member, or (2) any agency of the Taliban-controlled government of Afghanistan. Additionally, the Department of State must (1) require U.S. representatives to the United Nations to advocate and vote to maintain sanctions against the Taliban, and (2) encourage allies and partner countries to impose sanctions against the Taliban. The State Department may suspend the sanctions imposed under this bill upon certifying to Congress that the Taliban has taken certain actions, such as breaking all ties with other terrorist groups. The State Department must establish a task force to (1) implement a strategy relating to the evacuation of Afghanistan, and (2) identify individuals in Afghanistan who have sought admission into the United States as a refugee or humanitarian parolee. The bill requires various reports, including on (1) a revised strategy for engagement with South and Central Asian countries after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, (2) a counterterrorism strategy for Afghanistan, and (3) the extent of Taliban human rights abuses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
Preserving Employment Visas Act This bill reclaims unused employment-based immigrant visas from FY2020 and FY2021 and makes such unused visas available in FY2022, for the purposes of calculating the total number of employment-based immigrant visas available each fiscal year. If, at the end of FY2022, there are still unused FY2020 and FY2021 visas, these unused visas shall be available in subsequent fiscal years until they are all used.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
This resolution designates the week beginning September 12, 2021, as National Direct Support Professionals Recognition Week and commends the contributions of direct support professionals who provide integral services to people with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 23 September 2021
Iron Dome Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 This bill provides $1 billion in supplemental appropriations for the Department of Defense to provide to the government of Israel for the procurement of the Iron Dome defense system to counter short-range rocket threats.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2021
Justice for the Living Victims of Lockerbie Act This bill establishes a mechanism for compensating certain victims of the bombing of Pan American Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988. Specifically, the Department of the Treasury must establish a fund to compensate qualifying victims of the bombing (generally, former employees of Pan American who were part of an earlier lawsuit seeking compensation from Libya for the bombing). The Foreign Claims Settlement Commission must establish a process for claimants to apply for compensation from the fund.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2021
This resolution applauds and expresses support for the continued cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah's terrorist activities. It also urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2021
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Accountability Act of 2021 This bill changes the source of funding for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) from Federal Reserve System transfers to annual appropriations. Under current law, the transfers from the Federal Reserve System permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2021
America's Children Act or the Protecting Children of Long-term Visa Holders Act of 2021 This bill provides lawful permanent resident status to certain college graduates who entered the United States as children and addresses other immigration-related issues. Specifically, this bill allows an alien to apply for lawful permanent resident status if the alien (1) was lawfully admitted into the United States as a dependent child of an alien on a temporary worker visa, (2) was in the United States with such status for at least four years, (3) has graduated from an institution of higher education in the United States, and (4) is not deportable or otherwise inadmissible. In addition, the alien must have been lawfully present in the United States for at least 10 years at the time of the application. The bill also modifies various provisions related to the calculation of an alien's age for immigration purposes and the priority date of certain immigration-related applications.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2021
John Stringer Rainey Save America's Forgotten Equines Act or the John Stringer Rainey SAFE Act This bill prohibits the knowing sale or transport of horses for purposes of human consumption. Specifically, the bill makes it unlawful to knowingly possess, ship, transport, purchase, sell, deliver, or receive a horse for it to be slaughtered for human consumption. It also makes it unlawful to knowingly possess, ship, transport, purchase, sell, deliver, or receive horse flesh, carcass, or part of a carcass for it to be used for human consumption. Violators are subject to criminal penalties.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2021
Due Process Guarantee Act This bill limits the detention authority of the United States. Current law prohibits the indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen unless it is authorized by an act of Congress. This bill prohibits the indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident unless it is authorized by an act of Congress that (1) is consistent with the Constitution, and (2) expressly authorizes the detention. Additionally, the bill specifies that no U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is apprehended in the United States may be imprisoned or otherwise detained without charge or trial unless such imprisonment or detention is expressly authorized by an act of Congress. Finally, it specifies that a general authorization to use military force or similar measure, on its own, does not authorize the indefinite detention of a person who is arrested in the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 2021
Diversifying Investigations Via Equitable Research Studies for Everyone Trials Act or the DIVERSE Trials Act This bill requires activities to increase diversity in clinical trials. It also expands reporting by laboratories that test for and diagnose COVID-19 and requires a study on data collection and data sharing during public health emergencies. Specifically, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must issue guidance on decentralized clinical trials to promote meaningful demographic and geographic diversity in patient engagement, enrollment, and participation. Decentralized clinical trials include those executed through telemedicine or other digital technologies to allow for the remote collection and assessment of clinical trial data. The FDA may also work with foreign regulators to harmonize international regulations governing decentralized clinical trials and the use of digital health technology. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may support community education, outreach, and recruitment activities for clinical trials of treatments for conditions that disproportionately impact populations underrepresented in clinical trials. The bill also specifies that drug or device manufacturers may provide, subject to some limits, free digital health technologies and other remuneration to patients in approved clinical trials without violating laws that address fraud and abuse in federal programs. Furthermore, laboratories that test for and diagnose COVID-19 must report additional demographic data, including information about social determinants of health. HHS must also contract with the National Academy of Medicine to study and propose a design for an interoperable platform to facilitate data sharing during public health emergencies.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 2021
Physical Therapist Workforce and Patient Access Act of 2021 This bill makes physical therapists eligible for the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program. This program assists primary care, mental health, and dental providers in repaying eligible student loans in exchange for working in areas with shortages of such providers.
United States · United States Congress · 7 August 2021
Continuing Emergency Support for Restaurants Act This bill provides an additional $48 billion in FY2021 for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and designates specified amounts for fund administrative expenses and audits of grants made from the fund. The fund was established in response to COVID-19 to make grants to eligible food and beverage purveyors for covering specified costs such as payroll, operational expenses, and paid sick leave. The bill designates the funding as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2021
Guard, Reserve, and Active Duty Department of Veterans Affairs Educational Assistance Parity Act of 2021 or the GRAD VA Educational Assistance Parity Act of 2021 This bill expands eligibility for Post-9/11 educational assistance to members of the National Guard who perform full-time National Guard duty or full-time service in the National Guard when performing active duty.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2021
Quit Because of COVID-19 Act This bill provides for Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage of certain tobacco cessation services. Specifically, the bill provides for coverage, without cost-sharing, of diagnostic, therapy, and counseling services and pharmacotherapy, including prescription and nonprescription tobacco cessation agents, that are provided under medical supervision and in accordance with specified guidelines. It also applies a 100% Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (i.e., federal matching rate) for such items and services during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 and for two years after the emergency period ends.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2021
Harlem Hellfighters Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 369th Infantry Regiment, commonly known as the Harlem Hellfighters, in recognition of their bravery and outstanding service during World War I.
United States · United States Congress · 4 August 2021
This resolution designates September 15, 2021, as International Myotonic Dystrophy Awareness Day. Myotonic dystrophy is an inherited disorder characterized by progressive muscle loss and weakness.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Helping Our Most Elderly Secure Meals Act or the HOME Meals Act This bill establishes a competitive grant program for states to provide area agencies on aging and local nutrition service providers with funding to purchase or repair vehicles for delivering meals to older individuals. The vehicles must be capable of safely storing hot and cold foods. In awarding these grants, the Administration on Aging shall prioritize states based on the proportion of older adults in their populations, poverty rates, and unmet need for nutrition services.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
This resolution designates September 25, 2021, as National Lobster Day and encourages the people of the United States to observe the day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 2021
Directed Energy Threat Emergency Response Act This bill requires actions to address anomalous health incidents. The President must designate an appropriate senior official as the Anomalous Health Incidents Interagency Coordinator. The interagency coordinator must (1) coordinate the U.S. government's response to anomalous health incidents, (2) ensure that affected personnel and dependents get access to care, and (3) ensure adequate training and education for relevant U.S. government personnel. The bill also requires certain agencies, including the Department of Defense and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, to designate an appropriate senior official to serve as the Anomalous Health Incident Agency Coordination Lead. These officials must (1) work with the interagency coordinator to achieve objectives related to anomalous health incidents, and (2) jointly provide quarterly briefings to Congress on its activities. Such agencies must also develop updated workplace guidance to address anomalous health incidents, including processes to self-report suspected exposure to a possible anomalous health incident.
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2021
Making Advances in Mammography and Medical Options for Veterans Act This bill addresses the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provision of mammograms and breast cancer treatment. Among other requirements, the VA must submit a strategic plan for improving breast imaging services for veterans, implement a three-year pilot program to provide telemammography services for veterans who live in locations where access to breast imaging services at a VA facility is difficult or unfeasible, upgrade all mammography services at its facilities to use three-dimensional breast imaging, update guidelines to increase the use of testing for the breast cancer gene and genetic counseling for veterans diagnosed with breast cancer, and update its policies and directives to ensure that it confirms the accessibility of a breast imaging site when referring a veteran with a spinal cord injury or disorder to a non-VA provider. In addition, the VA must enter into a partnership with at least one cancer center of the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health in each Veterans Integrated Service Network to expand access to high-quality cancer care for women veterans. In implementing such partnerships, the VA must ensure that veterans with breast cancer who reside in rural areas or states without a partner cancer center are able to receive care through telehealth. Finally, the VA must collaborate with the Department of Defense and report on all current research and health care collaborations between the departments on treating veterans and members of the Armed Forces with breast cancer.