This resolution supports the designation of Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.
This resolution extends collective bargaining rights prescribed in the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to employees of the House of Representatives.
First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War.
Climate Adaptation Science Centers Act or the CASC Act This bill provides statutory authority for the National and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The centers must provide scientific expertise to managers of natural resources, cultural resources, and ecosystem services to inform decisions that aid adaptation to a changing climate and extreme weather events. The program shall include a National Climate Adaptation Science Center and Regional Climate Adaptation Science Centers. Among its activities, the National Center shall serve as the national office for the regional centers, develop and facilitate coordination among the regional centers, and conduct research on cross-regional and national science priorities. Regional centers shall develop research, education, training, and advisory service priorities regarding the impacts of climate trends and variability on natural and cultural resource management. The USGS shall establish an Advisory Committee on Climate and Natural Resource Sciences to identify and recommend priorities for ongoing research needs on such impacts in informing the research priorities of the National Center.
First Rhode Island Regiment Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a single Congressional Gold Medal to the First Rhode Island Regiment, collectively, in recognition of their dedicated service during the Revolutionary War.
Critical Access Hospital Relief Act of 2022 This bill repeals the 96-hour physician-certification requirement for inpatient critical access hospital services under Medicare. Under current law, as a condition for Medicare payment for such services, a physician must certify that a patient may reasonably be expected to be discharged or transferred to a hospital within 96 hours after admission to the critical access hospital.
Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act This bill updates policies and procedures related to Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care and benefits for veterans who have been exposed to toxic substances. Specifically, the bill extends the eligibility period for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care for combat veterans who served after September 11, 2001, and were exposed to toxic substances, radiation, or other conditions, including those who did not enroll to receive VA care during the eligibility period. The VA must incorporate into its existing health care screening a screening to help determine potential exposures to toxic substances during military service. Among other requirements, the VA must also provide annual training to health care and benefits personnel with respect to veterans who were exposed to toxic substances; analyze total and respiratory disease mortality in veterans who served in specified locations on specified dates; conduct an epidemiological study on the health trends of veterans who served in the Armed Forces after September 11, 2001; conduct a study to determine trends in the rates of the incidence of cancer in veterans; publish a list of VA resources for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances, families and caregivers of such veterans, and survivors of such veterans who are receiving death benefits; and report on the data quality of the Individual Longitudinal Exposure Record and its usefulness in supporting veterans in receiving VA health care and benefits.
VSO Support Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a grant program for eligible veterans service organizations to offset costs relating to the COVID-19 pandemic that were incurred between April 1, 2020, and December 31, 2020.
DMEPOS Relief Act of 2022 or the DRA of 2022 This bill increases payment adjustments for certain items that were included in Round 2021 of the Medicare Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics, and Supplies (DMEPOS) Competitive Bidding Program but for which contracts were not executed. The bill applies to items that are furnished between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2023, and that were not subject to the unadjusted fee schedule amount as of January 1, 2021. Under the DMEPOS Competitive Bidding Program, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sets payment for certain durable medical equipment under Medicare based on a competitive bidding process with suppliers, rather than the fee schedule amount. The CMS included 16 product categories in Round 2021 of the program but ultimately did not award contracts for 13 of these categories (that were also in previous rounds) as the resulting payment amounts did not achieve expected savings.
Telehealth Extension and Evaluation Act This bill expands and otherwise modifies coverage of telehealth services under Medicare until two years after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Specifically, the bill (1) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), (2) allows for Medicare payment of outpatient critical access hospital services consisting of telehealth behavioral therapy, (3) conditions payment for certain high-cost laboratory tests and durable medical equipment that are ordered via telehealth on at least one in-person visit during the preceding 12-month period, and (4) allows Schedule II through V controlled substances to be prescribed online if a practitioner has conducted a telehealth evaluation with video. The bill also generally extends any Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency until two years after the emergency ends. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) must report on the effects of changes that were made during the emergency period with respect to the provision or availability of telehealth services under Medicare. The CMS must also award grants to state Medicaid programs to allow them to report on similar information.
Service Restoration Act This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to require a member of the Armed Forces to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also prohibits adverse action (e.g., punishment) being taken against a member of the Armed Forces solely on the basis that the member refuses to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Individuals who were involuntarily separated from the Armed Forces solely on the basis of their refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination must be reinstated in the grade they held prior to the separation. In computing retired or retainer pay, the military department concerned must include the time between the involuntary separation and reinstatement of the individual. The military department concerned must expunge adverse actions or references to involuntary separation related to the refusal to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from an individual's service record.
Equal Access to Therapeutics Act This bill prohibits using race or ethnicity as a factor in decisions about an individual's access to COVID-19 treatments (e.g., monoclonal antibody therapies). Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may not adopt any policy or guidance that allows race or ethnicity to be factored into such decisions. Furthermore, the Secretary of HHS shall be personally liable for the death of any individual who is denied access to COVID-19 treatments pursuant to a prohibited policy or guidance. The bill also prohibits hospitals or other health care providers that have policies restricting access to COVID-19 treatments based on race or ethnicity from receiving federal funds.
