VA Electronic Health Record Transparency Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to report on the costs of its Electronic Health Record Modernization Program, including by describing all expenses driven by the program.
Airline Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires open captioning and an American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, such as a monitor located in a passenger access aisle; closed captioning and an American Sign Language option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays; audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays or shared video displays; an aural public address announcement in textual format through individual video displays or shared video displays; and control systems for video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to have a nonvisual operating option. A civil action may be brought in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually.
Capping Prescription Costs Act of 20 21 This bill caps the monthly cost-sharing amount permitted for prescription drugs under qualified health plans and group health plans.
Stop Significant and Time-wasting Abuse Limiting Legitimate Innovation of New Generics Act or the Stop STALLING Act This bill makes it an unfair method of competition to submit an objectively baseless petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an attempt to interfere with a competitor's application for market approval of a drug. The bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to sue an individual or entity that submits such a petition to the FDA. A party found liable in such a lawsuit shall be subject to civil penalties, such as a fine of up to $50,000 for each day that the FDA spent reviewing the baseless petition.
Food Date Labeling Act of 2021 This bill addresses food waste by establishing requirements to standardize the quality date and discard date labels on food packaging.
Veterans Justice Outreach Improvement Act of 2021 The bill updates the Veterans Justice Outreach Program, which is a program through which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) identifies justice-involved veterans and provides them with access to VA services. Justice-involved veterans are those with active, ongoing, or recent contact with some component of a local criminal justice system. Under the bill, the VA must conduct program outreach to justice-involved veterans, military and veterans service organizations, and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community (e.g., local law enforcement). The VA must also develop a strategic plan for the program. In developing the plan, the VA must conduct (1) a workforce gap analysis for the program; and (2) an assessment of barriers to working with justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, and underserved areas. The VA must increase the number of Veterans Justice Outreach specialists responsible for supporting justice-involved veterans in rural, remote, or underserved areas. The bill requires the VA to establish performance goals and implementation plans for the program, Veterans Justice Outreach specialists, and for providing support for research regarding justice-involved veterans. Finally, the VA must ensure all Veterans Justice Outreach specialists receive annual training on (1) best practices for identifying and conducting outreach to justice-involved veterans and relevant stakeholders in the criminal justice community, and (2) veteran eligibility for the program.
Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act This bill provides for a reinstatement of the employee retention tax credit through 2021. The credit was established to compensate employers whose businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for wages paid to their employees.
Further Extending Government Funding Act This act provides continuing FY2022 appropriations for federal agencies, provides supplemental appropriations, and extends several expiring authorities. Specifically, the act provides continuing FY2022 appropriations to federal agencies through the earlier of February 18, 2022, or the enactment of the applicable appropriations act. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur if the FY2022 appropriations bills have not been enacted when the existing CR expires on December 3, 2021. The CR funds most programs and activities at the FY2021 levels with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility and additional appropriations for various programs. In addition, the act provides supplemental appropriations to several federal agencies for activities related to the evacuees from Afghanistan. Specifically, the act provides appropriations to the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of State. The act also extends several expiring authorities, including the authority for the Department of Health and Human Services to make certain appointments for the National Disaster Medical System, the special assessment under the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 on nonindigent people or entities convicted of certain criminal offenses (e.g., sexual abuse and trafficking), the temporary scheduling order issued by the Drug Enforcement Administration to place fentanyl-related substances in Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act, the current Medicaid federal matching rate (also known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage or FMAP) for certain territories, and the pay freeze for certain senior officials and political appointees in the executive branch.
HRES 834 is a ceremonial resolution honoring the late Congresswoman Carrie Pittman Meek (1926-2021) for her congressional service and legacy. It commends her dedication to public service, her role as a trailblazer for Black women in politics, and her advocacy for communities in Florida. The resolution specifically recognizes her work securing hurricane relief funding after Hurricane Andrew and her service in the Florida State Senate and U.S. Congress. As a commemorative resolution, it contains no policy changes or funding provisions.
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.
Parks, Jobs, and Equity Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the Parks, Jobs, and Equity Program to support park development and delivery of recreation services, and in so doing, help create or preserve jobs, and provide economic stimulus in communities impacted by the COVID-19 (e.g., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. A grant recipient may use a grant awarded under this bill for acquiring land or water that will be used to provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, developing or renovating outdoor recreational facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public, improving delivery of recreation services to the public, and developing Native American event sites and cultural gathering spaces.
Eliminating Global Market Distortions to Protect American Jobs Act of 2021 This bill addresses unfair trade practices by making various changes to U.S. antidumping and countervailing duty law. Antidumping provides relief to U.S industries and workers that are materially injured or threatened with injury due to imports of like products sold in the U.S. market at less than fair value, while countervailing duty provides such relief from imports of products subsidized by a foreign government or public entity. Specifically, the bill establishes a process for successive antidumping and countervailing duty investigations. Successive investigations may be concurrent (an ongoing investigation of the same product from different countries) or recently completed (not more than two years before the date of the initiation of the successive investigation). Further, the bill establishes a time line for the Department of Commerce to issue determinations in successive investigations. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes Commerce to apply countervailing duty law to subsidies provided by a foreign government or public entity to a company operating in a different country, use another method for calculating the cost of production in specific circumstances, and require importers to provide a certification that the imported merchandise is not subject to an antidumping or countervailing duty order. Additionally, the bill establishes procedures for Commerce to conduct circumvention inquiries, including by specifying the deadlines for preliminary and final determinations. The bill repeals the Softwood Lumber Act of 2008, which addresses the importation of softwood lumber and softwood lumber products.
