This bill directs the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to carry out a loan repayment program for certain specialty medicine physicians who provide care in rural communities with shortages of such physicians. Physicians must agree to a period of obligated service and, for each year of such service, HRSA must pay one-sixth of the principal payment and interest on eligible loans up to a maximum cap of $250,000.
Stronger Medicaid Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic Act This bill allows COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccines, prevention, and treatment, as well as prevention and treatment for conditions that may complicate COVID-19 treatment, for uninsured individuals to be covered under Medicaid during the public health emergency. (Currently, state Medicaid programs have the option to cover COVID-19 testing for uninsured individuals.) The bill also (1) specifically allows COVID-19 testing, vaccines, prevention, and treatment, as well as prevention and treatment for complicating conditions, for certain unlawful aliens to be covered under Medicaid during the public health emergency; and (2) specifies how the value and provision of COVID-19 assistance should be considered with respect to certain governmental programs and requirements.
This resolution recognizes Black History Month as an opportunity to reflect on U.S. history and to commemorate the contributions of African Americans. It calls for the United States to (1) honor the contribution of pioneers who helped to ensure its legacy; and (2) move forward as a nation "indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that U.S. Postal Service employees are frontline essential workers and must be prioritized accordingly for purposes of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine distributions.
Set Testing and Objectives Plan for COVID-19 Act or the STOP COVID-19 Act This bill establishes two grant programs to support public health measures to address COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). First, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must award grants to local health departments for testing, contact tracing, and other activities to reduce the spread of COVID-19. A recipient of one of these grants must meet specific standards for testing and contact tracing. If a grantee remains unable to meet those standards after two months, it must return a portion of the grant funding. HHS may use unobligated funds from the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund for these grants. The authority to make these grants terminates when that funding is expended or 180 days after this bill's enactment, whichever is earlier. Second, HHS must award grants to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts in states and territories. A recipient of one of these grants must publicly report information about its vaccine efforts, develop a unified system to register its residents for vaccines, and administer at least 95% of its vaccine allotment each month. If a grantee fails to use the required percentage of its vaccines, it must return a portion of the grant funding. HHS may use specified COVID-19 relief funding for these grants. The authority to make these grants terminates when that funding is expended or December 31, 2021, whichever is earlier.
Verifiable, Orderly, and Timely Election Results Act This bill establishes certain federal standards for voting by mail and reporting federal election results. It also requires states to establish certain election measures. First, the bill establishes federal standards for (1) requesting a mail-in ballot; (2) confirming the identity, registration, and eligibility of an individual requesting a mail-in ballot; and (3) submitting a mail-in ballot. In particular, the bill requires mail-in ballots to be received by the time the polls close on election day. In addition, the bill makes it unlawful to possess or return a mail-in ballot completed by another person (commonly referred to as ballot harvesting), with exceptions. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to one year, or both. The bill also establishes standards for reporting federal election results, including by requiring states to count all eligible ballots within 24 hours after the election. Finally, each state must, in order to receive election assistance funds, have in effect certain laws related to voting. For example, states must require voters to present identification to cast a ballot in a federal election.
Extreme Risk Protection Order and Violence Prevention Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new grant program to help states and Indian tribes implement extreme risk protection order laws. Extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, generally allow certain individuals (e.g., law enforcement officers or family members) to petition a court for a temporary order that prohibits an at-risk individual from purchasing and possessing firearms. The bill also expands the categories of persons who are prohibited from receiving, possessing, shipping, or transporting a firearm or ammunition. Specifically, it adds a new category of prohibited persons: persons who are subject to an extreme risk protection order.
Hong Kong Safe Harbor Act This bill designates certain Hong Kong residents with priority status for refugee consideration and contains other related provisions. An individual and certain family members shall have such priority status if the individual (1) is a Hong Kong resident who suffered persecution or has a well-founded fear of persecution as a result of peaceful political activity; or (2) has been formally charged, detained, or convicted for certain peaceful actions. An individual receiving refugee status under this bill shall not be counted against various numerical limitations. When determining whether an individual shall be admitted as a refugee, an individual whose citizenship, nationality, or residency was revoked for submitting a nonfrivolous application for a U.S. immigration benefit shall be considered to have suffered persecution on account of political opinion. The general presumption that an alien is seeking immigrant status shall not apply to certain Hong Kong residents seeking asylum into the United States. (Typically, an alien seeking admission as a nonimmigrant must establish that the alien does not intend to immigrate to the United States.) This exception to the presumption shall apply to certain individuals involved in the 2019 and 2020 protests against China's encroachment into Hong Kong's autonomy (Hong Kong is a part of China but has a separate legal and economic system). An individual from Hong Kong may not be denied admission into the United States if the primary reason for the denial is a politically motivated government action against the individual's involvement in protests.
World Health Organization Accountability Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the United States from providing any funds (either assessed or voluntary contributions) to the World Health Organization until the organization replaces all top leadership that was in place as of January 1, 2020, and Taiwan is accepted as a member.
Dignity for Aborted Children Act This bill sets out requirements for the disposition of human fetal tissue from an abortion. Specifically, it requires abortion providers to obtain a patient's informed consent for one of two specified methods of disposition. First, patients may choose to retain possession of the tissue. A patient may choose to transfer the tissue to an entity that provides interment or cremation services. Second, the patient may elect to release the tissue to the provider. Providers must ensure any tissue released to them is interred or cremated within seven days of the procedure in a manner consistent with state law regarding the disposal of human remains. Abortion providers must report annually about these requirements and other specified information. The bill provides civil or criminal penalties for violations of disposal, informed consent, and reporting requirements.
Parental Notification and Intervention Act This bill restricts the performance of an abortion on an unemancipated minor under 18 years of age. Specifically, it prohibits a person or organization from performing, facilitating, or assisting with an abortion on an unemancipated minor without first complying with certain requirements, including parental notification and a 96-hour waiting period. It establishes penalties—a fine, up to one year in prison, or both—for each willful violation. A parent who is required to be notified of an abortion of an unemancipated minor may sue in federal court to prohibit the abortion. Parental notification requirements may be waived in a medical emergency or in a case of physical abuse.
Chinese Research Funds Accounting Act This bill directs the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to conduct a study on federal funding made available to entities located in China or majority owned or controlled by the Chinese Communist Party for research in the five years prior to enactment of this bill. Not later than 120 days after the enactment of this bill, the GAO shall brief Congress on the data that is available with respect to federal funding made available to such entities for research.
