Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Act This bill authorizes competitive grants to enhance services for school-aged youth with mental and behavioral health issues that can lead to poor academic performance, depression, and other negative outcomes. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) may award the grants to state or local educational agencies or Indian tribes. SAMHSA must ensure geographic representation, including with respect to rural areas, in the distribution of grant funds.
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill modifies and reauthorizes through FY2027 programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal criminal laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 or the EARN IT Act of 2022 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
Electric Vehicles for All Act or the EVs for All Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to provide grants to eligible entities (i.e., public housing agencies, local governments, and certain non-profit organizations) to facilitate electric vehicle sharing services operated at public housing projects.
SRES 509 is a non-binding Senate resolution honoring NFL quarterback Tom Brady for his 22-season professional career, primarily with the New England Patriots (20 seasons) and briefly with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2 seasons). The resolution recognizes his seven Super Bowl championships, NFL records (including most career passing yards and touchdowns), and iconic moments like the 2007 perfect regular season and Super Bowl LI comeback. It does not create new laws or affect any policies - it is a ceremonial tribute to Brady’s athletic achievements and legacy. The resolution was introduced by Senators Hassan, Collins, Whitehouse, and others in February 2022.
This resolution extends collective bargaining rights prescribed in the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to employees of the House of Representatives.
Provider Relief Fund Improvement Act This bill extends deadlines, expands the uses of, and makes other changes pertaining to the Provider Relief Fund. The fund reimburses health care providers for increased expenses or lost revenue attributable to COVID-19. Specifically, the bill extends the deadline by which providers must use any reimbursements they received in 2020 from the fund to the end of the COVID-19 emergency. Providers must use reimbursements received in the first half of 2021 by the end of the emergency or June 30, 2022, whichever is later. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must distribute the remaining provider relief funds by March 31, 2022. Providers must use these funds by June 30, 2023. The bill also allows the use of the funds for workplace safety activities, such as hiring additional security personnel.
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.
Sensible, Timely Relief for America's Nuclear Districts' Economic Development Act of 2021 or the STRANDED Act of 2021 This bill provides resources to communities that are challenged by stranded nuclear waste. The bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a competitive prize competition for affected communities to carry out alternatives to nuclear facilities, generating sites, and waste sites. DOE must also (1) establish the Stranded Nuclear Waste Task Force to study existing public and private resources and funding for affected communities, and (2) establish a grant program to assist localities near nuclear power plants to offset the impacts of stranded nuclear waste in affected communities.
Scholarship for Service: The Building Better Americans Act This bill establishes a scholarship-for-service program for students who served at least two years in the military, an emergency medical service, or a police force, or as a teacher's assistant or firefighter, and who submit a certification of such service prior to enrolling as an undergraduate in an institution of higher education (IHE). An eligible undergraduate student may receive a grant in the amount equal to the cost of attendance at the IHE in which the student enrolls for two academic years.
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.
