Preserving Rules Ordered for The Entities Covered Through 340B Act of 2021 or the PROTECT 340B Act of 2021 This bill prohibits pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health insurance plans from discriminating against health providers participating in the 340B drug pricing program, including pharmacies contracted with such providers to dispense 340B drugs. The 340B program allows certain providers to receive covered outpatient drugs at reduced prices from manufacturers. Specifically, PBMs and insurance plans may not reimburse 340B participants at a lower rate than other entities not participating in the program; impose differing terms (such as fees, charge-backs, or audits) on 340B participants; interfere with an individual's choice to receive drugs from a 340B participant; require 340B participants to identify which drugs fall within the program; or refuse to contract with a 340B participant on the basis that they utilize the program. Violations of this bill are subject to a civil penalty of not more than $5,000 per violation per day. These prohibitions also apply to prescription drug (Part D) sponsors under Medicare. The bill also provides for a process to prevent duplicate 340B drug discounts to states under Medicaid.
Volunteer First Responder Housing Act This bill expands eligibility to qualified volunteer first responders for assistance under (1) the Department of Agriculture Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program, and (2) certain Department of Housing and Urban Development single-family property disposition programs.
Safe Schools Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires states to direct their local educational agencies (LEAs) to establish policies that prevent and prohibit bullying and harassment of elementary and secondary school students. In particular, these policies must prohibit bullying and harassment based on race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or religion. Further, LEAs must provide (1) students, parents, and educational professionals with annual notice of the conduct prohibited in their disciplinary policies; (2) students and parents with grievance procedures that target such conduct; and (3) the public with annual data on the incidence and frequency of that conduct at the school and LEA level. The Department of Education must conduct and report on an independent biennial evaluation of programs and policies to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools. The National Center for Education Statistics must collect state data to determine the incidence and frequency of the conduct prohibited by LEA disciplinary policies.
Anti-Hunger Pandemic Recovery Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the National Institute of Food and Agriculture to award grants to community-based nonprofit feeding and anti-hunger groups to partner with small and mid-sized restaurants or food contractors to expand meal access and food security to meet the needs of children, families, and vulnerable populations during a pandemic such as COVID-19. Grants awarded may not exceed $500,000.
Department of Homeland Security Reform Act of 2021 or the DHS Reform Act of 2021 This bill makes extensive changes to the structure of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and to the responsibilities of DHS components. Specifically, the bill, among other things creates a new Associate Secretary responsible for overseeing DHS's law enforcement functions; modifies the responsibilities of the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, including to require engagement with individuals and communities whose civil rights and liberties may be affected by DHS programs and activities; establishes within DHS's Office of Intelligence and Analysis an analytic unit to serve as a focal point for intelligence and analysis of domestic terrorism threats; directs DHS to establish an employee engagement steering committee to identify factors that have a negative impact on employee engagement, morale, and communications within DHS; establishes within DHS a school security coordinating council; directs DHS to develop and disseminate a strategy with respect to biometric technology and identity management enterprise pilot programs and programs; requires DHS to develop, disseminate, and implement a DHS-wide directive to update or replace the strategic framework relating to countering terrorism and targeted violence; requires that DHS's use-of-force policy be updated to emphasize de-escalation; and requires DHS to issue a DHS-wide strategy to enhance partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutes that includes yearly goals.
Broadband for Rural America Act This bill modifies and consolidates Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs for expanding broadband internet in rural areas. Specifically, the bill modifies a program that provides grants, loans, and loan guarantees to support broadband expansion in rural areas. Modifications include revising the criteria used to prioritize applications and projects and changing the name of the program to the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program. Additionally, the bill terminates on June 30, 2022, a Department of Agriculture (USDA) COVID-19 response program that supports broadband expansion in rural areas for distance learning and telemedicine. Any remaining program funds available after the termination date shall be used for the ReConnect Rural Broadband Program. The bill also expands coordination requirements that apply to the Department of Commerce, USDA, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration. This includes requiring the use of specified FCC maps when assessing a community's access to broadband.
Better Opportunity and Outcomes for Socially Disadvantaged Talent Act of 2021 or the BOOST Act of 2021 This bill allows an exclusion from gross income, for income tax purposes, of 50% of any gain from the sale or exchange of a certified equity interest held for more than 3 years for corporations and partnerships in which a socially disadvantaged individual who is a U.S. citizen has an ownership interest.
Expanding Pathways to Employment Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to provide long-term grant funding for workforce development programs that have demonstrated a positive impact on worker earnings and for postsecondary education programs that have demonstrated a positive impact on student graduation.
Creation of Opportunities for Medical Manpower in Underserved Neighborhoods by Indemnifying Tuition and Incentivizing Exceptional Service Act or the COMMUNITIES Act This bill increases the amount of student loan repayment available to eligible health care providers who agree to complete a five-year period of obligated service in a health professional shortage area. Specifically, for each year of service, the Department of Health and Human Services shall pay one-fifth of the total amount owed on a participating provider's qualifying student loans. Current law caps the maximum amount of student loan repayment that a provider may receive in exchange for such service.
Children's Savings Accounts Offer Parents Plenty Of Reasons To Understand and Invest in Tuition Yearly Act or the CSA OPPORTUNITY Act This bill excludes the value of certain children's savings accounts, provided they meet specified requirements, when determining eligibility for particular means-tested federal programs. To be excluded, the savings account must be created as part of a program organized by a government, nonprofit, school district, or college or university and meet other administrative criteria. Furthermore, proceeds of the account may only be used for postsecondary educational expenses, the purchase of a first home, or costs associated with starting a business once the individual receives a secondary school diploma or equivalent.
No Land Grab Act of 2021 This bill prohibits from having the force and effect of law a provision of Executive Order 14008 (86 Fed. Reg. 7619), titled Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad , that requires the Department of the Interior to recommend steps to achieve the goal of conserving at least 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030.
Connecting Youth to Jobs Act This bill establishes and provides funding through FY2031 for grant programs to address barriers to youth employment. The bill also excludes certain youth employment income from Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) eligibility determinations. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Labor to provide formula grants to states and local areas, and competitive grants to community-based organizations and other eligible entities, to assist in carrying out subsidized public employment programs for youth with barriers to employment. Funding to states and local areas must be used for programs that lead eligible youth to unsubsidized full-time employment or to attainment of at least one recognized postsecondary credential. Grants to eligible entities must be used to match youth with employment barriers to subsidized employment programs funded by the bill and to provide hands-on work experience. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate and report on the activities funded by the bill. The bill also excludes from SNAP income eligibility determinations any income earned by a household member who is younger than 22 years old, is an elementary or secondary school student, and lives with a parent.
