Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act of 2021 This bill sets forth provisions relating to wildlife conservation, anti-trafficking and poaching, and illegal fishing. Specifically, the bill directs the Departments of Justice, the Interior, Commerce, State, and the Treasury to develop a plan of action for awards to whistleblowers of violations of laws applicable to wildlife trafficking; directs Interior to carry out the International Wildlife Conservation Program to, among other things, address global conservation threats and combat wildlife trafficking and poaching; provides funding for the conservation of certain endangered species; authorizes Interior, in consultation with the State Department, to station not less than one U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service officer in the primary diplomatic or consular post of the United States in a focus country or country of concern (i.e., countries engaging in wildlife trafficking); and directs Commerce to make amounts available for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing enforcement. The bill also modifies the federal criminal code to make wildlife trafficking and illegal fishing predicates with respect to the enforcement of certain criminal offenses, including racketeering and money laundering.
Native American Rural Homeownership Improvement Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for a Department of Agriculture pilot program that provides direct loans to Native community development financial institutions to increase homeownership opportunities for tribal communities in rural areas.
This resolution requests that the Department of the Interior recognize the crash site of Roberto Clemente's airplane near Piñones in Loíza, Puerto Rico, and the adjacent land by adding the site to the National Register of Historic Places. Roberto Clemente was a renowned baseball player who played for the Pittsburg Pirates baseball team.
Comprehensive Addiction Resources Emergency Act of 2021 This bill establishes programs, grants, and other activities to address substance use disorders. Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must establish a program for purchasing and distributing opioid overdose reversal drugs for states and Indian tribes. HHS must also award grants for and otherwise support addressing substance use, particularly in states, tribes, territories, and localities with disproportionately high drug overdose rates; increasing access to preventive, medical, recovery, and related services; developing innovative models of delivering treatment and harm reduction services; and expanding the treatment capacity of Medicaid providers. In addition, HHS must issue model standards of care for treatment services and recovery residences and may award grants for training health care professionals. The bill also supports prevention and treatment services for workers, addiction and pain management research, and data collection on substance use disorders. Further, dispensers, distributors, and manufacturers of schedule II controlled substances (e.g., oxycodone), with the exception of opioid treatment programs, must certify that they maintain effective drug diversion controls. Violators are subject to specified civil and criminal penalties. Collected penalties shall be used for the grant programs and other substance use disorder activities established under the bill.
Neuroscience Center of Excellence Act of 2021 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to establish the Neuroscience Center of Excellence to address neuroscience diseases and disorders (e.g., addiction, Alzheimer's disease, and psychotic disorders). The center must carry out various activities, including (1) coordinating with FDA programs that focus on certain areas, such as drug evaluation; (2) convening periodic public meetings to engage with stakeholders to address challenges associated with developing medical products for neuroscience diseases and disorders; (3) establishing a program to facilitate the collection and systemic use of patient experience data to develop such medical products; and (4) convening a public meeting to discuss how to promote equity and the inclusion of traditionally underrepresented populations in the development of such medical products. The FDA must take actions related to these issues, such as issuing final guidance with recommendations on the collection and use of patient experience data for developing such medical products. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress a study that (1) reviews the participation of traditionally underrepresented populations in clinical trials for such medical products, and (2) provides recommendations for improving the participation of these populations.
Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2021 This bill prohibits government entities and insurance providers from denying community-based services to individuals with disabilities that require long-term service or support that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life. Specifically, these entities may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by such actions as imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, or waiting lists or failing to provide a specific community-based service. Additionally, community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. The bill requires the Department of Justice to issue regulations requiring government entities and insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services to individuals with such disabilities who would otherwise qualify for institutional placement. Government entities must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Regulations shall also (1) require government entities and insurance providers to perform self-evaluation on current services, policies, and practices and concerning compliance with requirements of this bill; and (2) require government entities to submit a transition plan. The bill provides funds for FY2022 for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance with respect to transition plans. The bill allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of its requirements.
This bill authorizes the National Medal of Honor Museum Foundation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia in honor of the extraordinary acts of valor, selfless service, and sacrifice displayed by Medal of Honor recipients. The foundation shall be solely responsible for the acceptance of contributions for, and the payment of expenses of, the establishment of the commemorative work. Federal funds may not be used to pay any expenses for the establishment of the commemorative work.
HRES 855 is a symbolic resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives to support designating the first week of December 2022 as "National United States Miners Week." It does not create new laws or policies but formally recognizes miners' contributions to the economy and supply chains. The resolution highlights miners' role in providing critical minerals and coal, supporting over 500,000 jobs, and securing domestic resources for everyday products. It directly affects miners and their communities by offering a formal, non-binding acknowledgment of their work. This is a procedural resolution with no concrete policy changes or funding implications.
Assessing Monetary Influence in the Courts of the United States Act or the AMICUS Act This bill requires certain disclosures in relation to amicus briefs (i.e., briefs that are filed by those who are not a party to a case but have an interest in the case). Specifically, each amicus brief that is filed in a U.S. court of appeals or the Supreme Court must list the name of any person who contributed (1) to the preparation or submission of the brief, (2) at least 3% of the gross annual revenue of the entity filing the brief for the previous year, or (3) more than $100,000 in the previous year to the filer. Such requirements do not apply to routine commercial transactions that are unrelated to amicus brief filings. The bill also prohibits those who file amicus briefs from giving gifts or providing travel to a judge of a U.S. court of appeals or a justice of the Supreme Court, except for reimbursements for travel expenses in relation to law school appearances. Violators are subject to civil penalties.
Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Clinical Awareness, Research, and Education Act of 2021 or the CCM-CARE Act of 2021 This bill requires the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other agencies to expand and coordinate their efforts to research cerebral cavernous malformation. (Cerebral cavernous malformation is a condition in which blood vessels in the brain and spinal cord become enlarged, which can lead to seizures, paralysis, hearing or vision loss, and bleeding in the brain.) The NIH must (1) award grants for medical, clinical, and pharmacological research; (2) award grants to support a network of clinical research centers intended to develop a cure for the condition; and (3) convene a Cerebral Cavernous Malformations Research Consortium to develop programs for clinicians, scientists, and patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must award grants to research entities for collecting and reporting data about cerebral cavernous malformation. The Food and Drug Administration must accelerate the clinical trial process for cerebral cavernous malformation by supporting (1) appropriate laboratory indicators of the condition, (2) the qualification of clinical outcome measures related to quality of life, (3) investigational drug applications, and (4) expedited peer-review pathways.
This bill gives the consent of Congress for the amendment to the Constitution of New Mexico proposed by House Resolution 1 of the 55th Legislature of the State of New Mexico, First Session, 2021, titled A Joint Resolution Proposing an Amendment to Article 12, Section 7 of the Constitution of New Mexico to Provide for Additional Annual Distributions of the Permanent School Fund for Enhanced Instruction for Students at Risk of Failure, Extending the School Year, Teacher Compensation and Early Childhood Education; Requiring Congressional Approval for Distributions for Early Childhood Education .
Food Donation Improvement Act of 2021 This bill expands liability protections for the donation of food and grocery products. Specifically, the bill expands the liability protections to include donations of an apparently fit grocery product or apparently wholesome food for which the recipient is charged a good Samaritan reduced price that is no greater than the cost of handling, administering, and distributing the food or product; or that is donated directly to a needy individual by a retail grocer, wholesaler, agricultural producer, restaurant, caterer, school food authority, or institution of higher education. The Department of Agriculture must issue regulations that clarify the quality and labeling standards that food products donated under the Bill Emerson Good Samaritan Food Donation Act must meet to be eligible for liability protection.
