Ensuring Lasting Smiles Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover diagnosis and treatment of congenital anomalies and birth defects, such as reconstructive services and items. Coverage must include services and items that functionally improve, repair, or restore any body part that is medically necessary for normal bodily functions or appearance, as determined by the treating physician. Coverage limits and cost-sharing requirements for such services and items may not be more restrictive than those applicable to all medical and surgical benefits under the plan.
Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life by Hazing Act or the END ALL Hazing Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student-aid programs to collect information and publicly report on hazing-related misconduct. Specifically, IHEs must prepare biannual reports and post the reports on their websites. The reports must include information on hazing-related misconduct committed by a student organization, including the name of the student organization that committed the violation, a description of the violation, and sanctions placed on the organization. Further, IHEs must report to campus police and law enforcement authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of any allegation of hazing that involved serious bodily injury or a significant risk of serious bodily injury. The bill does not apply to foreign IHEs.
Protect and Serve Act of 2021 This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly assaulting a law enforcement officer and causing serious bodily injury (or attempting to do so) in circumstances that affect interstate commerce. It imposes criminal penalties—a prison term, a fine, or both—on a violator.
No Pensions for Corrupt Politicians Act of 2021 This bill makes a Member of Congress who has been convicted of a crime related to public corruption ineligible to receive certain retirement payments between the date of sentencing and the date of final conviction. Such retirement payments are those made under the Civil Service Retirement System or the Federal Employees' Retirement System based on the individual's service as a Member. Under current law, a Member must forgo receipt of these payments only after a final conviction (i.e., after the exhaustion of all appeals under the judicial process). The bill eliminates these payments to a Member from the date of sentencing for the conviction.
Do Your Job Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the use of official time by federal employees. Official time is paid time off from assigned duties to perform labor-management relations activities.
Educational Notification and Disclosure of Actions risking Loss of Life by Hazing Act or the END ALL Hazing Act This bill requires institutions of higher education (IHEs) that participate in federal student-aid programs to collect information and publicly report on hazing-related misconduct. Specifically, IHEs must prepare biannual reports and post the reports on their websites. The reports must include information on hazing-related misconduct committed by a student organization, including the name of the student organization that committed the violation, a description of the violation, and sanctions placed on the organization. Further, IHEs must report to campus police and law enforcement authorities within 72 hours of becoming aware of any allegation of hazing that involved serious bodily injury or a significant risk of serious bodily injury. The bill does not apply to foreign IHEs.
Cost Openness and Spending Transparency Act of 2021 or the COST Act This bill requires recipients of federal funds to disclose financing information relating to programs, projects, or activities carried out using such funds. Specifically, such a recipient (including a state or local government or a recipient of a federal research grant) must clearly state in any press release, request for proposal, bid solicitation, or other document describing the activity the amount and percentage of federal funding and the amount and percentage of nongovernmental funding. If the Office of Management and Budget determines that a recipient is failing to comply, it may direct each agency providing federal funds to withhold up to 25% of the funds until the recipient complies.
Help Independent Tracks Succeed Act or the HITS Act This bill permits taxpayers to treat as currently deductible expenses the cost of qualified sound recording productions not exceeding $150,000 in a taxable year. The bill defines qualified sound recording production as certain sound recordings produced and recorded in the United States.
Student Loan Refinancing and Recalculation Act This bill provides for the refinancing or deferral of certain federal student loans. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education to establish a program to refinance the outstanding principal, interest, and late charges on federal student loans in order to give borrowers fixed interest rates equal to the 10-year Treasury note rate plus one percentage point. Further, the bill eliminates origination fees on the loans. In addition, the bill allows borrowers in medical, veterinary, or dental internship or residency programs to defer student loan payments until the completion of their programs.
Guard the Border Act This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) to reassign 95% of National Guard members deployed to the National Capital Region on or after January 6, 2021, in response to the attacks on the U.S. Capitol building and grounds. Specifically, DOD must reassign such members to support U.S. Customs and Border Protection in (1) securing the southern land border of the country, and (2) management and care for migrants at the border. DOD must report on the results of a study assessing the effects of such reassignment.
SPF Act This bill makes daylight savings time permanent.
Medicaid Report on Expansion of Access to Coverage for Health Act or the Medicaid REACH Act This bill reduces federal payment for Medicaid administrative expenses incurred by states that have not elected to participate in Medicaid expansion under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (i.e., nonexpansion states) if the state does not comply with specified reporting requirements. The bill requires nonexpansion states to report, among other information, the number of uninsured individuals under the age of 65 and the estimated percentage of such individuals who would be eligible to receive coverage if the state expanded Medicaid.
