Puerto Rico Self-Determination Act of 2021 This bill establishes a process for the people of Puerto Rico to vote on the political status (e.g., statehood) of the territory. Congress may ratify the decision through a joint resolution. The bill declares that the legislature of Puerto Rico has the authority to call a status convention regarding the political status of the territory. The bill provides for public financing of delegate elections to the status convention and establishes a Congressional Bilateral Negotiating Commission to provide advice and consultation to delegates of the status convention. The status convention must provide self-determination options for a referendum of the people of Puerto Rico. Ranked-choice voting is a permitted format for the referendum. Delegates shall carry out an educational campaign through traditional paid media related to the referendum. The bill provides for congressional consideration of a joint resolution to ratify the self-determination option selected through the referendum.
This bill prohibits the attachment of a 2021 recovery rebate by legal process, including assignment, levy, or garnishment. A 2021 recovery rebate is a stimulus payment provided by the American Rescue Plan of 2021 for individual taxpayers and their dependents who have been affected by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
TRICARE Fairness for National Guard and Reserve Retirees Act This bill aligns eligibility for TRICARE health coverage with the age at which personnel of the Retired Reserve (former National Guard and Reserve members) begin receiving retired pay. Specifically, personnel of the Retired Reserve who are not yet age 60 but are receiving their retirement pay may purchase TRICARE health coverage for retired military personnel, rather than the presently allowed TRICARE Retired Reserve. Under current law, Reserve Component personnel may retire below age 60, but not below 50, based on active duty performance.
Improving Access to Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill increases the Medicare reimbursement rate for clinical social worker services. The bill excludes clinical social worker services from the prospective payment system in which predetermined amounts form the basis for payment under Medicare. Additionally, the bill alters the definition of clinical social worker services as it relates to Medicare. Under current law, such services (1) include services performed for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illnesses, and (2) exclude services furnished to an inpatient of a skilled nursing facility as a condition of the facility's participation in the Medicare program. The bill repeals these provisions and instead specifies that such services include certain types of health behavior assessment and intervention.
Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act of 2021 This bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to negotiate drug prices under the Medicare prescription drug benefit and to institute a price structure for the reimbursement of drugs covered under the benefit.
Federal Firefighter Flexibility and Fairness Act This bill provides that any hours worked by a firefighter under a qualified trade-of-time arrangement shall be disregarded for purposes of determining eligibility for, or the amount of, any overtime pay. The bill defines qualified trade-of-time arrangement as an arrangement under which two firefighters who are employed by the same agency agree, solely at their option and with the approval of their employing agency, to substitute for one another during scheduled work hours in the performance of work in the same capacity.
Diversity Data Accountability Act This bill requires regulated entities to report to the Offices of Women and Minority Inclusion within specified financial agencies. Specifically, entities regulated by such agencies must provide information to the appropriate Office of Women and Minority Inclusion to allow that office to carry out duties relating to diversity policies and practices.
Huntington's Disease Disability Insurance Access Act of 2021 This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with Huntington's disease. This is an inherited disorder that causes brain cells to die, including in areas of the brain that help to control voluntary movement. Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with Huntington's disease. Under current law, individuals generally must wait five months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.
Clarifying Law Around Insurance of Marijuana Act or the CLAIM Act This bill generally provides a safe harbor from penalties or other adverse agency action for insurance companies that provide services to cannabis-related legitimate businesses in jurisdictions where such activity is legal. The Government Accountability Office must report on barriers to marketplace entry for minority-owned and women-owned cannabis-related businesses.
Protecting Investors' Personally Identifiable Information Act This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring a national securities exchange, association, or a member of either to provide a market participant's personally identifiable information to satisfy the reporting requirements of the Consolidated Audit Trail (which tracks market activity). However, this information must be provided to the SEC upon request. The SEC must destroy the information not later than one day after the conclusion of the matter for which this information was required.
Home Loan Quality Transparency Act of 2021 This bill expands requirements for public disclosures by depository institutions and credit unions regarding mortgages and home equity lines of credit. Specifically, institutions originating fewer than 500 mortgage loans or open-end lines of credit annually are no longer exempt from certain financial reporting.
College Transparency Act This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by institutions of higher education; and periodically match with other federal systems of data. The bill also establishes a postsecondary student data system advisory committee.
