Excellence in Recovery Housing Act This bill tasks the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with various activities to promote the availability of high-quality recovery housing for individuals with substance use disorders. Recovery housing refers to shared living environments free from alcohol and illicit drug use and centered on peer support and connection to services that promote sustained recovery from substance use disorders. Specifically, SAMHSA must develop and publish on its website standards and guidelines for recovery housing; award grants to states, tribal nations, territories, and localities to implement such standards and guidelines; convene an interagency working group to coordinate federal activities related to recovery housing; and arrange for research on the supply, quality, and effectiveness of recovery housing.
Federal Employees Civil Relief Act This bill establishes a framework to temporarily suspend certain judicial and administrative proceedings against a federal employee or contractor during a shutdown (i.e., any period in which there is more than a 24-hour lapse in appropriations affecting any federal agency or department). A federal worker who is furloughed or required to work without pay during a shutdown may apply to a court for a temporary stay, postponement, or suspension of any payment of rent, mortgage, tax, fine, penalty, insurance premium, student loan repayment, or other civil obligation or liability that the worker or individual owes or would owe during the duration of the shutdown. The Department of Justice many commence a civil action against any person who engages in (1) a pattern or practice of violating the requirements of this bill, or (2) a violation that raises an issue of significant public importance. A person aggrieved by a violation of this bill's requirements may also bring a private right of action.
Stop Stalling Access to Affordable Medications This bill makes it an unfair method of competition to submit an objectively baseless petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an attempt to interfere with a competitor's application for market approval of a drug. The bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to sue an individual or entity that submits such a petition to the FDA. A party found liable in such a lawsuit shall be subject to civil penalties, such as a fine of up to $50,000 for each day that the FDA spent reviewing the baseless petition.
Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Promoting Competition Act of 2021 This bill prohibits product hopping by drug manufacturers and authorizes the Federal Trade Commission to sue in court or institute administrative proceedings to enforce this prohibition. Generally, product-hopping describes a situation where, when the patents on a reference drug (or biological product) expire, the manufacturer switches to a follow-on product that is covered by a later-expiring patent. Under this bill, a follow-on product is a changed, modified, or reformulated version of the reference drug that shares an indication (what the drug is used for) with the reference drug. The bill presumes product hopping has occurred when a reference drug manufacturer engages in a hard switch or a soft switch . A hard switch occurs when, after receiving notice of an application for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to market a generic (or biosimilar) version of the reference drug, the manufacturer markets a follow-on product and (1) the FDA withdraws approval of the reference drug at the manufacturer's request, or (2) the manufacturer announces the withdrawal or discontinuance of the reference drug or destroys the drug's inventory in a manner that impedes generic competitors. Furthermore, the bill presumes that a soft switch occurred if a reference drug manufacturer (1) markets a follow-on product, and (2) takes actions that disadvantage the reference drug relative to that follow-on product in a way that impedes competition from a generic drug. A drug manufacturer may rebut these presumptions by demonstrating that its conduct was not intended to limit competition.
Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act This bill authorizes the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to initiate proceedings against parties to any agreement resolving or settling a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product. Such an agreement is presumed to have anticompetitive effects and is a violation of this bill if the filer of the generic drug or biosimilar application receives anything of value and agrees to limit or forego research, development, manufacturing, marketing, or sales of the generic drug or biosimilar. An agreement is exempted if the only consideration granted to the generic manufacturer is (1) the right to market its product prior to the expiration of any statutory exclusivity, (2) a payment for reasonable litigation expenses, or (3) a covenant not to sue on any claim that the generic drug or biosimilar infringes a patent. An agreement is also exempt if the agreement's pro-competitive benefits outweigh the anticompetitive effects. When a generic or biosimilar drug manufacturer enters into an agreement with another drug manufacturer related to the manufacturing, marketing, or sale of a drug, the manufacturers must certify that the material they have given the FTC concerning the agreement contains the complete agreement and any agreements related to that main agreement, including descriptions of any oral agreements or representations. The bill imposes penalties for violations of this bill, including the forfeiture of the 180-day marketing exclusivity period for a generic drug.
This resolution recognizes the importance of education to prevent substance use disorders and expresses gratitude for family members and others who support individuals in recovery.
This resolution supports the designation of National Voter Registration Day.
This bill expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and the President should examine and support ways to expand access to contraceptives.
Unclaimed Savings Bond Act of 2021 This bill establishes requirements and procedures for the Department of the Treasury to transfer ownership of certain matured, unredeemed savings bonds and related records to states.
This resolution condemns and denounces the actions of the Customs and Border Patrol agents who confronted Haitian migrants on horseback using their reins as lashes.
This resolution supports the designation of National Clean Energy Week.
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 This bill authorizes Department of Defense (DOD) activities for FY2022 and addresses related issues. For example, the bill provides or extends procurement authority for certain helicopters and amphibious shipbuilding programs; requires DOD to establish executive education activities on emerging technologies for certain officers and civilian leaders; provides statutory authority related to DOD Science and Technology Reinvention Laboratories, including direct hire authority with respect to advanced degree holders for positions at such laboratories; establishes within DOD a working group to develop a plan for creating a digital development infrastructure that supports tools and processes for developing and fielding applications powered by artificial intelligence; requires DOD core processes, such as acquisition and infrastructure planning, to fully consider and make needed adjustments to account for current and emerging climate and environmental challenges and to ensure climate resilience; expands Selective Service registration to include women; requires DOD to track allegations of retaliation against individuals who have made complaints of sexual assault or sexual harassment; requires DOD to implement certain recommendations from the Independent Review Commission on Sexual Assault in the Military; repeals a preference for fixed-price contracts in the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement; prohibits DOD from acquiring personal protective equipment from non-allied foreign nations, with some exceptions; extends and modifies authorities to assist vetted Syrian groups and individuals, provide assistance to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and support the activities of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq; and extends and modifies the Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Initiative and the Pacific Deterrence Initiative.
