CISA Leadership Act This bill establishes a term limit and specifies the appointment process for the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, the bill establishes a five-year term for the director of CISA. The director shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements relating to the prices of prescription drugs. Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies regarding prices for drugs covered under Medicare. (Current law prohibits the CMS from doing so.) If the CMS is unable to negotiate the price of a drug, such drug is subject to competitive licensing in order to further its sale under health insurance programs, notwithstanding existing government-granted exclusivities. The negotiated prices also apply to other federal health care programs, private health insurance, and the uninsured; pharmacies that charge more than the negotiated price for uninsured individuals are subject to civil penalties. Manufacturers must also comply with specified reporting requirements relating to prices and licensing, subject to civil penalties. The bill also institutes an excise tax on drugs for which the price spikes beyond a certain limit, subject to specified exemptions, as well as on drugs for which the price exceeds the negotiated price.
Small-Dollar PPP Forgiveness Simplification Act of 2021 This bill makes changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to with respect to forgiveness of certain PPP loans. Specifically, the bill includes as covered loans under the PPP loan forgiveness program excess loan amounts that were received due to a good faith error. The bill also increases the threshold, from $150,000 to $350,000, used to determine whether a PPP loan may use the simplified forgiveness application.
Voices for Veterans Act This bill expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, gender non-conforming, intersex, or queer. Among other responsibilities, the committee advises the Department of Veterans Affairs on the administration of benefits and provision of health care, benefits, and services to minority veterans.
Improving Medicare Coverage Act This bill temporarily expands eligibility for Medicare. It also temporarily establishes a premium and cost-sharing assistance program for low-income beneficiaries. Specifically, the bill lowers the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 60. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish procedures to provide for automatic enrollment of qualifying individuals. Enrollment must be completed within 11 months of the bill's enactment. The bill also establishes a program under Medicare to assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries with premiums, coinsurance, deductibles, and other costs. Currently, such assistance is provided through Medicare Savings Programs, which are administered by state Medicaid programs. The bill also establishes a related special enrollment period under Medicare, expands eligibility for assistance to beneficiaries with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line, and provides for joint eligibility determinations with respect to the bill's program and the low-income subsidy program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The bill's provisions generally take effect six months after the bill's enactment and terminate five years later.
Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act or the SPARK Act This bill expands automatic eligibility for free school lunches and breakfasts to include children who have been placed in kinship care with a relative or family friend with the involvement of the state child welfare agency. To enroll in the program, a family must document the child's status to the appropriate local educational agency.
Accurate Data for Defense (ADD) Resiliency Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to develop and implement a process to ensure it uses analytical tools that are accurate and effective in projecting the costs and performance of energy resilience measures on military installations.
This bill increases and extends through FY2022 emergency funding and extends through FY2022 certain flexibilities for states to administer foster care programs and services. This includes expanding eligibility for services until a youth reaches age 27, permitting a youth who left foster care to voluntarily return to foster care, and suspending certain education and training requirements.
Prohibition of Medicaid Funding for Conversion Therapy Act This bill prohibits state Medicaid programs from covering conversion therapy. The bill defines conversion therapy as any practice or treatment that seeks to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity in exchange for monetary compensation.
This resolution supports the doubling of spending on Perkins V and other innovative career and technical education programs over the next decade.
Preserving Patient Access to Home Infusion Act This bill specifically includes pharmacy services as part of covered home infusion therapy under Medicare, and specifies that certain payment components still apply regardless of whether or not a qualified supplier is physically present in the beneficiary's home. The bill also allows nurses and physician assistants to establish and review the plan of care for home infusion therapy.
No Federal Funding for Confederate Symbols Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being used for the creation, maintenance, or display of any Confederate symbol on federal public land or other federal property. An exception to such prohibition is provided (1) if the use of such funds is necessary to allow for the removal of the Confederate symbol to address public safety; or (2) in the case of a Confederate symbol created, maintained, or displayed in a museum or educational exhibit.
