This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Updating Payment Parameters, Section 1332 Waiver Implementing Regulations, and Improving Health Insurance Markets for 2022 and Beyond , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of the Treasury on September 27, 2021. The rule expands the open enrollment period for individual health coverage and rescinds the previous interpretation of certain requirements relating to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers).
Returning Amtrak To Economic Sustainability Act or the RATES Act This bill revises the mission and goals of Amtrak. It encourages an economically sustainable intercity and commuter passenger rail system and requires Amtrak to ensure route profitability proportional to the federal share of investment.
Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act This bill expands Medicare coverage to permanently include services provided by a pharmacist, including incidental services and supplies, related to testing, drug regimens, and vaccines for COVID-19, influenza, and certain other illnesses. Specifically, the bill provides for continued coverage of pharmacist services relating to testing and vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza, as well as coverage of testing for respiratory syncytial virus and streptococcal pharyngitis (i.e., strep throat) and the initiation of drug regimens that are used to treat COVID-19, influenza, or strep throat. It also generally provides for coverage of pharmacist services during a public health emergency or to address health equity. A pharmacist, or the facility with which the pharmacist is contracted or employed, may present a claim for reimbursement of 85% (or 100% during a declared emergency) of the applicable amount. A pharmacist may not bill an individual for such a service other than for the applicable deductible or coinsurance amounts.
This resolution expresses that the House of Representatives calls upon the President to declare that the Russian employment of nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons of mass destruction that leads to a nuclear event, against or in connection with its war on Ukraine, would represent crimes against humanity; calls upon the President to treat such crimes against humanity as an urgent national and global security threat that may require, in concert with North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies, the employment of any available conventional means as necessary to secure the peace, including the potential need to degrade and destroy offending Russian forces in Ukraine; calls upon the President to make immediate efforts to provide the military and other material means needed for the Ukrainian government to be able to defend its national sovereignty; and stands ready to provide additional appropriations or enact other legislation to meet the needs of securing Ukraine's, Europe's, and the United States' common struggle against Russian fascism.
COI Elimination Act This bill limits U.S. contributions to the United Nations pertaining to the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Current law imposes a cap on the annual U.S. contribution to the U.N. budget. The bill lowers that cap by 25% of the amount budgeted for the commission. The bill also states that it shall be U.S. policy to seek the abolition of the commission and combat systemic anti-Israel bias in international bodies.
Increased Cost of Compliance Modernization Act of 2022 This bill increases insurance coverage available to structures in high-risk flood areas under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), commonly known as Increased Cost of Compliance (ICC) coverage. ICC coverage applies to costs related to flood mitigation requirements for repairs to, or the rebuilding of, flood-damaged structures with existing NFIP coverage. Currently, ICC coverage is capped at $30,000. The bill increases this amount to 20% of the maximum amount of flood insurance coverage (currently $50,000) with additional coverage available of up to 40% of the maximum amount of coverage (currently $100,000). The bill removes the cap on ICC premiums and requires the premium amount to be calculated pursuant to other NFIP rates. Additionally, ICC coverage does not count towards the cap on overall NFIP coverage. Finally, ICC policyholders are allowed to assign the rights or benefits of this coverage to a governmental agency to satisfy certain cost-sharing requirements applicable to mitigation assistance programs.
Price Stability Act of 2022 This bill removes maximum employment as a goal of the monetary policy set by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Open Market Committee.
This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Updating Payment Parameters, Section 1332 Waiver Implementing Regulations, and Improving Health Insurance Markets for 2022 and Beyond , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of the Treasury on September 27, 2021. The rule expands the open enrollment period for individual health coverage and rescinds the previous interpretation of certain requirements relating to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers).
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
Employee Rights Act This bill makes various changes with respect to the collective bargaining process and labor relations. For example, the bill permits an employer to refuse to collectively bargain with a union within 90 days prior to the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement if the employer receives evidence that the majority of the employees in the bargaining unit do not support the union. The bill requires support from a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit (not just a majority of the employees voting) when electing union representation. The bill also requires unions to provide bargaining unit employees with the right to vote by secret ballot, including when voting whether to engage in a strike or refusal to work. Further, union dues, fees, assessments, and other contributions may be used for only collective bargaining or contract administrative functions. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for nullifying executive orders that the Office of Management and Budget determines are likely to result in an employer ordering a plant closure or mass layoff.
Child Care and Development Block Grant Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and expands programs and services under the Child Care and Development Fund. The bill expands eligibility to include families earning not more than 150% of the state medium income if the state provides an appropriate opportunity for families earning not more than 85% of the state median income to receive services. Additionally, the bill provides grants for states to expand the supply and capacity of child care providers.
This concurrent resolution expresses that it is the sense of Congress that the President should direct the U.S. representative to the U.N. Commission on Narcotic Drugs to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States at the commission to seek to de-schedule cannabis from Schedule I of the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, expunge and forgive penalties related to cannabis for prior offenders, and treat cannabis as a commodity similar to other agricultural commodities.
