Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith

This bill requires each state that offers pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation (PEUC) to condition benefit eligibility for a long-term unemployed individual on an employer's confirmation that work is unavailable for the unemployed individual. Specifically, each state unemployment agency must request confirmation from the unemployed individual's most recent employer that the individual's position is not available at the time of the request. Unless the employer provides this confirmation, the state must terminate the individual's PUA or PEUC. The bill's provisions apply only to long-term unemployed individuals who have received PUA or PEUC for more than 30 weeks of unemployment.

Concentrating on High-value Alzheimer's Needs to Get to an End (CHANGE) Act of 2021 This bill modifies the requirements under Medicare for diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease and other cognitive impairments in older adults. Specifically, the bill expands the cognitive impairment detection benefit during annual wellness visits to require the use of validated detection tools and documentation of the results in the patient's medical record. Further, when a cognitive impairment is detected, the patient must be referred to an appropriate diagnostic service provider and other specified supports. Additionally, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must implement Medicare policies that increase the identification and response to patients' Alzheimer's disease risk factors and incentivize providers to utilize high-quality cognitive impairment diagnosis practices.

Rural Jobs Act This bill allocates an additional $500 million in 2022 and 2023 for new markets tax credit investments in the Rural Jobs Zone (an area comprised of low-income communities with populations not greater than 50,000 that are not adjacent to an urbanized area). The bill also requires that at least 25% of such investments be made in areas that are persistent poverty counties, high migration rural counties, or both.

This resolution recognizes the 150th anniversary of Alcorn State University, which is the oldest public historically Black land-grant institution in the United States.

This resolution designates the week of May 9-May 15, 2021, as National Police Week.

Israel Sovereignty Reassurance Act of 2021 or ISRA This bill prohibits using funds made available to the Department of State for FY2022 to implement, administer, or enforce any policy that rescinds the U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel.

This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of National Nurses Week.

Back the Blue Act of 2021 This bill establishes new criminal offenses for killing, assaulting, and fleeing to avoid prosecution for killing a judge, law enforcement officer, or public safety officer. Additionally, the bill expands the list of statutory aggravating factors in death penalty determinations to also include the killing or attempted killing of a law enforcement officer, judge, prosecutor, or firefighter or other first responder; broadens the authority of federal law enforcement officers to carry firearms; and limits federal court review of challenges to state court convictions for killing a public safety officer or judge. Finally, it directs the Department of Justice to make grants to law enforcement agencies and nongovernmental organizations to promote trust and improve relations between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve.

Long-Term Care Pharmacy Definition Act of 2021 This bill establishes a statutory definition for long-term care pharmacy under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Currently, there is no statutory definition. Regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) define a long-term care pharmacy as a pharmacy that is owned by or under contract with a long-term care facility to provide prescription drugs to the facility's residents. Additional requirements are set out in CMS guidance relating to the Medicare prescription drug benefit; pharmacies are also subject to regulations and guidance from other agencies (e.g., packaging requirements from the Food and Drug Administration).      The bill defines a long-term care pharmacy as a state-licensed pharmacy that is able to provide enhanced pharmacy and clinical services to individuals who have certain comorbid and medically complex chronic conditions and who reside in skilled nursing facilities, nursing facilities, or any other applicable setting (as determined by the CMS). The term enhanced pharmacy and clinical services includes medication dispensed in special packaging, drug utilization review, and 24-7 availability of medication delivery and on-call pharmacists.

Restoring the Armed Career Criminal Act This bill modifies the prior convictions that trigger a 15-year enhanced mandatory minimum prison term for a defendant who commits a firearms offense after three or more such prior convictions.