This resolution recognizes the roles that development and diplomacy play in advancing American interests and national security, and it expresses support for a substantial U.S. international affairs budget.
Safe Step Act This bill requires a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer. A request for such an exception to the protocol must be granted if (1) an otherwise required treatment has been ineffective, (2) such treatment is expected to be ineffective and delaying effective treatment would lead to irreversible consequences, (3) such treatment will cause or is likely to cause an adverse reaction to the individual, (4) such treatment is expected to prevent the individual from performing daily activities or occupational responsibilities, (5) the individual is stable based on the prescription drugs already selected, or (6) there are other circumstances as determined by the Employee Benefits Security Administration. The bill requires a group health plan to implement and make readily available a clear process for an individual to request an exception to the protocol, including required information and criteria for granting an exception. The bill further specifies timelines under which plans must respond to such requests.
This bill extends the authority for federal agencies to reimburse federal contractors for paid leave provided to employees unable to perform work due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic from March 31, 2021, to September 30, 2021.
Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act This bill increases the Medicaid federal matching rate, also known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), for states and U.S. territories that experience economic downturns (i.e., high unemployment) beginning on or after January 1, 2020, in accordance with specified requirements and limitations. The bill's increase is in addition to previously enacted FMAP increases relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) but may not result in an FMAP greater than 95%.
Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating a study area comprised of cities and counties in Virginia and counties in North Carolina as a National Heritage Area to be known as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area. The study shall include analysis, documentation, and determinations on whether the study area (1) has an assemblage of natural, historic, and cultural resources that represent distinctive aspects of the people and culture of the United States; and (2) are worthy of recognition, conservation, interpretation, and continuing use.
Emergency Funding for Child Protection Act This bill funds additional grants to states for child abuse or neglect prevention and treatment programs in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. Specifically, states may use such grants to expand services, provide support to community-based organizations, purchase emergency supplies, and provide temporary direct payments to families caring for children under protective services supervision that are awaiting approval for government assistance, among other uses. The bill does not require states to match funding under these grants. The bill also provides funding to operate and expand the national child abuse hotline.
Pandemic Heroes Compensation Act of 2021 This bill allows essential workers and their family members to file claims and receive compensation for harm or death suffered as a result of COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). A Special Master appointed by the Department of Justice must review claims submitted and determine if a claimant is eligible for compensation, the extent of the harm to the claimant, and the amount of compensation to be awarded.
Workforce Mobility Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the use of noncompete agreements in the context of commercial enterprises except under certain circumstances. The first exception is that the seller of the entirety of a business interest may enter an agreement to refrain from engaging in a similar business in the geographic areas where the business being sold has conducted business prior to the agreement. This exception extends to agreements by senior executive officials who have a severance agreement as part of the conditions of sale (i.e., a buyout provision). Second, a partner of an enterprise, in anticipation of the dissolution of the partnership or disassociation of a partner, may enter an agreement to refrain from engaging in a similar business in the geographic areas where the partnership has conducted business prior to the agreement. Commercial enterprises must post notice of this prohibition in the workplace. The Federal Trade Commission or the Department of Labor shall investigate or enforce the provisions of this bill.
COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to raise awareness about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) and promote vaccination among racial and ethnic minority groups and other populations that have experienced health disparities related to the disease. The CDC must conduct, subject to available funding, a public awareness campaign that targets those populations. The CDC must coordinate the campaign with the White House COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force and other federal, state, tribal, and local entities. The CDC must also award grants to health departments for similar COVID-19 awareness campaigns. Grant-funded campaigns must complement the CDC's campaign, as well as other efforts to inform the public about the disease. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services must develop prototype materials for grantees to use in their campaigns.
New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2021 This bill makes the new markets tax credit permanent. It also modifies the credit to (1) provide for an inflation adjustment to the limitation amount for the credit after 2021, and (2) allow an offset against the alternative minimum tax for the credit (determined with respect to qualified equity investments initially made after 2020).
Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2021 This bill removes the requirement that a health care practitioner apply for a separate waiver through the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to dispense certain narcotic drugs (e.g., buprenorphine) for maintenance or detoxification treatment (i.e., substance use disorder treatment). Further, a community health aide or community health practitioner may dispense certain narcotic drugs for maintenance or detoxification treatment without registering with the DEA if the drug is prescribed by a health care practitioner through telemedicine. It preempts state laws related to licensure for this activity. The bill also directs the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to conduct a national campaign to educate health care practitioners and encourage them to integrate substance use disorder treatment into their practices.
Democracy Restoration Act of 2021 This bill addresses the voting rights of individuals convicted of a criminal offense and the restoration of their voting rights. First, the bill declares that the right of a U.S. citizen to vote in any election for federal office shall not be denied or abridged because that individual has been convicted of a criminal offense unless, at the time of the election, such individual is serving a felony sentence. Further, the bill provides for enforcement of, and remedies for violations of, the bill. In addition, it sets forth requirements for state and federal notification of individuals of the restoration of their voting rights. Finally, the bill prohibits federal funding of construction or improvement of a place of incarceration unless U.S. citizens incarcerated in that jurisdiction are notified, upon release, of their voting rights.
