Rights for the Transportation Security Administration Workforce Act of 2021 or the Rights for the TSA Workforce Act of 2021 This bill modifies the workplace rights, protections, and benefits applicable to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel. Specifically, the bill within 180 days, eliminates personnel authorities of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Transportation governing the conditions of employment for TSA employees, thus making TSA employees subject to the personnel management system applicable to other federal employees; sets forth transition rules that protect the pay rates, leave rights, and other rights of TSA and Federal Air Marshal Service employees; and requires DHS to consult with the labor organization certified by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to carry out the conversion of such positions. The bill also directs the TSA to implement in-person or remote mental health programs at each field office of the Federal Air Marshal Service and consult with labor associations to address concerns regarding federal air marshals, including mental health and suicide rates; requires DHS to prioritize the hiring of veterans, including disabled veterans; and directs the TSA to ensure its employees are provided proper guidance regarding prevention and protections against the coronavirus.
Assisting Community Colleges in Educating Skilled Students to Careers Act of 2021 or the ACCESS to Careers Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award competitive grants to community and technical colleges and to states for education and career training programs and related activities. Specifically, the bill requires ED to award grants to community and technical colleges and consortia of such colleges to (1) carry out student support services, such as child care, transportation, direct financial assistance, and case management services; and (2) carry out certain program activities, such as developing programs that accelerate learning, expand career pathways to postsecondary credentials, or expand dual or concurrent enrollment programs. Additionally, ED must award grants to states to establish statewide systemic reforms that support education and career training programs. States receiving these grants must (1) use funds to implement statewide policies, such as policies to support the expansion of education and career training programs for in-demand industry sectors or occupations, and (2) provide subgrants to community college partnerships to carry out program activities and student support services. Further, ED must (1) contract with an independent third party to perform an evaluation of the grants awarded under the bill, (2) provide technical assistance, and (3) submit an annual report to Congress.
Motorcyclist Advisory Council Act of 2021 This bill provides statutory authority for the establishment or designation of a Motorcyclist Advisory Council whose duties are to advise the Department of Transportation, the National Highway Safety Administration, and the Federal Highway Administration on transportation safety issues of concern to motorcyclists, including (1) motorcycle safety; (2) barrier and road design, construction, and maintenance practices; and (3) the architecture and implementation of intelligent transportation system technologies. The bill also sets forth the membership of the council, member terms, and reporting requirements.
Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act This bill temporarily applies a Medicare payment rate floor to Medicaid primary care services that are provided after the date of enactment of the bill or during a public health emergency, extends the payment rate to additional types of practitioners (e.g., obstetricians), and establishes other requirements with respect to payment for such services.
Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of State, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide assistance to people in Vietnam in relation to Agent Orange exposure. Specifically, the State Department must provide assistance (1) to address the health care needs of certain residents of Vietnam affected by Agent Orange exposure, (2) to institutions in Vietnam that provide health care to such individuals, (3) to improve housing and reduce poverty for specified individuals and their families, and (4) to remediate areas of Vietnam that contain high levels of Agent Orange. HHS must (1) make grants to public health organizations and Vietnamese American organizations to conduct a broad health assessment of Vietnamese Americans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange and their descendants; and (2) establish centers in U.S. locations where large populations of Vietnamese Americans reside to provide assessment, counseling, and treatment for conditions related to Agent Orange exposure. Under the bill, certain benefits will be made available to the children of male Vietnam veterans who are affected by certain birth defects. Currently, these benefits are only available to the children of women Vietnam veterans. The VA shall require any health care provider with whom the VA enters into a contract for the provision of health care to such children to provide the VA access to their medical records for research into the intergenerational effects of Agent Orange exposure.
Preventing Lead Poisoning Act of 2021 This bill requires coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of screening blood lead tests. Specifically, CHIP must cover a child's test once at the age of 12 months and once at the age of 24 months, or once between the ages of 24 months and 72 months if the child has never been assessed, as well as testing at such other times as recommended by a child's health care provider. The bill also provides statutory authority for these requirements (regarding testing intervals) for state Medicaid programs.
Stamp Out Lyme Disease Act This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to issue a Lyme Disease Research Semipostal Stamp, with all proceeds being transferred to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain Medicare payment rules applicable to imaging services shall apply to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services used in bone mass scans beginning in 2022. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish national minimum payment amounts for such services.
Pharmacy DIR Reform To Reduce Senior Drug Costs Act This bill establishes certain requirements for prescription drug plans and the prices of covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Specifically, the bill requires price concessions, payments, and fees that are negotiated with a pharmacy to be included in a drug's negotiated price, excluding incentive payments, and for this price to be provided at the point of sale. Additionally, prescription drug plans must report price concessions or incentive payments that are made after payment for covered drugs at the point of sale, including by contracted intermediaries, to the pharmacy at least annually. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish standardized pharmacy performance measures with respect to incentive payments and price concessions; such measures must account for all pharmacy types, including specialty pharmacies, and focus on patient health outcomes and other targeted areas.
End Polluter Welfare Act of 2021 This bill limits or eliminates certain fossil fuel oil and gas subsidies for oil companies, including by (1) eliminating the limit on liability for offshore facilities and pipeline operators; (2) eliminating the authority of the Department of Energy to carry out the Fossil Energy Research and Development Program and prohibiting funds made available to the Advanced Research Project Agency from being used to carry out any project that supports fossil fuels; (3) terminating certain provisions relating to enhanced oil recovery, producing oil and natural gas from marginal wells, and limitations on percentage depletion for oil and natural gas wells; (4) terminating other deductions and accounting methods supporting oil, natural gas, and coal companies; (5) increasing the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund financing rate; (6) denying a tax deduction for removal costs and damages relating to oil spills; (7) imposing an excise tax on the removal price of any taxable crude oil or natural gas; (8) increasing amortization periods for tertiary injectant expenses, development expenditures of a mine or other natural deposit, mining exploration expenditures, and intangible drilling and development costs for oil and gas wells and geothermal wells; (9) repealing the tax credits for the production of electricity from refined coal and for carbon oxide sequestration; and (10) requiring a study and elimination of certain other fossil fuel subsidies.
This resolution expresses approval of the sales of defense items to Israel that were notified to Congress on May 5, 2021, on the basis that those sales are consistent with the foreign policy interests of the United States.
