Fostering Postsecondary Success for Foster and Homeless Youth Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education (ED) must annually recognize institutions of higher education (IHEs) that offer outstanding services and programs to foster care and homeless youth. Further, ED must establish a Center for Fostering Postsecondary Success for Foster and Homeless Youth to assist IHEs with creating and maintaining their programs for these youth.
Saving Us from Pandemic Era Resistance by Building a Unified Global Strategy Act of 2021 or the SUPER BUGS Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to seek to enter into agreements with foreign countries to develop and commercialize new drugs to address pandemics. HHS shall report to Congress a strategy for achieving this goal.
Huntington's Disease Disability Insurance Access Act of 2021 This bill expedites payment of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits and eligibility for Medicare coverage for those with Huntington's disease. This is an inherited disorder that causes brain cells to die, including in areas of the brain that help to control voluntary movement. Specifically, the bill eliminates the 5-month waiting period for SSDI benefits and the subsequent 24-month waiting period for Medicare coverage for individuals with Huntington's disease. Under current law, individuals generally must wait five months after the onset of disability to begin receiving SSDI benefits and an additional 24 months to become eligible for Medicare.
Reading Early and Addressing Dyslexia Act or the READ Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to establish an early literacy and dyslexia intervention pilot program to award grants to five state educational agencies to address early reading deficiencies and dyslexia. Under the program, ED must identify (1) evidence-based methods of screening students in grades K-3 for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia; (2) intensive interventions for these students, including phonological awareness and phonemic awareness, sound symbol recognition, and decoding skills; and (3) best practices to instruct educators on the science of reading and how to execute screenings and intensive interventions for these students. Each participating state educational agency must select at least two local educational agencies (LEAs) to participate in the program. Participating LEAs must provide intensive interventions identified by ED that develop basic reading skills and incorporate systematic phonics instruction to every student in grades K-3, screen each student in grades K-3 three times during each school year using the screening methods identified by ED, notify parents or guardians of screenings, and conduct diagnostic assessments and provide intensive interventions for each student suspected of having an early reading deficiency or dyslexia. The bill also directs ED to establish an online platform to provide educational agencies with resources, such as methods of targeting instruction for early reading deficiencies and dyslexia.
Protecting Investors' Personally Identifiable Information Act This bill prohibits the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from requiring a national securities exchange, association, or a member of either to provide a market participant's personally identifiable information to satisfy the reporting requirements of the Consolidated Audit Trail (which tracks market activity). However, this information must be provided to the SEC upon request. The SEC must destroy the information not later than one day after the conclusion of the matter for which this information was required.
Billion Dollar Boondoggle Act of 2021 This bill directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance requiring federal agencies to report annually to Congress regarding certain federally funded projects that are (1) more than five years behind schedule, or (2) have expenditures that are at least $1 billion more than the original cost estimate for the project.
Let States Cut Taxes Act This bill removes a prohibition on states and territories using COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) relief funding under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to offset a reduction in revenue resulting from a reduction in taxes or a delay in the imposition of a tax or tax increase.
Timely Mental Health for Foster Youth Act This bill requires an initial mental health screening within 30 days after a child enters foster care. In the case of a child for whom a mental health issue is identified in such initial screening, a comprehensive assessment of the child's mental health must be completed within 60 days after the child's entry into foster care. The Department of Health and Human Services must provide technical assistance for states to implement this requirement and collect data and report on the number of screenings completed.
Wise Investment in Children Act of 2021 or the WIC Act of 20 21 This bill expands eligibility for children to receive benefits under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to grant a waiver to a state, on request, that waives certification deadline requirements under the program if such state demonstrates there are unusual technological barriers to implementation, operational costs are not affordable within the nutrition services and administration grant of the state, or it is in the best interest of the program. If a waiver is granted, the bill extends eligibility for the program until the period that ends on the earlier of the sixth birthday of a child or when the child enters kindergarten; extends the certification period under the program for infants to up to two years, instead of the current one year; and increases the certification time under the program for postpartum women to a period of up to two years.
Uyghur Forced Labor Disclosure Act This bill requires issuers of securities to publicly disclose their activities related to China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Specifically, issuers must disclose the importation of manufactured goods and materials that originated or are sourced from that region, as well as details about the commercial activity, gross revenue and net profits, and future import plans regarding these goods and materials. Furthermore, issuers must disclose whether any of these goods or materials are from forced labor camps.
DOD Entrepreneurial Innovation Act This bill requires each military department to annually designate at least five eligible programs as Entrepreneurial Innovation Projects. Eligible programs are certain projects currently pursuing commercialization objectives that initially received funding for research and development through the Small Business Innovation Research Program or Small Business Technology Transfer Program. Once designated, programs must be included in future budgets and plans of the Department of Defense. Each military department must establish an advisory panel to identify and recommend eligible programs for designation.
College Transparency Act This bill requires the National Center for Education Statistics to establish a secure and privacy-protected data system that contains information about postsecondary students. Specifically, the data system must evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postcollegiate outcomes, and higher education costs and financial aid; provide complete and customizable information for students and families making decisions about postsecondary education; reduce the requirements for reporting by institutions of higher education; and periodically match with other federal systems of data. The bill also establishes a postsecondary student data system advisory committee.
