Sen. Ted Budd

Taking Account of Bureaucrats' Spending Act of 2021 or the TABS Act of 2021 This bill eliminates provisions that fund the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) using transfers from the earnings of the Federal Reserve System. The transfers under current law permit the CFPB to be funded outside of the annual appropriations process, and this bill brings the CFPB into the regular process.

Flexibility Through Lower Expenses Health Care Act or the FLEX Act This bill provides statutory authority for certain short-term, limited-duration health insurance plans and association health plans. The bill permits short-term, limited-duration plans to provide coverage for a period of less than 12 months, not including extensions. Under current law, such plans are exempt from certain market requirements of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, such as coverage of individuals with preexisting conditions. The bill further permits groups or associations of employers to sponsor fully insured group health plans as if they were employers. Such plans may not discriminate based on the health factors of any prospective plan participant for the purpose of granting an employer's membership in the association or determining a participant's eligibility for benefits or premium amounts.

Save our Servers Act This bill prohibits the Department of Commerce from issuing specified grants to a state or local government that is restricting or prohibiting indoor or outdoor dining at restaurants.

Taking Account of Institutions with Low Operation Risk Act or the TAILOR Act This bill requires federal financial regulatory agencies to (1) tailor any regulatory actions so as to limit burdens on the institutions involved, with consideration of the risk profiles and business models of those institutions; and (2) report to Congress on specific actions taken to do so, as well as on other related issues. The bill's tailoring requirement applies not only to future regulatory actions but also to regulations adopted within the last seven years.

Equal Access to Care Act This bill temporarily authorizes a health care provider who is physically located and duly licensed in one state to provide telehealth services to individuals in one or more additional states in which the provider is not licensed during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period.

This resolution supports the designation of National Sanctity of Life Day.

Reopen Schools Act This bill requires a local educational agency (LEA) to reopen its elementary and secondary schools as a condition for receiving certain supplemental education emergency relief funding. Specifically, an LEA must provide in-person instruction to at least 50% of its students in order to receive the full funding. An LEA that provides in-person instruction to at least some of its students shall have its funding reduced on a pro rata basis.

Personalized Care Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions relating to health savings accounts (HSAs), including to redefine eligible individual for HSA purposes to allow increased participation in HSAs, increase the limit on contributions to HSAs, permit the payment of health insurance premiums from HSAs, include within the definition of qualified medical expenses periodic fees paid for medical services and amounts paid by a member of a health care sharing ministry, treat periodic provider fees as deductible medical expenses, and lower the 20% penalty for nonqualified distributions from HSAs to 10%.

Ultrasound Informed Consent Act This bill requires abortion providers to conduct an ultrasound before performing an abortion. Specifically, before a woman gives informed consent to any part of an abortion, the abortion provider must perform an obstetric ultrasound on the pregnant woman; provide a simultaneous explanation of what the ultrasound is depicting; display the ultrasound images so the woman may view them; and provide a complete medical description of the images, including the dimensions of the embryo or fetus, cardiac activity if present and visible, and the presence of external members and internal organs if present and viewable. Providers are subject to civil actions and penalties for violations. The bill's ultrasound requirements do not apply in cases where a physical disorder, illness, or injury caused by the pregnancy endangers a woman's life. A woman is also not required to view the ultrasound images; nor may she or the provider be penalized if she declines to do so.

Safe Responsible Ethical Scientific Endeavors Assuring Research for Compassionate Healthcare Act or the Safe RESEARCH Act This bill prohibits the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from conducting or supporting research on human fetal tissue obtained from an abortion procedure. It also imposes other restrictions on human fetal tissue research. Under the bill, the NIH may conduct or support research on human fetal tissue only if it was obtained from a stillbirth. Current law allows research on tissue from stillbirths or from spontaneous or induced abortions. The bill also applies informed consent and other requirements applicable to research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes to all research with human fetal tissue. This includes research on stem cells and other human fetal tissue alternatives. Additionally, human fetal tissue used for this research must be obtained in accordance with state anatomical gift laws. These laws govern organ and tissue donation for therapeutic, research, and other purposes. Some states already apply anatomical gift laws to human fetal tissue donation. Currently, executive branch officials may not prohibit the NIH from conducting or supporting research on the transplantation of human fetal tissue for therapeutic purposes. The bill repeals this limitation on executive branch officials. It also repeals a requirement that the NIH fund certain proposals for this research.