Reproductive Rights are Human Rights Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of State to include in its annual reports on human rights in countries receiving U.S. development and security assistance a discussion of the status of reproductive rights in each country. This must include whether a country has adopted and enforced policies to (1) promote access to contraception and accurate, nondiscriminatory family planning and sexual health information; (2) provide services to ensure safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth; (3) expand or restrict access to safe abortion services; and (4) prevent and treat sexually transmitted diseases. For each country, the reports shall also contain (1) data concerning pregnancy-related injuries and deaths; and (2) a description of the nature and extent of discrimination and violence against women, girls, and LGBTQI+ individuals in health care settings and the relevant government's response to such actions.
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. The resolution also recognizes that the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States.
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 bill also establishes national minimum payment amounts for such services.
National Origin-Based Antidiscrimination for Nonimmigrants Act or the NO BAN Act This bill imposes limitations on the President's authority to suspend or restrict aliens from entering the United States. It also prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions, such as whether to issue an immigrant or nonimmigrant visa, unless there is a statutory basis for such discrimination. The President may temporarily restrict the entry of any aliens or class of aliens after the Department of State determines that the restriction would address specific and credible facts that threaten U.S. interests such as security or public safety. The bill also imposes limitations on such restrictions, such as requiring the President, State Department, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to (1) only issue a restriction when required to address a compelling government interest, and (2) narrowly tailor the suspension to use the least restrictive means to achieve such an interest. Before imposing a restriction, the State Department and DHS shall consult with Congress. The State Department and DHS shall report to Congress about the restriction within 48 hours of the restriction's imposition. If such a report is not made, the restriction shall immediately terminate. Individuals or entities present in the United States and unlawfully harmed by such a restriction may sue in federal court. DHS may suspend the entry of aliens traveling to the United States on a commercial airline that failed to comply with regulations related to detecting fraudulent travel documents.
Trust in Public Service Act This bill incorporates customer experience as a central measure of performance for federal agencies. Specifically, the bill requires each agency to develop a high-quality customer experience by allocating sufficient resources to and prioritizing customer experience capabilities and initiatives, adapting government-wide and global good practices, streamlining the process for soliciting voluntary customer feedback and requiring limited internal review if the collection is within the scope of Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, and using human-centered design practices. Each agency shall develop and use tools to experiment with different approaches to improve customer experience, ensure the privacy of federal customers, use the data collected to continually improve customer experience and agency performance, and share the data collected with research entities to permit external analysis. The bill sets forth agency communication responsibilities. In addition, the OMB must issue guidance for agencies in collaboration with specified entities. It may establish programs that annually recognize individuals and teams across the federal workforce meeting customer service-related goals. The bill (1) integrates customer experience provisions into the U.S. code and the Federal Citizen Services Fund, (2) directs the OMB to establish an Office of Customer Experience, and (3) integrates customer experience into the responsibilities of key agency officials. The OMB, in coordination with the Office of Customer Experience, must establish the Participatory Government and Civic Dialogue Advisory Council. The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress, assessing agency efforts and examining best practices.
Clean Water Standards for PFAS Act of 2021 This bill directs the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop requirements and incentives to limit the discharge of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) into certain waters of the United States. PFAS are man-made and may have adverse human health effects. A variety of products contain the compounds, such as nonstick cookware or weatherproof clothing. Within two years, the EPA must publish water quality criteria for each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. The water quality criteria must determine how much of these substances can be present in water before it is likely to harm human health. Within four years, the EPA must publish a final rule that establishes, for each priority industry category specified in the bill, effluent limitations guidelines and standards for the discharge of each measurable perfluoroalkyl substance, polyfluoroalkyl substance, and class of PFAS. Under the Clean Water Act, effluent limitations restrict the quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents which are discharged from point sources (e.g., a discernible source such as a pipe) into navigable waters, the ocean, or other specified waters. In addition, the EPA must award grants to owners and operators of publicly owned treatment works for implementing the effluent limitations guidelines and standards.
Multi-State Worker Tax Fairness Act of 2021 This bill limits the authority of a state to impose its income tax on the compensation of a nonresident individual to the period in which the nonresident individual is physically present in the state.
Access to Counsel Act of 2021 This bill provides various protections for covered individuals subject to secondary or deferred inspections when seeking admission into the United States. Covered individuals include U.S. nationals, lawful permanent residents, aliens in possession of a visa, returning asylees, and refugees. The Department of Homeland Security shall ensure that a covered individual subject to secondary or deferred inspection has a meaningful opportunity to consult with counsel and certain related parties, such as a relative, within an hour of the start of the secondary inspection and as necessary during the inspection process. The counsel and related party shall be allowed to advocate on behalf of the covered individual, including by providing evidence and information to the examining immigration officer. A lawful permanent resident subject to secondary or deferred inspection may not abandon lawful permanent resident status until the individual has had a meaningful opportunity to seek advice from counsel, unless the individual voluntarily and knowingly waives in writing this opportunity to seek counsel's advice.
College Athlete Right To Organize Act This bill establishes collective bargaining rights for college athletes. Specifically, the bill amends the National Labor Relations Act to (1) define college athlete employee as an employee of an institution of higher education if the individual receives direct compensation from the institution and such compensation requires participation in intercollegiate sports, and (2) include public institutions as employers within the context of intercollegiate sports. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) must consider the colleges within an athletic conference as part of a bargaining unit with which college athletes can negotiate. The NLRB shall have jurisdiction over all institutions of higher education within the context of intercollegiate athletics regarding collective bargaining and representation matters and labor disputes. The bill prohibits any agreements, such as scholarship agreements, that waive the right of athletes to collectively bargain.
Access to Contraception Expansion for Veterans Act or the ACE Veterans Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to authorize veterans to fill prescriptions for a year's supply of contraceptive pills, transdermal patches, vaginal rings, or other hormonal contraceptive products.
This bill directs the U.S. Postal Service to provide for the issuance of a forever stamp to honor the sacrifices of families who have lost a loved one who was a member of the Armed Forces in combat.
Affordable Medications Act This bill revises and expands various requirements relating to prescription drug pricing and affordability. Specifically, the bill expands financial reporting requirements for drug manufacturers and establishes corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance; it also adds reporting requirements for certain nonprofit patient-assistance programs. Further, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate prices for certain prescription drugs under Medicare and requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation within the CMS to test specified models for negotiating drug prices. It also establishes reporting requirements, and corresponding civil penalties for noncompliance, for pharmaceutical companies with respect to spikes in prescription drug prices. The bill establishes an excise tax on prescription drugs subject to price spikes, lessens prescription drug cost-sharing requirements under qualified health plans and group health plans, and modifies requirements for the importation of prescription drugs. It also requires drug manufacturers to provide rebates for drugs dispensed to certain low-income individuals under the Medicare program and limits the time frame that trade agreements are required to provide market exclusivity for biological products. Additionally, the bill (1) requires the Food and Drug Administration to establish a database of generic drugs; (2) modifies other provisions related to generic drugs, prescription drug advertising, disclosure of wholesale acquisition prices, and patent-infringement proceedings; and (3) revises certain time frames and conditions related to drug exclusivity. Finally, it establishes an innovation incentive fund for new or more effective treatments of bacterial infections and establishes the Center for Clinical Research within the National Institutes of Health.
