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.
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.
Pandemic Supplies Production Act This bill requires certain actions to manage the supply and distribution of materials needed to respond to the COVID-19 emergency. Specifically, the President must immediately exercise authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure the supply of necessary materials during the COVID-19 emergency. That act confers upon the President a broad set of authorities to influence domestic industry in order to provide essential materials and goods needed for the national defense. In addition, the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), which is responsible for supply activities common to all military departments, must manage requests for and distribution of materials to respond the COVID-19 emergency and future emergencies or disasters. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must reimburse the DLA for costs incurred to undertake these activities. In addition, the DLA must report on the raw materials needed for the mass production of COVID-19 vaccines and related topics.
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.
Outdated AUMF Repeal Act This bill repeals the authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq (dated January 14, 1991, and October 16, 2002) and repeals a joint resolution authorizing the provision of military assistance in the general area of the Middle East (dated March 9, 1957).
Jumpstart Our Businesses by Supporting Students Act of 2021 or the JOBS Act of 2021 This bill expands student eligibility for Pell Grants by establishing the Job Training Federal Pell Grant program. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education to award a job training Pell Grant to a student who does not have a degree; attends an institution of higher education (IHE); is enrolled in a career and technical education program at an IHE that provides 150 to 600 clock hours of instructional time over a period of 8 to 15 weeks and provides training aligned with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors (i.e., job training programs); and meets all other eligibility requirements for a Pell Grant. It also specifies that any period during which a student receives a job training Pell Grant counts toward that student's Pell Grant eligibility period.
Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2021 This bill accelerates and expands certain changes that are scheduled to take effect relating to the coverage of cardiac, intensive cardiac, and pulmonary rehabilitation programs under Medicare. Currently, such programs require physician supervision. Effective January 1, 2024, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and clinical nurse specialists may also supervise these programs. The bill expedites the effective date of these changes to January 1, 2022, and also allows these practitioners to administer programs in their offices, prepare and sign treatment plans, and prescribe exercise.
Storing CO2 And Lowering Emissions Act or the SCALE Act This bill establishes programs within the Department of Energy that provide financial support and incentives to develop infrastructure for carbon dioxide capture, transport, utilization, and storage.
Monarch and Pollinator Highway Act of 2021 or the MPH Act of 20 21 This bill requires the Department of Transportation to provide grants to states, Indian tribes, and federal land management agencies to carry out pollinator-friendly practices on roadsides and highway rights-of-way, including the planting and seeding of native, locally-appropriate grasses, wildflowers, and milkweed.
Major Richard Star Act This bill allows a veteran with a combat-related disability and fewer than 20 years of creditable service to receive retirement pay, without reduction, concurrent with disability compensation.
Dynamic Glass Act of 2021 This bill includes electrochromic glass as energy property for purposes of the 30% energy tax credit. The bill defines electrochromic glass as glass that uses electricity to change its light transmittance properties to heat or cool a structure, but only with respect to property whose construction begins before January 1, 2024.
Alice Cogswell and Anne Sullivan Macy Act This bill expands special education and related services for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students with visual disabilities, and children and youth who are deaf-blind. The individualized education program for each child who is visually and/or hearing impaired must include specified components and must provide the child with instruction that meets the child's unique learning needs. In addition, a state's closure of a special school serving deaf or blind children shall count as a reduction of its financial support for special education and related services. Among other provisions, the bill authorizes support, including grants for training special education personnel, to be used in preparing individuals to become qualified teachers and early intervention specialists for children with hearing disabilities. The bill establishes within the Department of Education the Anne Sullivan Macy Center on Visual Disability and Educational Excellence to better support students with visual disabilities.
