Advanced Research Project s Agency-Health Act or the ARPA-H Act This bill establishes within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Health to accelerate health and medical innovation by investing in high-risk, high-reward research. The bill also establishes a committee to advise on agency activities. HHS must transfer all authorities, functions, funds, and personnel from a similar entity within the National Institutes of Health to a new, independent agency. Additionally, the President must appoint a director to lead the agency. The director may submit testimony and recommendations concerning the agency to Congress without review or approval by other federal officers or agencies. The director must appoint personnel to administer the agency's research programs, including by selecting projects to support and making recommendations about terminating or continuing projects. The agency may use grants, prize competitions, and a variety of other mechanisms to support the research projects. The agency's budget is separate from that of HHS. The agency must coordinate with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to expedite development and coverage of high-need cures. Additionally, the agency may partner with other public and private entities (e.g., institutions of higher education and patient advocacy organizations). The bill also requires the agency to develop and periodically update a strategic plan and annually report on its activities. Furthermore, (1) the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine must evaluate the agency's performance; and (2) the Government Accountability Office must review the research portfolio of HHS and its components, including the new agency.
Save America’s Forgotten Equines Act of 2021 or the SAFE Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the transporting, receiving, possessing, purchasing, selling, or donation by a person of an equine (e.g., horse) that the person has reason to believe will be slaughtered for human consumption.
Securing Privileged Economic, Commercial, Investment, And Legal Rights to Ensure Longstanding Atlantic Trade and Investment Opportunities and Nurture Security, Happiness, Innovation, and Prosperity Act or the SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP Act This bill grants certain authorities to the President for entering into a comprehensive trade agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom (UK). Specifically, the bill directs the President to initiate negotiations with the UK regarding tariff and nontariff barriers affecting any industry, product, or service sector. The bill authorizes the President to enter into a comprehensive trade agreement with the UK, with such authority expiring on July 1, 2027. Further, the President may proclaim a modification or continuance of any existing duty or continuance of existing excise or duty-free treatment to carry out an agreement, with certain limitations. The bill also requires the President to consult with and notify Congress regarding the intention of the President to enter into an agreement or make a proclamation.
Water Resources Development Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to carry out activities concerning water resources development projects, ecosystem restoration, flood control, water supply and wastewater infrastructure, or navigation.
Supply Chain Resiliency Act This bill establishes the Office of Supply Chain Resiliency within the Department of Commerce. The office must identify vulnerabilities in the supply chains for critical products and emerging technologies. It also must provide financial support to manufacturers to expand production of products that are part of supply chains experiencing shortages.
Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 20 21 This bill expands various labor protections related to employees' rights to organize and collectively bargain in the workplace. Among other things, it revises the definitions of employee , supervisor , and employer to broaden the scope of individuals covered by the fair labor standards; permits labor organizations to encourage participation of union members in strikes initiated by employees represented by a different labor organization (i.e., secondary strikes); and prohibits employers from bringing claims against unions that conduct such secondary strikes. The bill also allows collective bargaining agreements to require all employees represented by the bargaining unit to contribute fees to the labor organization for the cost of such representation, notwithstanding a state law to the contrary; and expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions against replacement of, or discrimination against, workers who participate in strikes. The bill makes it an unfair labor practice to require or coerce employees to attend employer meetings designed to discourage union membership and prohibits employers from entering into agreements with employees under which employees waive the right to pursue or a join collective or class-action litigation. Finally, the bill addresses the procedures for union representation elections, modifies the protections against unfair labor practices that result in serious economic harm, and establishes penalties and permits injunctive relief against entities that fail to comply with National Labor Relations Board orders.
Equal Access to Reproductive Care Act This bill includes assisted reproduction as a tax deductible medical expense. It defines assisted reproduction as any methods, treatments, procedures, and services for effectuating a pregnancy and bringing it to term, and treats it as medical care of the taxpayer, the taxpayer's spouse, or dependent to the extent that they intend to take legal custody or responsibility for any children born as a result of such assisted reproduction.
Optimizing Postpartum Outcomes Act of 2022 This bill requires (1) the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to issue guidance to support coverage of prenatal and postpartum pelvic health services under Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), (2) the Government Accountability Office to study gaps in Medicaid coverage of these and other services for postpartum women, and (3) the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to educate health professionals and postpartum women on pelvic health services.
This resolution reaffirms the goals of World Refugee Day and the commitment of the United States to promote the safety and well-being of refugees and asylum seekers.
Otto Warmbier Countering North Korean Censorship and Surveillance Act of 2021 This bill authorizes sanctions related to censorship in North Korea and addresses related issues. The President may impose property-blocking sanctions on foreign individuals and entities responsible for implementing or facilitating North Korea's censorship laws and surveillance. For the individuals that meet such criteria, the President may also impose visa-blocking sanctions. The bill also authorizes the U.S. Agency for Global Media to provide increased broadcasting and grants for various purposes, including the development of internet freedom tools to facilitate information sharing related to North Korea and the restoration of the agency's broadcasting capacity to North Korea. The President must submit to Congress a strategy to combat North Korea's information environment. The Department of State and the Department of the Treasury must jointly report to Congress each year on U.S. government activities related to the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea.
Supreme Court Police Parity Act of 202 2 This bill grants the Marshal of the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court Police the authority to protect any member of the immediate family of the Chief Justice, any Associate Justice, or any officer of the Supreme Court if the Marshal determines that such protection is necessary.
This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program. For example, the bill modifies the name of the program to the Coastal Estuarine Resilience and Restoration Program. It also revises goals of the program to include (1) climate change mitigation; and (2) restoring developed property in vulnerable coastal and estuarine areas to a natural state to restore ecological function, allow for shoreline migration, and protect coastal communities. Additionally, the bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate at least five new national estuarine reserves.
