PrEP Access and Coverage Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent HIV, including related screenings, diagnostic procedures, administrative fees, and clinical follow-ups, without any cost-sharing obligation for the plan holder. Further, insurance plans must not impose any preauthorization requirement for this coverage. These coverage requirements also apply to public health insurance programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill prohibits denying, limiting, or qualifying coverage or increasing premiums for disability insurance, long-term care insurance, or life insurance policies based on an individual taking medication for HIV prevention. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states, or directly to eligible local organizations, to provide uninsured individuals and underinsured individuals access to prescription drugs and related services that prevent HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must develop a public awareness campaign that focuses efforts in communities with a high need for HIV prevention treatment.
Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities To Address Social Needs Act of 2021 or the LINC To Address Social Needs Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award states competitive grants for technology networks that coordinate the provision of health care and social services (e.g., nutritional assistance, housing, and transportation). States must use the grants to support statewide or regional public-private partnerships in establishing or enhancing such networks. The bill outlines requirements concerning the governance structure of the networks, privacy and security, and related matters. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate the impact of these networks on health outcomes, access to services, and related factors.
Cures 2.0 Act This bill addresses pandemic preparedness and public health issues, caregiver and patient engagement, drug development, insurance coverage, and biomedical research. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must undertake research and other activities concerning COVID-19 and develop a strategy for future pandemics and declared emergencies. Additionally, the bill specifies actions to combat antimicrobial resistance. HHS may award grants for caregiver training. The bill also addresses diversity in clinical trials, collecting patient experience data during clinical trials, and coverage for care related to participation in specified clinical trials. The bill modifies the timeframe and requires additional guidance relating to expedited approval of certain breakthrough drugs, devices, or products. It also establishes two intercenter institutes within the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) focused on particular diseases that meet specified criteria. The bill also addresses (1) coverage in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program for telehealth, genetic and genomic testing, and other services; (2) electronic prescribing standards for Medicare drug benefits; and (3) access to Medicare and Medicaid claims data by certain registries. Furthermore, the bill prohibits the use of geographic tracking or biometrics in Medicaid electronic visit verification systems. The bill establishes the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) within the National Institutes of Health to accelerate biomedical research and innovation through grants, contracts, cash prizes, and other means. The FDA may work with ARPA-H to expedite the development of medical products through specified activities.
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities for scientific research utilizing data from expanded access to investigational ALS treatments for individuals who are not otherwise eligible for clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress about the grants provided under this bill, including an analysis of the impact of such grants on research and development of treatments for ALS.
Responsible Education Mitigating Options and Technical Extensions Act or the REMOTE Act This act addresses the administration of certain Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational assistance benefits. First, the act extends through June 1, 2022, certain adjustments for veterans' education benefits that were put in place due to COVID-19. The act allows the VA to waive the requirement that an educational institution verify the enrollment of a student utilizing VA educational assistance if the VA determines the institution uses a flat rate tuition and fee structure that would make the use of a second verification unnecessary. The act provides an exception from the imposition of specified disciplinary actions (e.g., suspending course and program approval) in situations where an educational institution provides a commission, bonus, or other incentive payment to entities engaged in student recruiting or admission activities related to recruiting foreign students who reside in foreign countries and are ineligible for federal student assistance. Additionally, the act generally exempts from certain requirements and restrictions imposed by the VA or a state approving agency educational institutions (1) located in foreign countries, or (2) that provide information regarding the costs of a program of education using a form or template developed by the Department of Education. The act also exempts educational institutions located in foreign countries from (1) having records and accounts that pertain to an individual who is not receiving VA educational assistance examined by government representatives, and (2) furnishing certain information related to tests that require payment. The act authorizes the VA, in certain circumstances, to provide educational assistance (including a housing stipend) to veterans or eligible persons who are in their last academic period (e.g., semester) of a program of education and are pursuing the program on less than a half-time basis. Specifically, such assistance may be provided if the number of credits the person needs to complete the program of education is less than the number of credits that would constitute enrollment on more than a half-time basis for that last academic period and the person (1) is enrolled in or has completed every course offered by the program of education during that academic period, and (2) enrolls in an additional course that is not required for the program of education to reach enrollment on a more than a half-time basis. The act extends certain loan fee rates through January 14, 2031, under the VA's home loan program. Finally, the act removes the cap on the number of full-time VA employees who provide equal employment opportunity counseling.
Restoring Resilient Reefs Act of 2021 This bill addresses the conservation and sustainability of coral reef ecosystems. Among other things, the bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and revises various activities under the Coral Reef Conservation Program; requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish standards for identifying individual coral reefs and ecologically significant units of coral reefs; directs NOAA to provide block grants to states to support state coral reef management and restoration; directs NOAA to designate two reef research coordination institutes to advance and sustain essential capabilities in coral reef research; provides statutory authority for the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force to lead, coordinate, and strengthen federal government actions to preserve, conserve, and restore coral reef ecosystems; authorizes the Department of the Interior to provide scientific expertise, technical assistance, and financial assistance for the conservation and restoration of coral reefs; and establishes a National Coral Reef Management Fellowship Program.
Department of State Inclusivity Act of 2021 This bill establishes measures at the State Department to promote diversity and to prevent and respond to harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and retaliation. The bill requires the State Department to develop a comprehensive policy for responding to harassment, discrimination, sexual assault, and retaliation; expand anti-harassment, antidiscrimination, implicit bias, and whistleblower training; establish the Office of Employee Advocacy; survey employees regarding harassment, discrimination, sexual, assault, retaliation, and issues affecting employee retention and diversity; report on the diversity of its workforce; develop a pilot program to use gender-neutral terms in evaluation forms; investigate and report wrongful terminations based on sexual orientation; establish a board to address issues faced by LGBTI+ Foreign Service employees and their families; report on countries that refuse to issue spousal visas for Foreign Service employee spouses due to sexual orientation and recommend how to address this issue; establish a permanent exhibit on the so-called Lavender Scare , which involved the wrongful dismissal of at least 1,000 people from the State Department for alleged homosexuality in the 1950s and 1960s; and make other changes related to anti-harassment, antidiscrimination, diversity, and recruitment. The bill also establishes the Office of the Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer at the State Department; offers a formal apology from Congress for encouraging the Lavender Scare; and prohibits the use by federal employers of nondisclosure and non-disparagement provisions that cover prohibited discrimination, harassment, or related retaliation.
Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits federal agencies and private businesses from publicly posting certain personal information (e.g., home addresses) of federal judges and their immediate family members. It also (1) requires information to be removed upon written request from the federal judge concerned, (2) prohibits data brokers from purchasing or selling such information, and (3) establishes programs to protect such information at the state and local level and to enhance security for judges.
Global War on Terrorism Memorial Location Act This bill authorizes the establishment of a National Global War on Terrorism Memorial in the area of the National Mall.
Stopping Abortion Bounties Act This bill imposes a 100% tax on amounts received as statutory damages under a state bounty statute. A bounty statute is a statute that authorizes a person to file a civil action and collect damages for assisting another person in exercising the right to have an abortion. The bill also directs the Department of the Treasury to award a grant to any person who pays or incurs amounts under a court order resulting from a suit filed under a bounty statute, including the amount paid or incurred as statutory damages and reasonable attorney's fees.
Veterans' Prostate Cancer Treatment and Research Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish in its National Surgery Office an interdisciplinary clinical pathway for all stages of prostate cancer. Clinical pathways are health care management tools designed around research and evidence-based practices that provide direction for the care and treatment of a specific condition. The clinical pathway must include specified elements, such as a diagnosis pathway and a treatment pathway. The VA must consult with and incorporate feedback from (1) veterans who have received prostate cancer care at its medical facilities, and (2) experts in multidisciplinary cancer care and clinical research. Additionally, the VA must publish the clinical pathway on a public VA website and annually update the pathway as needed based on medical literature and evidence-based guidelines. The bill also requires the VA to submit a plan to establish a prostate cancer program using the comprehensive prostate cancer clinical pathway.
Department of Veterans Affairs Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Processing Claims Improvement Act of 2021 This bill requires the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update an ongoing national training program for claims processors who review compensation claims for service-connected post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Such claims processors will be required to participate in the training at least once a year starting in their second year of being a VA claims processor. The training program must be standardized at regional offices of the VBA and include instruction on stressor development and verification. The VBA must establish a formal process to annually analyze training needs based on identified processing error trends. Additionally, the VBA must establish a formal process to conduct annual studies to help guide the national training program for claims processors. Finally, the VBA must evaluate the guidance relating to PTSD to determine if updates are warranted to provide claims processors with better resources regarding best practices for claims processing, including specific guidance regarding development of claims involving compensation for service-connected PTSD.
