Rep. Randy Feenstra

Rural Area Opioid Prevention Pilot Program Act This bill expands the allowable uses of grant funds under the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Grant Program administered by the Department of Justice. Specifically, the bill allows grants to be used for pilot programs for rural areas to implement community response programs that focus on alternatives to incarceration and reducing opioid overdose deaths. The bill also requires at least 10% of grants under the program to be awarded to rural areas.

Our Veterans Earned It Act This bill prohibits members of the Armed Forces who refuse to receive a COVID-19 vaccination from being denied a federal benefit they are entitled to by reason of their service in the Armed Forces.

This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to require a member of the Armed Forces to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. The bill also prohibits adverse action (e.g., punishment) being taken against a member of the Armed Forces because the member refuses to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial Fiscal Recovery, Infrastructure, and Disaster Relief Flexibility Act This bill allows states, tribes, territories, and localities to use certain COVID-19 relief funds for new categories of spending, including for natural disasters and infrastructure projects. It also makes changes to expenditure deadlines and other aspects of this funding. Specifically, recipients may use funds for emergency relief from natural disasters and associated negative economic impacts of natural disasters. In addition, recipients may use a portion of their COVID-19 relief funds for designated infrastructure projects, such as nationally significant freight and highway projects. Furthermore, the bill allows recipients to expend COVID-19 relief funds on these types of infrastructure projects until September 30, 2026. Under current law, recipients must expend the funds by December 31, 2024. Other changes in the bill include (1) modifying eligibility and allocation requirements for funding set aside for counties and Indian tribes that are near public lands, (2) allowing Indian tribes an additional year to expend their COVID-19 relief funds, and (3) establishing a process for government entities to decline COVID-19 relief funds and requiring any declined funds to be used to reduce the federal deficit.

Comparison of Sustainable Transportation Act or the COST Act This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a cost analysis of replacing certain federally owned or operated vehicles with electric vehicles or flex-fuel ethanol vehicles. In addition, the bill requires the Department of Energy to conduct an analysis of the overall greenhouse gas impacts of the following types of vehicles: (1) a conventional gasoline vehicle, (2) an E85 (a fuel containing 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline) capable flex-fuel vehicle, or (3) a battery electric vehicle.

This resolution recognizes and appreciates the dedication and devotion demonstrated by the men and women of law enforcement. It also condemns calls to defund, disband, dismantle, or abolish the police.

Biojet Fuel Research Act This bill establishes a sustainable aviation fuel working group that includes, among others, representatives of specified federal entities, Canada, Mexico, and aviation fuel and manufacturing industries. The working group must report on research and other needs to develop biojet fuels that are comparable in cost and safety to petroleum-based jet fuel.

All Economic Regulations are Transparent Act of 2021 or the ALERT Act of 2021 This bill establishes various reporting requirements with respect to federal agency rulemaking. Specifically, each agency must submit a monthly report to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for each rule the agency expects to propose or finalize during the following year, including information about the objectives and legal basis for the rule as well as whether the rule is subject to periodic review based on its significant economic impact. Additionally, each agency must submit a monthly report for any rule expected to be finalized during the following year for which the agency has issued a general notice of proposed rulemaking, including an approximate schedule for completing action on the rule and an estimate of its cost and economic effects. OIRA must publish this information online and, subject to certain exceptions, a rule may not take effect until the information has been published for at least six months. The bill also requires OIRA to annually publish in the Federal Register specified information it receives from agencies under this bill, including a list of each rule an agency has proposed and the total cost of all rules proposed or finalized. OIRA must further publish online (1) any analysis of the costs or benefits of rules that were proposed or finalized during the previous year, and (2) a list of rules that were subjected to various forms of review during the previous year.

Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2021 This bill establishes and modifies several programs and requirements to address prescription drug prices. The bill modifies provisions under Medicare and Medicaid relating to prescription drug coverage and price transparency. Among other changes, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to publish certain information, as reported by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), relating to generic dispensing rates, drug discounts and rebates, and payments between PBMs, health plans, and pharmacies; caps annual out-of-pocket spending under the Medicare prescription drug benefit; allows prescription drug plan sponsors under the Medicare prescription drug benefit to offer additional plans in a region; requires pass-through pricing models, and prohibits spread-pricing, for payment arrangements with PBMs under Medicaid; and allows states to include in the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program covered outpatient drugs that are provided as part of physician or outpatient hospital services. The bill also generally modifies other provisions relating to the regulation and costs of generic and brand-name drugs. Among other changes, the bill prohibits the manufacturer of a brand-name, generic, or biosimilar drug from entering into certain agreements to resolve or settle a patent infringement claim in connection with the sale of a drug or biological product; permanently allows high deductible health plans to waive deductibles for insulin and associated products; and establishes the position of Chief Pharmaceutical Negotiator in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.

Maximum Pressure Act This bill expands sanctions and economic penalties on Iran. It also restricts the President from unilaterally lifting or waiving the sanctions or penalties and increases congressional oversight of them. Specifically, the bill requires the President to impose visa- and asset-blocking sanctions. Additionally, it modifies existing sanctions, including by (1) providing statutory authority for executive orders imposing sanctions; (2) applying sanctions to additional sectors of Iran's economy; and (3) broadening sanctionable conduct to cover, for example, assisting Iran with the acquisition of ballistic missiles and the complicity of Iranian officials in human rights violations in specified countries. The bill also requires reporting on licenses that authorize activities subject to sanctions. The bill prohibits U.S. representatives at the International Monetary Fund from voting to allow Iran's access to special drawing rights (a currency support tool) and places restrictions on financial transactions with Iran. The restrictions include requiring domestic financial institutions to implement special measures with respect to foreign financial institutions that conduct significant transactions connected to the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (a European mechanism that bypasses U.S. sanctions when carrying out trade with Iran). The Department of State must maintain the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' designation as a terrorist organization and must designate Ansharallah (or Houthis), which operates in Syria, as a foreign terrorist organization. The bill also requires reports on U.S. sanctions concerning Iran, the status of Iran's nuclear weapons program, and other matters.