Sen. Bill Cassidy

This resolution designates October 2021 as National Dyslexia Awareness Month and calls on Congress, schools, and educational agencies to recognize that dyslexia has significant educational implications that must be addressed.

Vaccine Access Improvement Act of 2021 This bill adds vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for routine administration to children or in pregnant women to the list of taxable vaccines for purposes of the vaccine excise tax. The CDC must notify the Department of the Treasury and specified congressional committees of the designation of such vaccines as taxable vaccines.

Upholding the 1995 Jerusalem Embassy Law Act of 2021 This bill prohibits using federal funds to establish any diplomatic facility in Jerusalem other than the U.S. Embassy to Israel.

Prohibiting IRS Financial Surveillance Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring a financial institution to report the balances, transactions, or the transfers into and out of a financial account. This prohibition does not apply to laws or regulations in effect on the date of enactment.

Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.

This resolution supports the designation of October 3-October 9, 2021, as National 4-H Week. It also (1) recognizes the important role of 4-H in youth development and education, and (2) encourages all citizens to recognize 4-H for the significant impact the organization and members have made and continue to make by empowering young people with the skills needed to lead for a lifetime.

K-12 Cybersecurity Act of 2021 This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to study the cybersecurity risks facing elementary and secondary schools and develop recommendations that include cybersecurity guidelines designed to assist schools in facing those risks. The use of such recommendations shall be voluntary. The study must evaluate the challenges that schools face in securing (1) information systems owned, leased, or relied upon by those schools; and (2) sensitive student and employee records. Further, the bill requires CISA to (1) develop an online training toolkit designed for school officials; and (2) make available on the Department of Homeland Security website the study's findings, the cybersecurity guidelines, and the toolkit.

Blocking Lawlessness from Undermining Enforcement Act or the BLUE Act This bill generally prohibits the use of Highway Safety Program or National Priority Safety Program funds for traffic control or enforcement by a state or locality that defunds the police (i.e., reduces its police budget and reallocates the funds to other government agencies). However, states and localities may use such funds for traffic control and enforcement if (1) reducing the police budget is part of an overall budget reduction, or (2) the police chief decides to reallocate a portion of the police budget for mental health programs. Additionally, a state or locality may request an exemption from the prohibition.

Arctic Diplomacy Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the position of Assistant Secretary of State for Arctic Affairs within the Department of State. The position shall maintain continuous observation and coordination of matters pertaining to foreign policy in the Arctic, including trade, the environment, and political-military affairs.

Good Samaritan Health Professionals Act of 2021 This bill extends liability protection for harm caused by acts or omissions by volunteer health care professionals in the course of providing certain health care services during specified public-health or national emergencies or major disasters. However, such liability protection shall not apply if (1) the harm was caused by willful or criminal misconduct, gross negligence, reckless misconduct, or a conscious flagrant indifference to the rights or safety of the individual harmed; or (2) the health care professional provided services under the influence of alcohol or an intoxicating drug.