Unemployment Insurance Systems Modernization Act of 2021 This bill expands the list of requirements a state unemployment compensation system must meet for the state to receive federal funds for administration of the system. Specifically the bill requires the unemployment law of each state to include various provisions to promote adaptability, including provisions for (1) handling surges in claims, (2) processing disaster unemployment assistance claims, (3) processing claims under temporary federal benefits programs, and (4) automating claims for short-time compensation. The bill also requires states to utilize databases and other systems in an effort to prevent fraudulent and improper unemployment compensation payments. Specifically, states must use (1) a system selected by the Department of Labor for cross-matching unemployment claimants against available databases, (2) an automated system developed and approved by Labor for exchanging unemployment compensation information, and (3) the existing National Directory of New Hires for identifying individuals who have become employed.
COBRA Subsidy Extension for Workers and Families Act This bill extends temporary health insurance premium assistance for enrollees in the COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) continuation coverage program. Currently, COBRA premiums are fully subsidized through September 30, 2021, and the bill extends the subsidy through September 30, 2022. The bill also provides for expedited review of denials of eligibility for such assistance.
Meaningful Access to Federal Health Plan Claims Data Act of 2021 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish a program that allows clinician-led clinical data registries to access Medicare claims data for purposes of research, quality of care measurement, and reporting. (Clinician-led clinical data registries are data repositories operated by clinician organizations and that collect information about particular diseases and related medical procedures and therapies.) The new program must allow for various types of data queries, including provider, state, and nationwide claims data. Such data may be used for public reports about provider performance, specified nonpublic analyses (e.g., medical research), and fee-based data services. Registries must apply to the CMS for access. Additionally, registries and their authorized users must enter into data use agreements and are subject to monetary penalties for breaching such agreements. The bill also allows for Medicare coverage of new and emerging items and services for purposes of evidence collection in relation to such items and services.
Rock Creek National Park Act of 2021 This bill redesignates Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia as Rock Creek National Park.
Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act of 2021 or the EQUAL Act of 2021 This bill eliminates the federal sentencing disparity between drug offenses involving crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Currently, different threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine (e.g., 28 grams of crack cocaine and 500 grams of powder cocaine) trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. This bill eliminates the lower quantity thresholds for crack cocaine offenses. Under the bill, the same threshold quantities of crack cocaine and powder cocaine trigger the same statutory criminal penalties. The change applies to future cases and cases pending on the date of enactment. With respect to past cases, the bill authorizes a sentencing court to impose a reduced sentence on a defendant who was convicted or sentenced for a specified crack cocaine offense before this bill's enactment. A defendant does not have to be present at the sentence reduction hearing. Finally, the bill prohibits the reduction of a sentence that was previously reduced.
This resolution supports the designation of National Voter Registration Day.
This resolution expresses support for the designation of National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and expresses support for the month's goals and ideals.
Stop Vaccine Mandates Act This bill rescinds the executive order titled Ensuring Adequate COVID Safety Protocols for Federal Contractors and the executive order titled Requiring Coronavirus Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees , both published on September 9, 2021. The bill provides that these executive orders shall have no force or effect.
Treatment Restoration for Emergency Antibody Therapeutics Act or the TREAT Act This bill prohibits the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing any policy that restricts health care facilities from ordering and receiving COVID-19 monoclonal antibody therapies directly from manufacturers and distributors. In addition, the bill expressly nullifies a policy announced on September 13, 2021, under which HHS allocated supplies of these therapies through state or territorial governments.
This bill provides funding through FY2026 and provides statutory authority for an office and related initiatives within the Department of State to advance U.S. foreign policy concerning the status of women and girls. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for an Office of Global Women's Issues. The office, headed by an Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, must advise on foreign policy and international programs relating to equal opportunities for and the advancement of women and girls. Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for the Women's Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, which promotes women in the workforce and otherwise supports economic advancement for women internationally. The bill prohibits the office, ambassador, or initiative from using funding to lobby other countries to change their abortion laws or policies or include abortion as a programmatic requirement. The State Department must report annually on the program, including compliance with the abortion-related funding restrictions.
Promoting Readiness and Ensuring Proper Active pharmaceutical ingredient Reserves of Essential medicines Act of 2021 or the PREPARE Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Strategic Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient Reserve. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must annually publish a public list of essential generic medicines that are medically necessary to have available at all times. HHS must report and implement a plan to establish the reserve, which must be designed to minimize the impact of an interruption or reduction in imports of (1) key starting materials (including active pharmaceutical ingredients) for essential generic medicines, and (2) finished dosage forms of essential generic medicines for which key starting materials are not imported. The plan must also contain provisions to strengthen domestic capacity for active pharmaceutical ingredient production, storage, and conversion. Within one year of this bill's enactment, the plan must include at least 25 of the essential generic medicines on the required list. The plan must add at least 25 medicines each year until the full list is covered. HHS must prioritize domestically manufactured key starting materials for the reserve to the maximum extent possible. A manufacturer of an essential generic medicine that switches to an active pharmaceutical ingredient sourced through the reserve shall not have to update the approved application for that medicine. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing, including the time and costs needed to develop domestic manufacturing capabilities.
National Treasures Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the National Archives and Records Administration from including content warnings alongside items associated with the founding fathers of the United States. Content warning is defined as any message preceding or attached to the document labeling it as dangerous, harmful, anachronistic, or any other terms implying harm associated with the documents; disparaging the documents; assuming malicious intent on the part of the authors; or discouraging potential readers from reading the documents. Founding father means any individual who signed the Declaration of Independence, served as an officer in the Revolutionary War, attended the Second Continental Congress, attended the Constitutional Convention, or was granted a charter for one of the original 13 colonies of the United States.
