Rep. Kat Cammack

Equal Access to Therapeutics Act This bill prohibits using race or ethnicity as a factor in decisions about an individual's access to COVID-19 treatments (e.g., monoclonal antibody therapies). Specifically, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may not adopt any policy or guidance that allows race or ethnicity to be factored into such decisions. Furthermore, the Secretary of HHS shall be personally liable for the death of any individual who is denied access to COVID-19 treatments pursuant to a prohibited policy or guidance. The bill also prohibits hospitals or other health care providers that have policies restricting access to COVID-19 treatments based on race or ethnicity from receiving federal funds.

Blockchain Solutions for Small Businesses Act This bill requires the Small Business Administration to study the current and potential uses of blockchain technology (i.e., the technology that supports digital currencies such as Bitcoin) in making loans to qualified small businesses.

This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to publish, by the 15th day of each month, the number of known or suspected terrorists, and individuals whose identities are included in the Terrorist Screening Database, encountered attempting to enter the United States during the immediately preceding month.

Department of Homeland Security Border Support Services Contracts Review Act This bill directs the Management Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to assess certain active contracts for services related to security along the land border with Mexico awarded in FY2021 or earlier. Specifically, this applies to any contract with a total value of $50 million or more, inclusive of contract options, relating to the procurement of services for DHS with respect to that border. The assessment must include a strategy to enhance coordination, minimize overlap, and increase cost-effectiveness among such contracts.

Keep Kids in Schools Act This bill prohibits a local educational agency (LEA) from obligating federal COVID-19 relief funds during any period when one or more elementary or secondary schools served by the LEA do not provide full-time, in-person instruction. This prohibition does not apply with respect to a school that does not provide full-time, in-person instruction due to following quarantine or isolation guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Advancing the Quality and Understanding of American Aquaculture Act or the AQUAA Act This bill establishes standards for sustainable aquaculture in federal offshore waters in the exclusive economic zone and establishes related requirements. For example, it requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a national plan to identify and designate aquaculture opportunity areas. In addition, NOAA must establish a unified permitting and review process for aquaculture operations. NOAA must also establish a grant program for research and development to support the development of a sustainable marine aquaculture industry, such as research and services to create innovative design and engineering solutions to common obstacles within the aquaculture industry. Finally, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to create and provide resources for an Office of Aquaculture within NOAA to coordinate regulatory, scientific, outreach, and international issues related to aquaculture.

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.

This resolution (1) supports the designation of National Blueberry Month; and (2) recognizes the contributions of U.S. growers and their families, and that purchasing blueberries grown in the United States supports farmers, jobs, and the economy.

Reforming Broadband Connectivity Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to make changes to the financing of the Universal Service Fund. This fund, which is financed by fees contributed by telecommunications carriers, supports programs to expand the availability of and access to telecommunications services. Specifically, the bill directs the FCC to (1) study the need for expanding the fund's contribution base to ensure fairness and equity in applicable contribution requirements, and (2) reform the fund's contribution system through rulemaking. In carrying out the rulemaking, the FCC must consider the findings and recommendations of its study and the impact of changes on consumers, businesses, and seniors.

Protecting Our Democracy by Preventing Foreign Citizens from Voting Act This bill prohibits federal funds from being made available to state or local governments that allow noncitizens to vote in federal, state, or local elections.