Fairness to Kids with Cancer Act of 2021 This bill requires the share of federal funds for cancer research that is allocated to pediatric cancer research to equal the percentage of the U.S. population that is under the age of 18.
Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2021 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2023-FY2029; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.
Strengthening Local Processing Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions related to meat and poultry processing establishments, including smaller establishments (i.e., those with between 10 and 500 employees) and very small establishments (i.e., those with fewer than 10 employees or annual sales of less than $2.5 million). For example, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) must establish a searchable database of peer-reviewed validation studies for use in developing Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points plans for smaller and very small establishments. The bill increases the maximum federal cost share from 50% to 65% that USDA may provide to assist states in creating meat and poultry inspection programs. Additionally, USDA must conduct outreach with states that have meat and poultry inspection programs, but that do not have Cooperative Interstate Shipment programs. The Cooperative Interstate Shipment program allows state-inspected facilities to operate as federally-inspected facilities and ship their products in interstate commerce and internationally. USDA must also award competitive grants for activities to adapt production, processing, distribution, and sales systems to respond to and recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including activities that support (1) the health and safety of meat and poultry plant employees, suppliers, and customers; (2) increased processing capacity; and (3) the resilience of the small meat and poultry processing sector. Further, the bill establishes grant programs to (1) establish or expand career training programs at community colleges, vocational schools, and universities related to meat and poultry processing; and (2) support smaller and very small establishments by offsetting the cost of training new meat and poultry processors.
Protecting Higher Education from Foreign Threats Act This bill prohibits an institution of higher education (IHE) from receiving federal funds for an award year in which the IHE employs an instructor who, while employed at the IHE and providing direct instruction to students, received funds from the Chinese Community Party. An IHE may regain eligibility for federal funds by demonstrating to the Department of Education that it no longer employs such instructor.
Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Willie O'Ree or, if unavailable, to a member of his family, in recognition of his contributions and commitment to hockey, inclusion, and recreational opportunity.
Expanded Telehealth Access Act This bill permanently allows audiologists, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, and other providers designated by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide telehealth services under Medicare. Currently, the CMS is authorized to waive requirements for Medicare telehealth services during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19, and it has done so to allow all providers that are otherwise eligible to furnish in-person services under Medicare to also furnish telehealth services.
Success for Rural Students and Communities Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education may award funds to eligible partnerships to support rural postsecondary education and economic growth and development in rural communities. A grant recipient must be a partnership whose members represent at least three designated types of organizations, specifically (1) a local educational agency or educational service agency serving a rural area, (2) an institution of higher education (IHE), (3) a regional economic development entity, or (4) a rural community-serving organization with demonstrated success supporting rural students in accessing higher education and attaining degrees. A grant recipient must use awarded funds to carry out no fewer than two specified activities, namely (1) improving postsecondary enrollment rates for rural secondary school students, (2) increasing enrollment and completion rates of rural nontraditional students in degree programs at IHEs, (3) creating or strengthening academic programs at rural-serving IHEs to prepare graduates to enter into high-need occupations in the regional and local economies, or (4) generating local and regional economic development that creates employment opportunities for rural students with postsecondary degrees.
Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021 This bill contains provisions related to alien farmworkers, including provisions establishing a certified agricultural worker (CAW) status and changing the H-2A temporary worker program. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may grant CAW status to an applying alien who (1) performed at least 1,035 hours of agricultural labor during the two-year period prior to March 8, 2021; (2) on that date was inadmissible, deportable, or under a grant of deferred enforced departure or temporary protected status; and (3) has been continuously present in the United States from that date until receiving CAW status. The bill imposes additional crime-related inadmissibility grounds on CAW applicants and makes some other grounds inapplicable. CAW status shall be valid for 5.5 years and may be extended. DHS may grant dependent status to the spouse or children of a principal alien. An alien with a pending application may not be detained or removed by DHS and shall be authorized for employment until DHS makes a final decision on the application. A CAW alien (and dependents) may apply for lawful permanent resident status after meeting various requirements, including performing a certain amount of agricultural labor for a number of years. DHS shall create an electronic platform for (1) filing H-2A petitions, (2) facilitating the processing of H-2A cases, and (3) providing agencies a single tool for obtaining H-2A-related case information. The bill makes various changes to the H-2A program, such as (1) modifying the method for calculating and making adjustments to the H-2A worker minimum wage, (2) specifying how an employer may satisfy requirements that it attempted to recruit U.S. workers, (3) requiring H-2A employers to guarantee certain minimum work hours, (4) making the program available for agricultural work that is not temporary or seasonal, and (5) reserving a visa allocation for the dairy industry. DHS shall establish a pilot program allowing certain H-2A workers to apply for portable status, which gives the worker 60 days after leaving a position to secure new employment with a registered H-2A employer. DHS shall establish an electronic system patterned on the E-Verify Program for employers to verify an individual's identity and employment authorization. Employers hiring individuals for agricultural employment must use the system. This bill permanently establishes the Housing Preservation and Revitalization Program, which provides financing assistance for rural rental housing and off-farm labor housing and rental assistance for qualified tenants of such housing. It also authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide various assistance, including funding for insuring loans and grants for new farmworker housing.
Veterans National Traumatic Brain Injury Treatment Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement a five-year pilot program to furnish, under the Veterans Community Care Program, hyperbaric oxygen therapy to veterans with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder.
Veterans Expedited TSA Screening Safe Travel Act or the VETS Safe Travel Act This bill makes certain veterans eligible for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) PreCheck Program at no cost if they meet the program's background check and security requirements. Veterans who are eligible for this fee waiver are those who are in the annual patient enrollment system of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and require the use of a wheelchair, prosthetic limb, or other assistive device to aid with mobility due to (1) loss, or loss of use, of a limb; (2) full or partial paralyzation; or (3) permanent blindness. The VA and the TSA must develop and implement a process to provide disabled veterans effective outreach about TSA programs that are designed to improve the screening process for passengers with disabilities.
