Radiation Exposure Compensation Act Amendments of 2021 This bill expands two programs that compensate individuals who were exposed to radiation during certain nuclear testing or uranium mining and subsequently developed medical conditions, including cancers. First, the bill expands and extends a program that compensates individuals who were exposed to radiation from atmospheric nuclear testing or other sources and subsequently developed specified cancers. Under current law, this program compensates individuals who were present in a designated geographic area during a period of nuclear testing and certain individuals employed in uranium mining. The bill expands the designated areas to include Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, and Guam and additional areas in Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; makes more individuals who worked in uranium mining eligible for the program; increases the amount of compensation awarded to and provides medical benefits for eligible claimants; and extends for 19 years following the bill's enactment the fund that supports this program and the statute of limitations for filing claims (currently, the program terminates on July 10, 2022). Second, the bill makes certain individuals employed in uranium mines or mills eligible for a program that compensates workers, including Department of Energy employees and contractors, for illnesses caused by occupational exposure to radiation and hazardous substances during development and testing of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The bill also establishes a grant program in the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences for institutions of higher education to study the epidemiological impacts of uranium mining and milling among individuals without occupational exposure.
Sponsored bills
Allied Health Workforce Diversity Act of 2021 This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services to provide grants to accredited education programs to increase diversity in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, audiology, and speech-language pathology professions. Grants may be used to provide scholarships or to support recruitment and retention of students from underrepresented groups.
Veteran and Beginning Farmers Assistance Act of 2021 This bill extends through FY2028 and makes other changes to a technology transfer program for assisting agricultural producers in rural areas. Among the changes, the bill (1) incorporates a specific focus on beginning, socially disadvantaged, and veteran farmers and ranchers; and (2) expands the scope of the assistance to include improving farm viability, strengthening supply chains, and increasing resilience to extreme weather through conservation practices.
Deceptive Experiences To Online Users Reduction Act or the DETOUR Act This bill prohibits large online operators from manipulating their product to mislead consumers into providing personal information or giving consent. The bill further prohibits these operators from studying the behavioral patterns of subsets of users without first obtaining informed consent, and it prohibits designing online products that lead to compulsive usage by children. If meeting certain requirements, an association of large online operators may register with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as a professional standards body to develop and promote best practices and guidance for complying with the requirements of this bill. The bill provides authority for the FTC to enforce the requirements of this bill.
Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act of 2021 This bill requires the Government Accountability Office to report on actions taken by the Department of Health and Human Services to address social determinants of health, including how data collection about social determinants of health complies with relevant privacy laws. Social determinants of health are nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes, such as income, educational attainment, and place of residence.
Promoting Resources to Expand Vaccination, Education, and New Treatments for HPV Cancers Act of 2021 or the PREVENT HPV Cancers Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2026 and expands Department of Health and Human Services activities to educate health care providers and the public about human papillomavirus (HPV), its association with certain cancers, and the importance of HPV vaccines. Specifically, the bill (1) requires relevant educational materials to include information about both cervical cancer and other HPV-associated cancers and about the importance of HPV vaccines, including for males; (2) expands the scope of a national education campaign about gynecologic cancers to address HPV-associated cancers more broadly and target specified, at-risk populations; and (3) authorizes demonstration projects to increase knowledge and awareness of gynecologic cancers.
Maternal Vaccination Act This bill includes a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals in existing public health activities to increase vaccination rates. First, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention must incorporate a focus on pregnant and postpartum individuals, including by disseminating information to obstetric health care providers, into its existing public awareness campaign about the importance of vaccinations. Second, the bill expressly allows certain project grants for preventive health services to be used for activities to increase vaccination rates of pregnant and postpartum individuals (and their children).
Strength in Diversity Act of 2021 This bill establishes a program through which the Department of Education may award planning and implementation grants to specified educational agencies (e.g., local educational agencies) to improve diversity and reduce or eliminate racial or socioeconomic isolation in publicly funded early childhood education programs, public elementary schools, or public secondary schools.
Access to Birth Control Act This bill requires pharmacies to comply with certain rules related to ensuring access to contraceptives. Specifically, pharmacies must provide without delay a customer with any contraceptive or related medication that is in stock. If the contraceptive is not in stock, the pharmacy must immediately inform the customer and either order the contraceptive or refer the customer to a pharmacy that has it in stock. Laws in some states provide pharmacists with the right to refuse to dispense contraceptive-related drugs on religious or conscience grounds. Pharmacies may refuse to provide a contraceptive to a customer (1) if the customer lacks a valid prescription for a prescription contraceptive or is unable to pay for the contraceptive, or (2) based on a pharmacy employee's professional clinical judgment. The bill also establishes a private cause of action and civil monetary penalties for violations of the bill.
Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution This joint resolution designates a Slavery Remembrance Day annually and condemns slavery and its progenies.