Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act of 2021 or the CONNECT for Health Act of 2021 This bill expands coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Among other provisions, the bill allows the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to waive certain restrictions, such as restrictions on the types of technology that may be used; permanently removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) and allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services; permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); and allows the CMS to generally waive coverage restrictions during any public health emergency. Additionally, the CMS must report on the effects of expanded telehealth services during the COVID-19 public health emergency, including with respect to the utilization, quality, and outcomes of services. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation may also test alternative payment models relating to expanded telehealth services.
Sponsored bills
Sgt. Ketchum Rural Veterans Mental Health Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), during FY2022, to establish and maintain three new centers of the Rural Access Network for Growth Enhancement (RANGE) Program in areas with interest from personnel and a need for additional mental health care for rural veterans. The RANGE Program serves veterans in rural areas who are experiencing mental illness. The bill requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct a study and report on whether the VA has sufficient resources to serve rural veterans who need mental health care that is more intensive than traditional outpatient therapy.
Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act 2.0 This bill modifies funding for a pediatric disease research initiative within the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Currently, this initiative receives funding through FY2023 from the 10-Year Pediatric Research Initiative Fund. This bill directs certain penalties assessed by the Securities and Exchange Commission against pharmaceutical companies for specified violations to that fund. In making allocations from the fund, the NIH must prioritize pediatric research that does not duplicate existing research activities.
This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to submit a plan for obligating and expending covered funds, which are funds made available to the VA for response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic. The bill requires the VA to submit biweekly reports regarding obligations, expenditures, and planned uses of the funds until seven days after the VA has expended all covered funds. The Inspector General of the VA must submit reports examining the obligations and expenditures made using covered funds during the specified reporting period. Finally, the Government Accountability Office must submit an interim report and final report containing a review of obligations and expenditures made using covered funds.
Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act of 2021 This bill allows a qualified individual to carry a concealed handgun into or possess a concealed handgun in another state that allows its residents to carry concealed firearms. A qualified individual must (1) be eligible to possess, transport, or receive a firearm under federal law; (2) carry a valid photo identification document; and (3) carry a valid state-issued concealed carry permit, or be eligible to carry a concealed firearm in his or her state of residence.
This resolution recognizes the efforts of the Trump Administration and Operation Warp Speed in the development of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) vaccine. Operation Warp Speed is an interagency partnership that coordinates federal efforts to accelerate the development, acquisition, and distribution of medical countermeasures for COVID-19.
This resolution condemns Iran's state-sponsored persecution of its Baha'i minority and its continued violation of the international covenants on human rights. Further, it calls on Iran to immediately release all imprisoned or detained Baha'is, and it urges the President and the Department of State to impose sanctions on Iranian officials and others who are responsible for serious human rights abuses, including abuses against Iran's Baha'i community.
This bill provides for the award of Congressional Gold Medals posthumously to Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith (four Americans who were killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya) in recognition of their contributions to the nation.
Toxic Exposure in the American Military Act or the TEAM Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to expand health care, benefits, and resources for veterans with conditions related to exposure to toxic substances. Specifically, the bill expands eligibility for VA hospital care, medical services, and nursing home care to include veterans who (1) were exposed to toxic substances, radiation, or other conditions, and were awarded certain medals (e.g., the Armed Forces Service Medal); (2) are eligible for inclusion in the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry; or (3) have been identified by the Department of Defense to have been possibly exposed during service to an open burn pit, toxic substance, or specified hazardous sites. (A burn pit is an area used for burning solid waste in open air without equipment.) The bill establishes a presumption of service-connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain toxic substances and that become manifest within a certain time period; the VA must specify such diseases and requirements through regulations. Under a presumption of service-connection, specific conditions diagnosed in certain veterans are presumed to have been caused by the circumstances of their military service. Health care benefits and disability compensation may then be awarded. The bill also requires the VA to take specified actions to (1) evaluate scientific evidence regarding associations between diseases and exposure to toxic substances; (2) train its health care personnel on identifying, treating, and assessing illnesses related to such exposure; and (3) provide resources to veterans exposed to toxic substances.
Back to Work Bonus Act This bill permits states to provide a one-time lump sum payment, through July 1, 2021, to individuals who (1) were eligible for COVID-19 pandemic unemployment compensation during any week after enactment of this bill, and (2) are no longer eligible as a result of becoming thereafter reemployed. Payments of $1,200 shall be paid to individuals who work at least 30 hours and $600 to individuals who work at least 20 hours but less than 30. The payments are available for claimants (1) who are not employed by a government entity, (2) who return to work for at least four consecutive weeks, and (3) whose annual salary does not exceed $75,000. Before receipt of a payment, the individuals' employers must verify their hours and earnings. Additionally, the bill (1) accelerates a scheduled increase in funding for reemployment services and eligibility assessments (RESEA), (2) allows states to use RESEA funds to serve all workers receiving unemployment benefits, and not just those most likely to exhaust their benefits; and (3) allows states to provide reemployment services to individuals receiving pandemic unemployment assistance and pandemic emergency unemployment compensation. Finally, the bill reinstates the requirement that unemployment claimants certify they are able, available, and actively seeking work.