Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and makes changes to the Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Program (a program that awards student loan repayment to individuals with qualifying degrees who commit to work full-time for a federal, state, tribal, or local public health agency for a period of obligated service). Changes to the program include increasing the maximum repayment amount; eliminating the option for individuals to complete the service obligation in a federal public health agency; and expanding the scope of qualifying degrees to cover, for example, those in statistics, computer science, and programs related to information technology. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services may take actions to equitably distribute awards across geographic regions, among jurisdictional levels, and between urban and rural areas. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to conduct an evaluation of the public health workforce.
Congressional Tribute to Constance Baker Motley Act of 2022 This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Constance Baker Motley in recognition of her contributions and service to the United States in advancing civil rights as an attorney, elected official, and judge.
Federal Adjustment of Income Rates Act or the FAIR Act This bill modifies pay rates for federal employees in 2023. Specifically, the bill increases rates under the statutory pay systems and for prevailing rate employees by 4.1% and increases locality pay by 1%.
Comprehensive Resources for Entrepreneurs in the Arts to Transform the Economy Act of 2022 or the CREATE Act of 2022 This bill expands financial assistance for, and establishes measures to support, the creative economy and art entrepreneurs. Specifically, the bill requires (1) the Small Business Administration to develop loan criteria, evaluation procedures, and technical assistance programs for small business concerns that are owned by artists and support the creative economy; and (2) the Department of Commerce to ensure that traditional economic development tools, such as business incubators and grant programs, support the arts industry and creative economy.
Drug Shortages Shelf Life Extension Act This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to issue or revise guidance to address issues relating to extending drug expiration dates. Specifically, the guidance must address recommendations to drug companies relating to (1) submitting stability testing data in applications for market approval for drugs or biological products; and (2) establishing on drug labels the longest feasible expiration date supported by such data, taking into consideration how extended expiration dates may help prevent or mitigate drug shortages. The FDA must also periodically report to Congress certain information about requests to change the expiration date on a drug label, including the number of such requests from the FDA to the manufacturer and the rationale for each request.
Innovation in Aging Act This bill reauthorizes for FY2022 activities carried out by the Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Center for the Aging Network (which conducts research, evaluates programs, and identifies best practices related to programs and services for older adults).
Planning, Reporting, and Enabling Voluntary Expansion of Notifications Targeting Medical Device Shortages Act of 2022 or the PREVENT Medical Device Shortages Act of 2022 This bill expands existing requirements for manufacturers of certain medical devices to alert the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of supply disruptions and addresses related issues. Under this bill, a manufacturer of a medical device that is critical to public health during a declared public health emergency must notify the FDA as soon as practicable of any circumstance that is likely to lead to a meaningful disruption to the supply of the device in the United States. Currently, the manufacturer is only required to notify the FDA of supply disruptions stemming from manufacturing issues. The bill also authorizes the FDA to receive notifications from manufacturers of medical devices that are critical to public health about manufacturing issues that are likely to lead to a meaningful disruption to the U.S. supply of the device. Each manufacturer of a medical device that is critical to the public health must develop and implement a redundancy risk management plan in each manufacturing facility for the device. Such a plan shall be subject to FDA inspection.
Securing Uninterrupted Pandemic Preparation Of Resources and Therapies Act or the SUPPORT Act This bill expressly incorporates the provision of mental health and substance use disorder services during public health emergencies into the authorities and other activities of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Additionally, SAMHSA must report to Congress about recommendations to improve the provision of such services during public health emergencies. The Government Accountability Office must also report on SAMHSA's programs and activities for supporting the provision of such services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Registration of Certain Foreign Establishments Act This bill expands statutory provisions that require foreign manufacturers of drugs or medical devices for the U.S. market to register with the Food and Drug Administration. Specifically, if an establishment outside of the United States manufactures (or otherwise processes or prepares) a drug or medical device to be imported (or offered for import) into the United States, the establishment must comply with the registration requirements even if the drug or medical device in question undergoes further manufacturing at another non-U.S. establishment prior to importation into the United States.
PrEP Access and Coverage Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent HIV, including related screenings, diagnostic procedures, administrative fees, and clinical follow-ups, without any cost-sharing obligation for the plan holder. Further, insurance plans must not impose any preauthorization requirement for this coverage. These coverage requirements also apply to public health insurance programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill prohibits denying, limiting, or qualifying coverage or increasing premiums for disability insurance, long-term care insurance, or life insurance policies based on an individual taking medication for HIV prevention. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states, or directly to eligible local organizations, to provide uninsured individuals and underinsured individuals access to prescription drugs and related services that prevent HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must develop a public awareness campaign that focuses efforts in communities with a high need for HIV prevention treatment.
This bill revises enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including by directing inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA.
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.
