Stop the Importation and Manufacturing of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2021 or the SIMSA Act of 2021 This bill establishes a process and requirements for regulating substances that have a similar chemical structure and actual or predicted effect as a controlled substance that is currently subject to such regulation because of its potential for abuse or dependence.
Freedom to Compete Act This bill prohibits an employer from enforcing, or threatening to enforce, any non-compete agreement in employment contracts with certain entry level, lower wage workers. A non-compete agreement entered into before the enactment of this bill shall be void and have no effect.
Fighting Homelessness Through Services and Housing Act This bill requires the Health Resources and Services Administration to award grants to local and tribal government entities for the planning and implementation of programs to address homelessness.
Rural Forest Markets Act of 202 1 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Rural Forest Market Investment Program to guarantee investments to finance certain projects that will enable rural private forest landowners to participate in an innovative market for forest carbon or other products. In establishing the program, USDA must consider ways to ensure that the program minimizes disruptions to traditional forest products markets. Eligible projects are projects developed by a private entity or a publicly supported, charitable nonprofit organization engaged in the aggregation of sustainable forestry practices implemented by rural private forest landowners to facilitate the sale of credits in the voluntary carbon market or other environmental market using a methodology approved by a credible, third-party entity. USDA may guarantee up to $150 million with respect to each investment. Authority to carry out the program terminates on September 30, 2023.
Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Social Determinants Accelerator Interagency Council to increase coordination among health and social service programs and provide technical assistance to increase the impact of such programs. The council must also assist the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to award up to 25 grants to state, local, or tribal health or human services agencies for social determinants accelerator plans. These plans must address at least one health and one social outcome for a specified target population.
Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain deductible, coinsurance, initial coverage limit, and cost-sharing requirements that apply under the Medicare prescription drug benefit shall not apply with respect to vaccines that are recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must provide to Medicare beneficiaries specified information regarding (1) coverage of vaccines for seniors, and (2) access to recommended vaccines without cost-sharing.
This resolution designates June 2021 as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month and June 27, 2021, as National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Day. The resolution supports (1) the education of members of the Armed Forces, veterans, their families, and the public about post-traumatic stress; and (2) efforts by the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense to foster cultural change around the issue of post-traumatic stress. The resolution also encourages the leadership of the Armed Forces to support treatment of members of the Armed Forces who suffer from post-traumatic stress.
Golden-preneurship Act This bill establishes the Golden Entrepreneurs Training and Demonstration Curriculum within the Office of Entrepreneurial Development of the Small Business Administration to provide small businesses owned by individuals who are 60 years of age or older with tools to accelerate the growth of those businesses. The bill also rescinds unobligated balances of amounts made available for the Community Navigator Pilot Program, which was an initiative designed to reduce barriers for underrepresented and underserved entrepreneurs in accessing small business support programs.
Supporting Our Direct Care Workforce and Family Caregivers Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to set up a national technical assistance center and grant program to support the direct care workforce and family caregivers. HHS must consult with the Department of Labor, the Department of Education, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on these efforts. Specifically, HHS must establish a national technical assistance center to develop recommendations for curricula to educate and train direct care workers and family caregivers, disseminate strategies to strengthen the direct care workforce, and carry out related activities. Additionally, HHS must award grants for recruiting, training, and retaining direct care workers and supporting family caregivers. Eligible grantees include state and tribal governments, certain labor unions and employers, institutions of higher education, and other nonprofits, as well as partnerships of such entities. Grant recipients must agree to consult with the state Medicaid agency unless that agency receives the grant directly or as part of a partnership.
National Green Alert Act of 2021 This bill establishes the Green Alert System Advisory and Support Committee to develop best practices and provide technical assistance to states for the implementation of green alert systems, which would be activated when a veteran with a history of mental health issues goes missing.
Lethal Means Safety Training Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to update its Lethal Means Safety and Suicide Prevention training course at least once a year to ensure it is culturally appropriate and uses best practices identified by subject matter experts (e.g., veterans service organizations). The bill requires certain VA employees and care providers to take the most recently updated version of the training course within 90 days after the person is hired, agrees to furnish care, or receives support and at least annually thereafter. Specifically, the bill requires the following categories of VA employees or care providers to take the training course: employees of the Veterans Health Administration or Veterans Benefits Administration who regularly interact with veterans, compensation and pension examiners, employees of Veterans Centers or vocational rehabilitation facilities, employees of Veterans Community Care Providers who provide care to veterans, and family caregivers receiving support under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. The VA must publish the training course on a publicly available VA website. Additionally, the VA must publish a report on its website that includes the percentage of individuals in each category who have completed such training.
PFAS Registry Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish a registry for current or past members of the Armed Forces who may have been exposed to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances due to the environmental release of aqueous film-forming foam at a military installation or other Department of Defense (DOD) location. Additionally, the VA must consult with DOD and the Environmental Protection Agency to make recommendations for additional chemicals that should be included in the registry.
