Preventing Lead Poisoning Act of 2021 This bill requires coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of screening blood lead tests. Specifically, CHIP must cover a child's test once at the age of 12 months and once at the age of 24 months, or once between the ages of 24 months and 72 months if the child has never been assessed, as well as testing at such other times as recommended by a child's health care provider. The bill also provides statutory authority for these requirements (regarding testing intervals) for state Medicaid programs.
John Lewis Every Child Deserves a Family Act This bill prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, or religion in the provision of child welfare programs and services by entities receiving federal funding. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must provide technical assistance to help states follow this requirement, including (1) guidance for bringing state laws into compliance, (2) developing training to increase cultural competency related to social identity, and (3) training for judges and attorneys involved in child welfare cases, among other supports. Additionally, HHS must establish the National Resource Center on Safety, Well-Being, Placement Stability, and Permanency for LGBTQ Children and Youth Involved with Child Welfare Services to provide training, technical assistance, and guidance to applicable state and local agencies and service providers. Further, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act may not be the basis for challenging the application or enforcement of this bill. The Government Accountability Office must study and report on states' compliance with the requirements of the bill no later than three years after enactment.
Increasing Access to Osteoporosis Testing for Medicare Beneficiaries Act of 2021 This bill specifies that certain Medicare payment rules applicable to imaging services shall apply to dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry services used in bone mass scans beginning in 2022. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish national minimum payment amounts for such services.
Pharmacy DIR Reform To Reduce Senior Drug Costs Act This bill establishes certain requirements for prescription drug plans and the prices of covered drugs under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. Specifically, the bill requires price concessions, payments, and fees that are negotiated with a pharmacy to be included in a drug's negotiated price, excluding incentive payments, and for this price to be provided at the point of sale. Additionally, prescription drug plans must report price concessions or incentive payments that are made after payment for covered drugs at the point of sale, including by contracted intermediaries, to the pharmacy at least annually. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish standardized pharmacy performance measures with respect to incentive payments and price concessions; such measures must account for all pharmacy types, including specialty pharmacies, and focus on patient health outcomes and other targeted areas.
This resolution supports the designation of Purple Star Families Week.
Safe Gun Storage Act of 20 21 This bill requires safety standards for firearm locks and safes. Under such standards, firearm locks must be reasonably designed to (1) prevent the firearm from discharging while the lock is activated, and (2) prevent unauthorized access to the firearm. Further, firearm safes must be reasonably designed to (1) secure firearms, and (2) prevent unauthorized access to the safe through physical manipulation or damage.
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities to facilitate patients' access to investigational drugs that diagnose or treat ALS. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other severely debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases.
This bill establishes a pilot program for deploying economic response teams that provide emergency technical assistance and support to a partner country subjected to the threat or use of coercive economic measures by a U.S. adversary. These teams also play a liaison role between the legitimate government of a partner country and the U.S. government. To carry out the program, the Department of State must identify U.S. government personnel across multiple departments who have relevant expertise to serve on teams and provide logistical and institutional support for the program and its teams. To deploy a team, the President must declare, and notify Congress of, a coercive economic emergency (i.e., an unusual and extraordinary economic coercive threat to a partner country made by a U.S. adversary). The initial deployment may last for up to 180 days; the President may extend a deployment by submitting to Congress a justification for the extension in the interest of national security. The State Department must provide to Congress an initial report following the establishment of the program and a subsequent report about its first year of operation. Authority for the program terminates on December 1, 2026.
Preventing Lead Poisoning Act of 2021 This bill requires coverage under the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) of screening blood lead tests. Specifically, CHIP must cover a child's test once at the age of 12 months and once at the age of 24 months, or once between the ages of 24 months and 72 months if the child has never been assessed, as well as testing at such other times as recommended by a child's health care provider. The bill also provides statutory authority for these requirements (regarding testing intervals) for state Medicaid programs.
Allowing Steady Savings by Eliminating Tests Act or the ASSET Act This bill prohibits the use of asset tests or resource limits in certain means-tested public assistance programs and increases the resource limits to qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI is a federal income supplement program designed to help aged, blind, and disabled individuals with limited income and resources meet basic needs. Under the bill, states may not use asset or resource limits to determine eligibility for (1) programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grants, (2) the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or (3) the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program. In addition, an individual may have up to $10,000 in certain resources (or up to $20,000 for a couple) and qualify for SSI. Under current law, the limit is $2,000 for an individual (or $3,000 for a couple).
Bridge Investment Act of 20 21 This bill establishes a bridge investment program to award competitive grants to certain governmental entities for projects that improve (1) the condition of bridges; and (2) the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of people and freight over bridges. Among other things, the bill requires grant awards for large projects (projects with total costs of greater than $100 million) to be at least $50 million, and for any other projects not less than $2.5 million; directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to consider a number of factors in awarding grants, including the extent to which a project demonstrates cost savings by bundling multiple bridge projects; requires DOT to prioritize projects that are located within states for which at least two project applications were submitted in the current fiscal year and an average of two were submitted in prior fiscal years, and fewer than two grants have been awarded for projects within the state; and limits funding for projects that consist solely of culvert replacement or rehabilitation.
Voters on the Move Registration Act of 2021 This bill requires the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to develop, and specified agencies to distribute, a statement providing individuals with information on how to register to vote and their voting rights. This information must be provided to individuals upon their participation in certain rental assistance programs or application for certain residential mortgages.
