Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act This bill requires state Medicaid programs to establish a process through which qualifying out-of-state providers may enroll as participating providers without undergoing additional screening requirements. Among other things, a qualifying provider must (1) serve minors, or adults whose condition began as a minor; and (2) have previously been screened for Medicare participation or for participation in the Medicaid program of the state in which the provider is located.
Nurse Staffing Standards for Patient Safety and Quality Care Act of 2021 This bill requires hospitals to implement and submit to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) a staffing plan that complies with specified minimum nurse-to-patient ratios by unit. Hospitals must post a notice regarding nurse-to-patient ratios in each unit and maintain records of actual ratios for each shift in each unit. The bill also requires hospitals to follow certain procedures regarding how ratios are determined and other staff are prohibited from performing nurse functions unless specifically authorized within a state's scope of practice rules, among other requirements. HHS must adjust Medicare payments to hospitals to cover additional costs attributable to compliance with these ratios. Nurses may object to, or refuse to participate in, an assignment if it would violate minimum ratios or if they are not prepared by education or experience to fulfill the assignment without compromising the safety of a patient or jeopardizing their nurse's license. Hospitals may not (1) take adverse actions against a nurse based on the nurse's reasonable refusal to accept an assignment; or (2) discriminate against individuals for good faith complaints relating to the care, services, or conditions of the hospital or related facilities. HHS may impose civil monetary penalties on hospitals violating the ratio requirements and must publish the names of such hospitals. The bill provides stipends to the nurse workforce loan repayment and scholarship program and expands the nurse retention grant program to include nurse preceptorship and mentorship projects.
Technical Reset to Advance the Instruction of Nurses Act or the TRAIN Act This bill modifies the methodology and application of Medicare Advantage nursing and allied health education payments for hospitals. Specifically, for 2010-2019, the bill eliminates the annual cap on total payments and excludes any resulting increase from factoring into calculations for graduate medical education payments for such hospitals. (The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently issued guidance providing for the recalculation and correction of certain payments to account for the annual payment cap.)
Locality Pay Equity Act of 2021 This bill (1) prohibits the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) from defining more than one local wage area for prevailing rate employees within a pay locality, except with respect to the pay locality designated as Rest of United States ; and (2) requires the OPM to ensure that this bill shall not have the effect of reducing the rate of basic pay for an individual serving as a prevailing rate employee.
Military Child Care Expansion Act of 2021 This bill modifies and implements policies to update child care facilities and administration at the Department of Defense (DOD). Specifically, the bill removes certain requirements for members of the Armed Forces to receive funding for an in-home child care provider under the DOD pilot program that provides financial assistance to such members who pay for in-home child care. The bill also allows DOD to expand the pilot program to additional locations (currently it is authorized for five). DOD must establish a 10-year pilot program to expand access to child care for members of the Armed Forces by entering into agreements with public or private child care facilities or development centers. Under the bill, DOD must determine the (1) root causes contributing to poor or failing facility conditions at its child development centers, and (2) total cost to improve the conditions of such centers. The Government Accountability Office must review the determinations and make recommendations on how to improve DOD child development center conditions. Lastly, DOD must utilize its existing authority to carry out minor military construction projects to construct child development centers.
Foster Youth Mentoring Act of 20 21 This bill directs the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants for programs that provide mentoring for children in foster care and children with experience in foster care.
Servicemember Parental Leave Equity Act This bill modifies Department of Defense parental leave provisions for members of the Armed Forces. Specifically, the bill increases parental leave for primary caregivers to 18 weeks (currently 12) following the birth of a child and to 12 weeks (currently 6) following the adoption of a child. The bill increases parental leave for a secondary caregiver from 21 days to 12 weeks in connection with the birth or adoption of a child. Primary or secondary caregivers of a long-term foster child are authorized to take up to 12 weeks of leave in connection with such placement. Parental leave for a primary or secondary caregiver for a birth, adoption, or foster child placement may be taken in more than one increment. For primary caregivers, the leave must be utilized within one year of the event. The bill authorizes up to 12 weeks of leave to certain service members who would have been secondary caregivers but for a miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death. The following activities required of an active-duty member within a 12-month postpartum period must have the approval of a health care provider and be at the election of the member or in the interest of national security: (1) an order of temporary duty overnight travel or to participate in physically demanding field training exercises, (2) meeting of body composition standards, or (3) passing a physical fitness test. The bill also reduces the service commitment required for participation in the Career Intermission Program.
Parity for Non-Traded REITs Act This bill extends exemptions from certain tax and withholding requirement currently allowed to exchange-traded real estate investment trusts (REITs) to publicly-offered, non-traded REITs.
Get Americans Back To Work Act This bill makes an individual ineligible for federal pandemic unemployment compensation (FPUC) after June 30, 2021. It also reduces the amount of FPUC to $150.00 for weeks of unemployment ending after May 31, 2021, and ending on or before June 30, 2021. Under current law, an individual is eligible for FPUC for weeks of employment ending on or before September 6, 2021 in the amount of $300.
Personal Health Investment Today Act of 2021 or the PHIT Act of 2021 This bill allows a medical care tax deduction for up to $1,000 ($2,000 for a joint return or a head of household) of qualified sports and fitness expenses per year. The bill defines qualified sports and fitness expenses as amounts paid exclusively for participating in a physical activity, including (1) fitness facility memberships, (2) physical exercise or activity programs, or (3) equipment for a physical exercise or activity program.
Repealing Illegal Freedom and Liberty Excises Act or the RIFLE Act This bill repeals the excise tax on the transfer of firearms. The bill shall not be construed as placing any regulated firearms under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Community Broadband Act of 2021 This bill prohibits states from blocking the provision of broadband by public providers, public-private partnership providers, or cooperatively organized providers. Further, public providers and state or local entities participating in a partnership must administer applicable ordinances and rules without discrimination against competing private providers.
