This resolution supports the recognition of Overdose Awareness Day, including by lowering U.S. flags at federal buildings to half-staff.
Due Process Guarantee Act This bill limits the detention authority of the United States. Current law prohibits the indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen unless it is authorized by an act of Congress. This bill prohibits the indefinite detention of a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident unless it is authorized by an act of Congress that (1) is consistent with the Constitution, and (2) expressly authorizes the detention. Additionally, the bill specifies that no U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident who is apprehended in the United States may be imprisoned or otherwise detained without charge or trial unless such imprisonment or detention is expressly authorized by an act of Congress. Finally, it specifies that a general authorization to use military force or similar measure, on its own, does not authorize the indefinite detention of a person who is arrested in the United States.
Accountability for Online Firearms Marketplaces Act of 2021 This bill removes the federal liability protection that a provider of an interactive computer service (e.g., a social media company) receives for content provided by third parties if the provider operates an online firearms marketplace. Online firearms marketplace refers to an interactive computer service that (1) facilitates firearm-related transactions, (2) advertises or otherwise makes available proposals for transferring firearms, or (3) makes digital instructions for programming a three-dimensional printer to make a firearm.
Preventing Overdoses and Saving Lives Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program for states, Indian tribes, and territories to respond to the opioid crisis. In awarding the grants, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must give priority to recipients with the highest opioid dispensing rates. Recipients must use at least 20% of grant funds to implement a program that requires a prescription for an opioid overdose reversal drug along with an opioid prescription if (1) a patient is prescribed benzodiazepines, medication-assisted treatment, or high-dose opioids; or (2) the prescriber has reason to know of the patient's history with substance use disorders. As part of this program, recipients must also require continuing education on opioid-prescribing practices for prescribers and on recognizing opioid overdose fatalities for coroners. Recipients must use the remaining funds to develop a strategic plan for the jurisdiction's response to the opioid crisis.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that the United States shall recognize kind actions in our country, encourage kindness, spread love, and foster a culture of being kind to one another.
CISA Leadership Act This bill establishes a term limit and specifies the appointment process for the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) of the Department of Homeland Security. Specifically, the bill establishes a five-year term for the director of CISA. The director shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2021 This bill establishes several requirements relating to the prices of prescription drugs. Specifically, the bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to negotiate with pharmaceutical companies regarding prices for drugs covered under Medicare. (Current law prohibits the CMS from doing so.) If the CMS is unable to negotiate the price of a drug, such drug is subject to competitive licensing in order to further its sale under health insurance programs, notwithstanding existing government-granted exclusivities. The negotiated prices also apply to other federal health care programs, private health insurance, and the uninsured; pharmacies that charge more than the negotiated price for uninsured individuals are subject to civil penalties. Manufacturers must also comply with specified reporting requirements relating to prices and licensing, subject to civil penalties. The bill also institutes an excise tax on drugs for which the price spikes beyond a certain limit, subject to specified exemptions, as well as on drugs for which the price exceeds the negotiated price.
Small-Dollar PPP Forgiveness Simplification Act of 2021 This bill makes changes to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) to with respect to forgiveness of certain PPP loans. Specifically, the bill includes as covered loans under the PPP loan forgiveness program excess loan amounts that were received due to a good faith error. The bill also increases the threshold, from $150,000 to $350,000, used to determine whether a PPP loan may use the simplified forgiveness application.
Voices for Veterans Act This bill expands the membership of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans to include veterans who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, gender diverse, gender non-conforming, intersex, or queer. Among other responsibilities, the committee advises the Department of Veterans Affairs on the administration of benefits and provision of health care, benefits, and services to minority veterans.
Improving Medicare Coverage Act This bill temporarily expands eligibility for Medicare. It also temporarily establishes a premium and cost-sharing assistance program for low-income beneficiaries. Specifically, the bill lowers the age of eligibility for Medicare from 65 to 60. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services must establish procedures to provide for automatic enrollment of qualifying individuals. Enrollment must be completed within 11 months of the bill's enactment. The bill also establishes a program under Medicare to assist low-income Medicare beneficiaries with premiums, coinsurance, deductibles, and other costs. Currently, such assistance is provided through Medicare Savings Programs, which are administered by state Medicaid programs. The bill also establishes a related special enrollment period under Medicare, expands eligibility for assistance to beneficiaries with income up to 200% of the federal poverty line, and provides for joint eligibility determinations with respect to the bill's program and the low-income subsidy program under the Medicare prescription drug benefit. The bill's provisions generally take effect six months after the bill's enactment and terminate five years later.
Schools Preventing Hunger in At-Risk Kids Act or the SPARK Act This bill expands automatic eligibility for free school lunches and breakfasts to include children who have been placed in kinship care with a relative or family friend with the involvement of the state child welfare agency. To enroll in the program, a family must document the child's status to the appropriate local educational agency.
Accurate Data for Defense (ADD) Resiliency Act This bill requires the Department of Defense to develop and implement a process to ensure it uses analytical tools that are accurate and effective in projecting the costs and performance of energy resilience measures on military installations.
