Safe Step Act This bill requires a group health plan to establish an exception to medication step-therapy protocol in specified cases. A medication step-therapy protocol establishes a specific sequence in which prescription drugs are covered by a group health plan or a health insurance issuer. A request for such an exception to the protocol must be granted if (1) an otherwise required treatment has been ineffective, (2) such treatment is expected to be ineffective and delaying effective treatment would lead to irreversible consequences, (3) such treatment will cause or is likely to cause an adverse reaction to the individual, (4) such treatment is expected to prevent the individual from performing daily activities or occupational responsibilities, (5) the individual is stable based on the prescription drugs already selected, or (6) there are other circumstances as determined by the Employee Benefits Security Administration. The bill requires a group health plan to implement and make readily available a clear process for an individual to request an exception to the protocol, including required information and criteria for granting an exception. The bill further specifies timelines under which plans must respond to such requests.
COVID-19 Disinformation Research and Reporting Act of 2021 This bill requires the National Science Foundation to contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study disinformation and misinformation about COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) on the internet and social media platforms.
Housing Supply and Affordability Act This bill allows the Department of Housing and Urban Development to award grants to states, local governments, Indian tribes, and Native Hawaiian organizations for the development and implementation of housing policy plans. These plans must increase the housing supply while avoiding resident displacement, increase housing affordability, and reduce barriers to housing development. The amounts provided by the bill are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to the Statutory Pay-As-You-Go Act of 2010 (PAYGO) and the Senate PAYGO rule. (This excludes the budget effects from being counted for the purposes of enforcing the PAYGO rules.)
Battleship Iowa National Museum of the Surface Navy Act of 2021 This bill designates the Battleship USS Iowa Museum located in Los Angeles, California, as the National Museum of the Surface Navy.
Hire Veteran Health Heroes Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to consult with the Department of Defense to identify members of the Armed Forces in health care occupations who are separating from the Armed Forces. The VA must refer interested members to a recruiter for consideration of open positions in the member's specialty and geography of interest.
Improving Child Care for Working Families Act of 2021 This bill increases the limitation on the exclusion from employee gross income for employer-paid dependent care assistance from $5,000 to $10,500.
Holistic Economic Aid for Low-Income Neighborhood Growth Act of 2021 or the HEALING Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to states, local governments, Indian tribes, insular areas, and other institutions serving or owned by minorities to carry out Community Development Block Grant activities and other assistance in low- and moderate-income areas. Additionally, HUD must carry out a Civil Unrest Business Recovery Program to provide compensation to certain for-profit entities for damages from social and civil unrest during 2020 and to support business-led economic development.
Success for Rural Students and Communities Act of 2021 This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education may award funds to eligible partnerships to support rural postsecondary education and economic growth and development in rural communities. A grant recipient must be a partnership whose members represent at least three designated types of organizations, specifically (1) a local educational agency or educational service agency serving a rural area, (2) an institution of higher education (IHE), (3) a regional economic development entity, or (4) a rural community-serving organization with demonstrated success supporting rural students in accessing higher education and attaining degrees. A grant recipient must use awarded funds to carry out no fewer than two specified activities, namely (1) improving postsecondary enrollment rates for rural secondary school students, (2) increasing enrollment and completion rates of rural nontraditional students in degree programs at IHEs, (3) creating or strengthening academic programs at rural-serving IHEs to prepare graduates to enter into high-need occupations in the regional and local economies, or (4) generating local and regional economic development that creates employment opportunities for rural students with postsecondary degrees.
This bill adjusts the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area in California to include the area identified as the Rio Vista/Expansion Area on the map entitled Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta National Heritage Area Proposed Boundary Expansion and dated February 2021.
This bill reauthorizes through FY2036 the authority of the Department of the Interior to make any grants or provide any financial assistance for the Ohio & Erie National Heritage Canalway in Ohio. The bill increases the total amount that may be appropriated for the canalway.
Pennsylvania National Heritage Areas Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes in Pennsylvania through FY2036 the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, the Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area, and the Oil Region National Heritage Area. The bill eliminates the limitation on the total amount that may be appropriated for the Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area, the Lackawanna Valley National Heritage Area, the Schuylkill River Valley National Heritage Area, and the Oil Region National Heritage Area.
Albert Pike Statue Removal Act This bill directs the National Park Service to remove the statue of Albert Pike near Judiciary Square in the District of Columbia. The Department of the Interior may donate the statue to a museum or other similar entity, as determined appropriate by Interior to ensure its preservation and interpretation in an indoor setting. The recipient of the statue may not store, display, or exhibit the statue outdoors.
