Better Empowerment Now to Enhance Framework and Improve Treatments Act of 2021 or the BENEFIT Act of 2021 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider relevant patient-focused drug development data, such as data from patient preference studies and patient-reported outcome data, in the risk-benefit assessment framework used in the process for approving new drugs. After a new drug application has been approved, the FDA's public statement about how it used patient experience data shall include a description of how such data was considered in the risk-benefit assessment framework.
Next Generation Entrepreneurship Corps Act This bill establishes the Next Generation Entrepreneurship Corps Program to promote entrepreneurship in the most distressed regions of the United States, including those regions affected by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), by awarding participating fellows a two-year stipend to start and grow a new small business. Fellows will receive (1) a $120,000, two-year stipend for living and basic startup expenses; (2) health care; and (3) interest-free federal student loan deferral for two years. Further, fellows shall receive mentorship from the Service Corps of Retired Executives and be matched with a full range of lenders, investors, and insurers. The bill also establishes a fund in the Department of the Treasury from which the SBA may provide loans for qualified investors to support a small business owned and operated under the program by a fellow.
Make It in America Act This bill addresses domestic content requirements and narrows instances in which waivers may be granted. Specifically, the bill directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), acting through the Office for Federal Procurement Policy, to promulgate regulations to standardize and simplify how federal agencies comply with, report on, and enforce the Buy American Act, including guidelines to ensure that a project is not disaggregated for purposes of avoiding the applicability of such requirements. The bill increases American-made content requirements from 50% to 75%. Before granting a waiver in the public interest with respect to a product sourced from a foreign country, a federal agency shall assess whether a significant portion of the cost advantage of the product is the result of the use of dumped steel, iron, or manufactured goods or the use of injuriously subsidized steel, iron, or manufactured goods. The OMB shall establish within it a Made in America Office to maximize and enforce compliance with domestic preference statutes, develop and implement procedures to review waiver requests, ensure that contracting personnel at each federal agency annually complete training on obligations under such statutes, and ensure the development of a domestic supply base to meet federal procurement requirements. The bill directs the Department of Transportation to enter into a technical assistance partnership with the Department of Commerce to ensure the development of a domestic supply base to support intermodal transportation in the United States and to ensure compliance with domestic preference statutes.
Equality Act This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation. The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services. The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual's gender identity.
Health Savings Act of 2021 This bill modifies the requirements for health savings accounts (HSAs) to rename high deductible health plans as HSA-qualified health plans; allow spouses who have both attained age 55 to make catch-up contributions to the same HSA; make Medicare Part A (hospital insurance benefits) beneficiaries eligible to participate in an HSA; allow individuals eligible for hospital care or medical services under a program of the Indian Health Service or a tribal organization to participate in an HSA; allow members of a health care sharing ministry to participate in an HSA; allow individuals who receive primary care services in exchange for a fixed periodic fee or payment, or who receive health care benefits from an on-site medical clinic of an employer, to participate in an HSA; include amounts paid for prescription and over-the-counter medicines or drugs as qualified medical expenses for which distributions from an HSA or other tax-preferred savings accounts may be used; increase the limits on HSA contributions to match the sum of the annual deductible and out-of-pocket expenses permitted under a high deductible health plan; and allow HSA distributions to be used to purchase health insurance coverage. The bill also (1) exempts HSAs from creditor claims in bankruptcy, and (2) reauthorizes Medicaid health opportunity accounts. The bill allows a medical care tax deduction for (1) exercise equipment, physical fitness programs, and membership at a fitness facility; (2) nutritional and dietary supplements; and (3) periodic fees paid to a primary care physician and amounts paid for pre-paid primary care services.
Tribal Transportation Equity and Transparency Improvement Act of 2021 This bill revises certain programs related to tribal transportation. First, the bill revises the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP) by directing the Department of the Interior to (1) request proposals from Indian tribes to include additional transportation facilities in the National Tribal Transportation Facility Inventory, and (2) ensure that all nonconfidential information from the inventory is made available on its website. Next, the bill specifies that funding allocations (i.e., tribal shares) under the TTP must be determined using the facility inventory for the most recent fiscal year for which data is available instead of using FY2012 data. It also requires each Indian tribe that intends to include a proposed road in the inventory to complete and submit certain documentation for the road. It also requires independent audits by the inspectors general of Interior and the Department of Transportation, as well as the Government Accountability Office, to review the administration of the TTP. Additionally, the bill permits Indian tribes to use funds for carrying out highway safety programs in cooperation with states, counties, and other local subdivisions. It also increases the federal share for Indian tribes under the Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program and allows Indian tribes to use planning and design funds for grant applications under the program. Finally, the bill establishes the Tribal Transportation Advisory Committee, which must provide advice to Interior and study issues related to tribal transportation.
Data Analytics Robocall Technology Act of 2021 or the DART Act of 2021 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to consider establishing a process for maintaining a list of numbers that are ineligible to be blocked by a voice service provider. These may include numbers used (1) for outgoing calls by a facility that is designated to originate or route emergency calls, (2) to originate calls from a government entity, or (3) by a school to provide school-related notifications. The FCC must submit a report containing an analysis of the effectiveness of various categories of call-blocking tools and any legislative recommendations relating to this report.
Federal Permitting Modernization Act of 2021 This bill revises environmental review requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) for certain infrastructure projects. Specifically, this bill establishes deadlines for federal agencies to complete the environmental review of such projects. A court may not issue a temporary restraining order or preliminary injunction against an agency or a project sponsor in connection with the review or authorization of an infrastructure project unless the court determines that (1) the environmental review has failed substantially and materially to comply with the requirements of NEPA, and (2) the failure cannot be cured by supplementing the environmental document or other mitigation and monitoring measures.
Full-Service Community School Expansion Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 and expands the Full-Service Community Schools program. The program provides support for full-service community schools that serve children and their families, particularly for children who attend high-poverty elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to award grants to eligible entities to plan, implement, expand, and support full-service community schools. An eligible entity is a consortium of (1) one or more local educational agencies or the Bureau of Indian Education; and (2) one or more community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, or other entities. A community school refers to a public elementary or secondary school that incorporates the four pillars of community schools. These four pillars are defined by the bill as (1) integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning (e.g., medical care and assistance with housing, transportation, or nutrition); (2) expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities (e.g., before- and after-school programs); (3) family and community engagement (e.g., adult education); and (4) collaborative leadership and practices, which must include a school-based leadership team, a community school coordinator, and a community-wide leadership team. Further, the bill directs ED to award grants to states to plan, implement, and expand community schools. A state educational agency that receives a grant must meet certain requirements, such as providing subgrants to local educational agencies, establishing a state-level steering committee, and establishing goals for the implementation and expansion of community schools throughout the state.
Telehealth Modernization Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill extends certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner); (2) the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services); and (3) all types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services, as determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Educational Flexibility for Families Act This bill requires elementary and secondary schools, in order to receive additional appropriations for the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, to provide an option for students to attend in-person classes during these school years. The requirement also applies to state and local educational agencies that serve elementary or secondary schools.
Stop Supporting Foreign Interference in Our Democracy Act This bill provides statutory authority for the prohibition against a person knowingly providing substantial assistance regarding illegal political spending by a foreign national.
