Blue Collar to Green Collar Jobs Development Act of 2021 This bill reauthorizes and modifies the Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Minority Economic Impact. Specifically, the bill (1) renames the office as the Office of Economic Impact, Diversity, and Employment; and (2) directs the office to establish and carry out a comprehensive nationwide program to improve education and training for jobs in energy-related industries, with emphasis on increasing the number of skilled individuals from underrepresented communities trained to work in those jobs. DOE, in collaboration with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Department of Commerce, the Bureau of the Census, and energy-related industries, shall establish a clearinghouse to develop resources training programs for jobs in energy-related industries and act as a resource for educational institutions and covered organizations and programs that seek to develop and implement training programs for such jobs. In carrying out the program, DOE, in collaboration with the Department of Education, Commerce, the Department of Labor, and the National Science Foundation, shall develop voluntary guidelines or best practices for educational institutions to help provide students with the skills necessary for jobs in energy-related industries. The office shall establish and carry out a program to provide grants to certain businesses, labor organizations, nonprofit organizations, or qualified youth or conservation corps to pay the eligible wages or stipends for individuals receiving training to work for businesses that provide services related to renewable electric energy generation and energy efficiency.
Lung Cancer Screening Registry and Quality Improvement Act of 2021 This bill establishes several grant programs and requirements for registries that collect data from lung cancer screenings with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) under Medicare. (Currently, for purposes of Medicare coverage, radiology imaging facilities that furnish such LDCT screenings must report certain data to approved registries.) Specifically, the bill provides funds for FY2022-FY2026 for grants to help entities establish free registries, and requires registries to be interoperable in order to receive federal funds. The bill also provides grants to support the development of related quality measures for lung cancer screenings.
Securing America's Medicine Cabinet Act of 2021 This bill encourages the development and approval of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing technologies and designates certain university research centers to assist in developing such technologies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must continue to evaluate and approve new drug manufacturing technologies included in an application for drug approval and expedite the development and implementation of such technologies. The FDA must designate such a technology as an advanced manufacturing technology if it is likely to (1) prevent or resolve a drug shortage, (2) maintain an adequate supply of critical medications for national emergencies, or (3) promote the adoption of innovative approaches to drug design and manufacturing. The sponsor of such a designated technology must provide the FDA with certain related scientific evidence. After receiving this evidence, if the FDA validates the technology for a proposed use, then the sponsor may use the validated technology across multiple manufacturing product lines within the same use context without obtaining additional FDA validation. The FDA must designate certain institutions of higher education as National Centers of Excellence in Advanced Pharmaceutical Manufacturing. Among other requirements, such centers must demonstrate the ability to provide federal agencies with technical assistance and to train a future workforce in such technologies.
Breath of Fresh Air Act This bill establishes a grant program for local educational agencies to purchase, and train school personnel to use, nebulizers.
Comprehensive Access to Robust Insurance Now Guaranteed for Kids Act or the CARING for Kids Act This bill permanently extends the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and related measures, programs, and authorities. Specifically, the bill permanently funds CHIP and related programs that support the development of child health quality measures and outreach and enrollment efforts. The bill also permanently authorizes the Medicaid and CHIP express lane eligibility option, which allows states to use information from designated programs (e.g., the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) to streamline eligibility determinations for children.
COVID-19 Prevention and Awareness Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to award various grants to federally qualified health centers and other organizations to prevent, treat, and raise awareness of certain diseases or conditions, such as asthma or cancer, that increase the risk of mortality from COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019).
Resilient Manufacturing Task Force Act of 2021 This bill requires the Department of Commerce to establish for one year the Resilient Manufacturing Task Force. Among other duties, the task force shall (1) identify critical vulnerabilities in the supply chains of products and resources that are essential to U.S. economic security, with a particular focus on vulnerabilities that have been made worse by COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019); and (2) develop specified plans to mitigate such vulnerabilities.
Protecting Life in Crisis Act This bill specifies that federal funds allocated for COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) response efforts may not, in general, be used for abortions. Current law generally prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions through language included in appropriations bills, such as the Hyde Amendment. The bill also restricts the use of federal tax credits or other federal funding for health insurance coverage if the coverage includes abortions.
Continuing Coverage for Preexisting Conditions Act of 2021 This bill establishes severability between provisions relating to the requirement to maintain minimum essential health care coverage (i.e., the individual mandate) and other provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Specifically, the bill provides that if the individual mandate is found to be illegal or incapable of being enforced, such findings do not affect the validity of other provisions relating to (1) the availability and renewability of coverage, or (2) the prohibitions against discriminatory coverage practices based on preexisting conditions or health status.
Nationally Enhancing the Well-being of Babies through Outreach and Research Now Act or the NEWBORN Act This bill establishes a pilot program through which the Health Resources and Services Administration must award grants to territorial, tribal, and local health departments in areas with the highest rates of infant mortality to address birth defects, premature births, and other leading causes of infant death.
Abolish the Last Great Plantation in America Resolution This resolution establishes the Commission on Addressing Racism and Ensuring Diversity in the United States Government. The commission must study the presence of systemic racism and the lack of diversity in the federal government and recommend steps to eliminate racism and promote diversity in the government.
This concurrent resolution recognizes the difficult challenges Black veterans faced when returning home after serving in the Armed Forces, their heroic military sacrifices, and their patriotism in fighting for equal rights and for the dignity of a people and a nation. The concurrent resolution also recognizes the need for the Department of Veterans Affairs to continue to work to eliminate any health and benefit disparities for minority veterans.
