Driftless Area Landscape Conservation Initiative Act or the DALCI Act This bill reestablishes an initiative within the Department of Agriculture to assist farmers in fighting erosion and restoring cold water stream corridors in the Driftless Area of the Midwestern United States.
This bill revises enforcement provisions under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), including by directing inspectors to confiscate or destroy in a humane manner animals found to be suffering physical or psychological harm as a result of failure to comply with the AWA.
Accelerating Access to Critical Therapies for ALS Act This bill establishes grant programs to address neurodegenerative diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), and contains other related provisions. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) shall award grants to eligible entities for scientific research utilizing data from expanded access to investigational ALS treatments for individuals who are not otherwise eligible for clinical trials. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall award grants to public and private entities to cover the costs of research and development of drugs that diagnose or treat ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. HHS shall also establish the Public-Private Partnership for Neurodegenerative Diseases between the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and at least one eligible entity (generally, an institution of higher education or a nonprofit organization). The partnership shall support the development and regulatory review of drugs that address ALS and other rare neurodegenerative diseases. The FDA shall publish on its website a five-year action plan for fostering the development of drugs that improve or extend the lives of people living with rare neurodegenerative diseases. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress about the grants provided under this bill, including an analysis of the impact of such grants on research and development of treatments for ALS.
Protecting the Health of America's Older Adults Act This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a program to promote the health and well-being of older adults. To carry out the program, the CDC must, among other activities, regularly assess the health-related needs of older adults, identify disparities in outcomes of older adults based on demographic and other factors, and coordinate the efforts of federal agencies and nonfederal stakeholders with respect to the health of older adults. Additionally, the CDC must award grants or enter into cooperative agreements with health departments and nonprofit community-based organizations to improve the availability of data on older adult populations, link health care and social services sectors, and undertake related efforts.
This bill posthumously provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of the 13 service members who died on August 26, 2021, while stationed at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan.
Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act This bill imposes prohibitions and requirements related to campaign contributions and expenditures from foreign sources. For example, the bill bans campaign contributions and expenditures by domestic business entities that are controlled, influenced, or owned by foreign nationals.
Humane Cosmetics Act of 2021 This bill generally prohibits animal testing in the evaluation of cosmetic products, and it prohibits the sale or transport of cosmetics developed using animal testing, subject to civil penalties. These prohibitions begin one year after enactment. The bill specifies exceptions to these prohibitions, including if such animal testing (1) is conducted outside the United States to comply with a foreign regulatory authority; (2) is pursuant to a specified finding that there are no nonanimal alternatives to test the safety of a potentially dangerous cosmetic product or ingredient; (3) is of a product or ingredient for a drug or device subject to regulation by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); or (4) is required for a noncosmetic purpose pursuant to a state, federal, or foreign regulatory authority. Further, no animal-testing evidence may be used to establish the safety of a cosmetic product or ingredient that is regulated by the FDA after the effective date of this bill, subject to limited exceptions.
Telehealth Extension Act of 2021 This bill expands and otherwise modifies coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill permanently (1) removes geographic restrictions on originating sites (i.e., the location of the beneficiary), (2) allows the home of the beneficiary to serve as the originating site for all services, and (3) allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner). The bill also extends any Medicare telehealth flexibilities that were granted during the COVID-19 public health emergency until two years after the emergency ends and generally allows such flexibilities to be granted during any public health emergency. In addition, the bill (1) allows for Medicare payment of outpatient critical access hospital services consisting of telehealth behavioral therapy until two years after the COVID-19 public health emergency ends; and (2) after the emergency ends, conditions payment for certain high-cost laboratory tests and durable medical equipment that are ordered via telehealth on at least one in-person visit during the preceding six-month period.
EDUCATORS for America Act This bill provides resources to support the recruitment, retention, and preparation of educators. These resources include, among others, expanding the Teacher Quality Partnership program to include training and professional development opportunities for principals and other school leaders, updating the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence program to support underrepresented candidates in educator preparation programs, and revising the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) grant program to raise the maximum amount for TEACH grants. The bill also directs the Department of Education to carry out a program to provide loan credits to eligible educator borrowers enrolled in income-contingent or income-based repayment plans.
Chronic Wasting Disease Research and Management Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to address chronic wasting disease afflicting deer, elk, and moose populations. Specifically, the bill directs USDA to establish a program to research and manage the disease. Under the program, USDA must offer to enter into agreements with state or tribal wildlife agencies and departments of agriculture, institutions of higher education, and research centers to support research on the transmission of, resistance to, and diagnosis of the disease. In addition, USDA must offer to enter into agreements with such agencies and departments to support state and tribal efforts to develop and implement management strategies that address the disease. USDA must also develop and maintain materials to inform the public on chronic wasting disease and techniques to help prevent the spread of the disease. In addition, USDA must solicit public feedback on potential updates and improvements to standards of the chronic wasting disease herd certification program.
