Rep. Brian K. Fitzpatrick

Preventing a Patronage System Act of 2021 or the PPSA Act of 2021 This bill prohibits executive agency positions in the competitive service from being placed in the excepted service, unless such positions are placed in Schedules A through E as in effect on September 30, 2020. The bill also prohibits positions in the excepted service from being placed in any schedule other than the aforementioned schedules. On October 21, 2020, former President Donald Trump issued an executive order titled Creating Schedule F in the Excepted Service . The order placed executive agency positions that are of a confidential, policy-determining, policy-making, or policy-advocating character, and that are not normally subject to change as a result of a presidential transition, under a new schedule in the excepted service (Schedule F) instead of the competitive service. The order also required any such positions in the excepted service to be reclassified to Schedule F. The order was revoked by President Joe Biden on January 22, 2021.

This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to revise regulations so as to specifically require Medicare skilled nursing facilities and Medicaid nursing facilities to report the identity of medical directors and related information.

Electoral Count Reform and Presidential Transition Improvement Act of 2022 This bill revises the process of casting and counting electoral votes for presidential elections. The bill also revises provisions related to the presidential transition process. The bill specifies that the choice of electors must occur in accordance with the laws of the state enacted prior to election day. Additionally, the bill identifies each state's governor (unless otherwise identified in the laws or constitution of a state in effect on election day) as responsible for submitting the certificate of ascertainment identifying the state's electors. Further, the bill provides for expedited judicial review for any action brought by an aggrieved presidential or vice-presidential candidate arising under the U.S. Constitution or U.S. laws with respect to the issuance or transmission of such a certificate. The bill revises the framework for the joint session of Congress to count electoral votes and make a formal declaration of which candidates have been elected President and Vice President. Among other changes, the bill (1) specifies that the role of the Vice President during the joint session shall be ministerial in nature, and (2) raises the objection threshold in Congress to at least one-fifth of the duly chosen and sworn members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The bill also revises the presidential transition process, including to (1) allow more than one candidate to receive federal transition resources under certain circumstances, and (2) require additional reporting by the General Services Administration.

National Nursing Workforce Center Act of 2022 This bill sets out a pilot program to support state agencies, state boards of nursing, nursing schools, or other eligible entities with establishing or expanding state-based nursing workforce centers that carry out research, planning, and programs to address nursing shortages, nursing education, and other matters affecting the nursing workforce. The bill also expands the authority of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to establish health workforce research centers and specifically requires that HRSA establish a center focused on nursing.

Wounded Warrior Access Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to establish and maintain a secure, online tool or website to enable a claimant or their representative to make records requests related to VA claims and benefits. Requests for records must specify in which format the copy is desired. The VA must notify a requester within 10 days that their request has been received and must fulfill the request within 120 days. The bill also requires the VA to ensure that each time a claimant logs in to a website or online tool of the VA, the website or online tool displays in plain language (1) a warning regarding violations of laws related to agents and attorneys, (2) a link to an online tool to report violations, (3) a link to an online tool to search for a VA-recognized agent or attorney, and (4) a link to a website or online tool providing final decisions on discipline of agents and attorneys for violations.

Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2022 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.

Peace and Tolerance in Palestinian Education Act This bill requires the Department of State to report on the curriculum used in schools in areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority or located in Gaza and controlled by any other entity. Among other topics, the report must address (1) whether the materials used encourage violence or intolerance toward other nations or ethnic groups, (2) the steps the Palestinian Authority is taking to reform such materials, and (3) whether U.S. foreign assistance is used to fund the dissemination of the offending materials. The State Department must make such reports publicly available.

Supporting Medicare Providers Act of 2022 This bill extends a payment increase under Medicare's physician fee schedule through the end of 2023 (currently set to expire at the end of 2022).

Healthcare Cybersecurity Act of 2022 This bill requires the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to undertake activities to improve the cybersecurity of the health care and public health sector. Specifically, CISA must collaborate with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to improve cybersecurity in that sector. This includes making resources, including cyber-threat indicators and appropriate defense measures, available to federal and nonfederal entities that receive information through HHS programs. In addition, CISA must provide training on cybersecurity risks and mitigation strategies to owners of assets in the health care and public health sector. CISA must also conduct a study on cybersecurity risks in the health care and public health sector. The study must address, among other topics, the impact of the risks on rural entities and small- and medium-sized entities, cybersecurity workforce shortages in the sector, and challenges related to the COVID-19 emergency.

Assuring that the Fact-Finding Examination Continues to Track Human Rights in Venezuela Act or the AFFECT Human Rights in Venezuela Act This bill requires the Department of State to act in the United Nations to extend the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission in Venezuela and to provide technical assistance to the Fact-Finding Mission.  The bill also authorizes the President to direct U.S. representatives to the United Nations to support actions addressing Venezuela's human rights violations.