Rep. Derek Kilmer

Keep Our Promise to America's Children and Teachers Act or the Keep Our PACT Act This bill provides funding through FY2031 for grant programs operated by local educational agencies to provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving students and other students who attend elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of students from low-income families. Additionally, the bill permanently reauthorizes the grant program to assist states and outlying areas in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities.

USPS Fairness Act This bill repeals the requirement that the U.S. Postal Service annually prepay future retirement health benefits.

CHampioning Apprenticeships for New Careers and Employees in TECHnology Act or the CHANCE in TECH Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to enter into contracts with industry intermediaries to promote the development of and access to apprenticeships in the technology sector. The Department of Education (ED) may issue CHANCE in TECH Awards for 21st Century Schools to secondary schools or junior or community colleges that demonstrate high achievement in providing students necessary skills to compete in the 21st century workforce. In making an award, ED must consider the availability of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), career and technical education, and computer technology courses at the schools.

Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2021 This bill provides for coverage of marriage and family therapist services and mental health counselor services under Medicare. It also excludes such services from the skilled nursing facility prospective payment system, and authorizes marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors to develop discharge plans for post-hospital services.

Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2021 This bill makes permanent several telehealth flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), particularly with respect to Medicare coverage of telehealth services. For example, the bill permanently allows federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner) for telehealth services under Medicare. Payment must be made in the same manner as for non-telehealth services, rather than in accordance with a separate methodology determined by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The bill also permanently allows beneficiaries to receive Medicare telehealth services at any site, regardless of type or location, and grants the CMS general authority to waive any other requirements during any emergency period.

Daylight Act This bill allows states to observe daylight savings time year-round. (States may already choose to observe standard time year-round.)

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.

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.

This resolution expresses the gratitude of the House of Representatives to the members of the National Guard and law enforcement agencies who were deployed to the District of Columbia to ensure a safe and secure environment for the 59th inauguration.

Save Education Jobs Act This bill establishes through FY2030 the Education Jobs Fund, from which the Department of Education (ED) must award grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) to retain and create education jobs. ED must also provide grants to outlying areas and the Bureau of Indian Education. Specifically, LEAs must use subgrants for compensation and benefits to retain existing employees, rehire former employees, and hire new employees. Further, subgrants may be used for certain activities such as training and professional development, providing salary increases to cover extended days or school years to make up for lost instructional time due to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), and developing teacher leadership roles in high-need schools. The bill prohibits the use of subgrants for certain activities, such as funding voucher programs, tax-credit scholarships, or education savings accounts.