Sen. Margaret Wood Hassan

Constitution education Is Valuable In Community Schools Act of 2021 or the CIVICS Act of 2021 This bill requires national activities supported by American History and Civics Education grants to include programs that educate students about the history and principles of the Constitution, including the Bill of Rights.

This resolution supports the recognition of Overdose Awareness Day, including by lowering U.S. flags at federal buildings to half-staff.

For the People Act of 2021 This bill addresses voter access, election integrity and security, campaign finance, and ethics for the three branches of government. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. The bill requires states to establish independent redistricting commissions to carry out congressional redistricting. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including sharing intelligence information with state election officials, supporting states in securing their election systems, developing a national strategy to protect U.S. democratic institutions, establishing in the legislative branch the National Commission to Protect United States Democratic Institutions, and other provisions to improve the cybersecurity of election systems. Further, the bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosure of campaign-related fundraising and spending, requiring additional disclaimers regarding certain political advertising, and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. The bill addresses ethics in all three branches of government, including by requiring a code of conduct for Supreme Court Justices, prohibiting Members of the House from serving on the board of a for-profit entity, and establishing additional conflict-of-interest and ethics provisions for federal employees and the White House. The bill requires the President, the Vice President, and certain candidates for those offices to disclose 10 years of tax returns.

Helping Emergency Responders Overcome Act or the HERO Act This bill establishes and authorizes behavioral health programs for law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical services personnel, 9-1-1 operators, and other public safety officers. Specifically, the Fire Administration within the Federal Emergency Management Agency must develop resources for educating mental health care providers about treating firefighters and emergency medical services personnel. In addition, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must develop best practices and resources for identifying, preventing, and treating post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring disorders in public safety officers. HHS must work with relevant federal departments to incorporate these resources into federal training programs for public safety officers. The bill also authorizes HHS to set up a public safety officer suicide-reporting system and a grant program for peer-support behavioral health and wellness programs within fire departments and emergency medical services agencies.

This resolution designates September 2021 as National Child Awareness Month to (1) promote awareness of youth-serving charities and organizations throughout the United States, (2) recognize the efforts made by those charities and organizations as critical contributions to the future of the United States, and (3) recognize the importance of meeting the needs of at-risk children and youth.

This resolution designates September 2021 as National Workforce Development Month.

This resolution addresses issues related to individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the resolution recognizes the importance of independent living for individuals with disabilities made possible by the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and encourages all Americans to celebrate the advancement of inclusion and equality of opportunity made possible by its enactment; pledges to continue to work on a bipartisan basis to identify and address the remaining barriers that undermine the national goals of equality of opportunity, independent living, economic self-sufficiency, and full participation for individuals with disabilities; pledges to work with states to improve access to home- and community-based services for individuals with disabilities; calls on the Department of Labor to provide information, resources, and technical assistance to enable individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency; and calls on the Department of Health and Human Services to provide information, resources, and technical assistance regarding such services that enable individuals with disabilities to live independently.

This resolution expresses the condolences of the Senate regarding the death of the Honorable Maurice Robert Gravel, former Senator from Alaska.

21st Century Assistive Technology Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2026, modifies the funding allocations for, and makes administrative and other changes to programs that increase access to assistive technology devices and assistive technology services for individuals with disabilities. An assistive technology device includes any item, piece of equipment, or system that is used to maintain or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities (e.g., wheelchairs, hearing aids, or screen readers and computer software), and an assistive technology service is a service that directly assists an individual with a disability with selecting or using such devices, including by evaluating the individual's needs or expanding access to such devices and technology. Specific changes include expanding the scope of certain technical assistance to support grant recipients with data collection, increasing collaboration between agencies that are implementing certain assistive technology grants and state agencies that receive other sources of federal funding for this technology, and adding a more specific focus on older adults in these programs.

Better Options for Drug Disposal Systems To Reduce Diversion Act of 2021 or the Better ODDS To Reduce Diversion Act of 2021 This bill modifies the authority of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to impose safe disposal requirements as part of a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for a drug. Currently, the FDA may require that a drug be dispensed with a safe disposal packaging or safe disposal system that renders the drug nonretrievable. Under this bill, the FDA may impose such safe disposal requirements without regard to whether the drug is rendered nonretrievable.