Sen. Markwayne Mullin

This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Health and Human Services rule published on November 30, 2021, concerning vaccine and mask requirements to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Head Start programs. These programs provide comprehensive early education and development services to low-income children.

Sexual Harassment Independent Investigations and Prosecution Act This bill provides for the inclusion of sexual harassment as an offense subject to the authority of special trial counsel under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) and sets forth requirements related to independent investigations of sexual harassment under the UCMJ.

Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act This bill authorizes U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reclassify officers assigned to the tactical patrol unit on Tohono O'odham Nation land, commonly known as Shadow Wolves , as ICE special agents upon completing certain required training. Officers assigned to a comparable unit, regardless of location, may also be reclassified as ICE special agents upon completing the training. The Department of Homeland Security and the Government Accountability Office shall separately study and report on the best processes for expanding the Shadow Wolves program.

IHS Contract Support Cost Amendment Act This bill allows tribes to receive contract support costs for activities that would otherwise be carried out by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Health and Human Services for direct operation of a program, but for which the costs are not fully covered by the amount of funds required by the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975.

Maddy summaryHR 7477, the CERTS Tax Exemption Act, ensures that grants provided under the Coronavirus Economic Relief for Transportation Services Act are tax-free for eligible transportation service providers. The bill directly affects companies and organizations providing transportation services that receive these specific federal grants. Key provisions state that grant amounts cannot be counted as taxable income, deductions related to grant-funded costs cannot be denied, and tax attributes (like basis increases) must be treated as tax-free for partnerships and S corporations. This change simplifies tax treatment for recipients by preventing unintended tax liabilities on relief funds.

This bill prohibits behavioral health providers from receiving Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center incentive payments for testing certified electronic health record technology unless the provider has acquired health information systems that meet specified information technology standards and rules for interoperability and patient access.

American Made Pharmaceuticals Act of 2022 This bill requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to conduct a demonstration program that gives preference to domestically manufactured drugs under Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The program must be conducted in at least eight states and for at least seven years. Applicable drugs include critical drugs that are needed to respond to a public health emergency and that have a vulnerable global supply chain. Preference may take the form of reduced cost-sharing, preferential treatment on formularies, bonus payments, and other specified methods.

Comprehensive Southern Border Strategy Act This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to report to Congress a comprehensive southern border strategy. The strategy must include (1) an overview of current security risks along the southern border; and (2) an assessment of the barriers, technologies, and tools that are necessary to achieve and maintain situational awareness and operational control of the border.

Medicaid VBPs for Patients Act or the MVP Act This bill provides statutory authority for regulations that allow for the use of varying best price points under value-based purchasing arrangements for purposes of the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program. ( Value-based purchasing arrangements refer to arrangements in which the price of a drug is linked to clinical outcomes; such arrangements are particularly used for new high-cost treatments, such as gene therapies.) The Government Accountability Office must study the impact of value-based purchasing arrangements on federal health care programs, including with respect to the bill's changes.

Quapaw Tribal Landowner Settlement Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Department of the Interior to make FY2021 payments to members of the Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma in accordance with the January 2020 recommendation of the review panel of the U.S. Court of Federal Claims.