Sen. Robert P. Casey, Jr.

Post-9/11 Veterans' Mental Health Care Improvement Act of 2021 This bill addresses mental health care provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including by requiring the VA to expand access to mental health care, expand its mental health workforce, and conduct studies and research. Among other requirements, the VA must increase the number of full-time equivalent employees at Vet Centers, expand specified scholarships and loan repayment programs for mental health providers and students, offer mental health consultations to certain veterans, improve the assessment and treatment of veterans with sleep disorders, and perform various studies and research related to mental health issues and care.

Medical Device Integrity Act This bill provides the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the authority to request records and information from an establishment that manufactures or otherwise prepares medical devices. Currently, the FDA only has statutory authority to make such requests to establishments that manufacture or otherwise prepare drugs. The bill also requires the FDA to include in its requests a rationale for requesting the information in question.

Maddy summaryS 3393 permanently extends the Health Coverage Tax Credit (HCTC) for low-income individuals purchasing health insurance through the marketplace. It removes the temporary expiration date (previously set for January 1, 2022) from Section 35(b)(1) of the Internal Revenue Code, making the credit available indefinitely. This directly affects eligible low-income workers and their families who buy coverage via health insurance marketplaces. The key change is making the existing tax credit permanent, with coverage months after December 31, 2021, qualifying for the benefit.

Correctly Recognizing Educational Achievements To Empower Graduates Act or the CREATE Graduates Act This bill directs the Department of Education (ED) to take specified actions to increase postsecondary degree attainment. Specifically, the bill requires ED to provide grants to states to support institutions of higher education in awarding associate degrees to students who have accumulated enough credits. Additionally, the bill allows the release of a transfer student's educational records from an institution of postsecondary education where a student earned credit for coursework to an institution of postsecondary education where the student was previously enrolled in order to apply the student's coursework and credits toward completion of a recognized postsecondary credential, such as an associate's degree. In particular, the bill allows ED to provide funding to an institution of postsecondary education that releases a student's records of postsecondary coursework and credits without the consent of the student or the student's parents if the student provides written consent prior to receiving the credential.

Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act This bill directs the Department of Education to award formula grants to state educational agencies and, through them, subgrants to local educational agencies to increase access to school-based, mental-health-services providers at high-need public elementary and secondary schools.

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.

Maddy summaryThis is a ceremonial Senate resolution (SRES 470) commemorating the death of former U.S. Senator Bob Dole of Kansas. It formally expresses the Senate's sorrow, requests the Secretary of the Senate transmit a copy to Dole's family, and directs the Senate to adjourn as a mark of respect. The resolution has no policy or legal effect - it solely serves as a symbolic tribute to Dole's public service career. It does not affect any individuals or enact new laws.

Airline Information and Entertainment Access Act This bill requires air carriers (including foreign carriers) to ensure equal access to airline information and entertainment programming for all airline passengers regardless of their disabilities. Specifically, the bill requires open captioning and an American Sign Language option for persons with disabilities when the information and programming are available to passengers through shared video displays, such as a monitor located in a passenger access aisle; closed captioning and an American Sign Language option when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays; audio descriptions when the information and programming are available to passengers through individual video displays or shared video displays; an aural public address announcement in textual format through individual video displays or shared video displays; and control systems for video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to have a nonvisual operating option. A civil action may be brought in a U.S. District Court against an air carrier for violations of these requirements. The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board must set forth the minimum technical criteria for individual video displays, apps for personal devices, and web portals and websites to ensure that they include a mechanism that allows persons with disabilities to operate them nonvisually.

Outdoors for All Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish an outdoor recreation legacy partnership grant program under which Interior may award grants to states, certain political subdivisions of a state, special purpose districts, Indian tribes, or Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian communities or organizations. Funds must be used for projects to (1) acquire land and water for parks and other outdoor recreation purposes in qualifying areas, and (2) develop new or renovate existing outdoor recreation facilities that provide outdoor recreation opportunities to the public in qualifying areas. A qualifying area is an area that has a population of 30,000 or more in the most recent census, or that is administered by an Indian tribe or an Alaska Native or Native Hawaiian community organization. Interior shall give priority to projects that create or significantly enhance access to park and recreational opportunities in an urban neighborhood or community, engage and empower underserved communities and youth, provide opportunities for employment or job training for youth or underserved communities, establish or expand public-private partnerships, and take advantage of coordination among various levels of government.

PrEP Access and Coverage Act This bill requires private health insurance plans to cover prescription drugs that prevent HIV, including related screenings, diagnostic procedures, administrative fees, and clinical follow-ups, without any cost-sharing obligation for the plan holder. Further, insurance plans must not impose any preauthorization requirement for this coverage. These coverage requirements also apply to public health insurance programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children's Health Insurance Program. Additionally, the bill prohibits denying, limiting, or qualifying coverage or increasing premiums for disability insurance, long-term care insurance, or life insurance policies based on an individual taking medication for HIV prevention. The bill further requires the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to states, or directly to eligible local organizations, to provide uninsured individuals and underinsured individuals access to prescription drugs and related services that prevent HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also must develop a public awareness campaign that focuses efforts in communities with a high need for HIV prevention treatment.