Sen. John Barrasso

Expanding Access to Palliative Care Act This bill requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a model that provides community-based palliative care and care coordination for high-risk Medicare beneficiaries and that may replace the Medicare Care Choices Model (currently set to expire on December 31, 2021). Under the new model, multi-disciplinary teams must provide coordinated, palliative care that is available 24-7 for Medicare beneficiaries with serious illnesses or injuries, such as cancer. The CMMI must evaluate the model by comparing patients participating in the model with those outside of the model in relation to specified metrics, including the election and duration of hospice care.

Improving Access to Transfusion Care for Hospice Patients Act of 2021 This bill requires the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a model under which blood transfusions furnished to an individual receiving hospice care are paid separately from the hospice all-inclusive per diem payment under Medicare. The CMMI must evaluate the model by comparing patients participating in the model with those outside of the model in relation to specified metrics, such as hospital utilization and days of hospice care before the end of life.

Navigable Waters Protection Act of 2021 This bill enacts definitions that determine which bodies of water fall under the scope of the Clean Water Act and are thereby under federal jurisdiction. Specifically, the bill provides statutory authority for the definitions related to the waters of the United States, commonly known as WOTUS, in regulations when the bill is enacted.

Repeal Insurance Plans of the Multi-State Program Act or the RIP MSP Act This bill repeals the multi-state insurance plan program. (The multi-state plan program requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to contract with insurance issuers to provide a qualified health plan through the health insurance exchanges in multiple states.) The OPM must report about the process and timeline for ending the program within 60 days.

This bill prohibits the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation from prohibiting or restricting the source of energy used by a power-generation project that has as its purpose the provision of affordable electricity in certain countries. Such countries are those that are eligible for support either solely from the International Development Association (IDA) or jointly from the IDA and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Further, the corporation (1) may not reject a power-generation project in such a country based on the source of energy used by the project; and (2) must promote a technology- and fuel-neutral energy development strategy for such countries that includes the use of oil, natural gas, coal, hydroelectric, wind, solar, and geothermal power and other sources of energy.

Tree Spiking Mitigation Act of 2021 This bill directs the Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to coordinate to take necessary actions to ensure the detection, identification, and, as determined to be appropriate, mitigation of tree spiking devices located on federal lands. A tree spiking device includes spikes, nails, or other objects hammered, driven, fastened, or otherwise placed into or on any timber to impede logging. To carry out such activities, the Forest Service and the BLM shall prioritize areas in which (1) incidences of tree spiking devices have occurred, or (2) the Forest Service and the BLM suspect that there are tree spiking devices. No later than 90 days after the enactment of this bill, the Forest Service and the BLM shall, where appropriate, update safety guidelines and training protocols to include the awareness, detection, identification, and mitigation of tree spiking devices.

Energy Sector Innovation Credit Act of 2021 This bill adds new tax credits for investment in qualified emerging technology energy property and for the production of electricity from emerging energy technology. The bill defines qualified emerging energy property as property that is constructed, reconstructed, erected, or acquired by the taxpayer and is (1) a facility for the production of electricity from emerging energy technology, (2) carbon capture equipment, or (3) energy storage technology. The bill also adds a new tax credit for the production of electricity from clean hydrogen. The bill defines clean hydrogen as hydrogen that is produced through a production method for which the rate of the greenhouse gas emission is greater than zero and not greater that 2,500g CO2-e per kilogram of hydrogen produced, or is equal to or less than zero.

This resolution declares that the Pledge of Allegiance has been a valuable part of life for the people of the United States for generations and defends its constitutionality.

This resolution designates July 24, 2021, as National Day of the American Cowboy.

This resolution recognizes and expresses support for the efforts of democracy and human rights activists in Cuba.