Comprehensive Care for Alzheimer's Act This bill allows the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to test a Dementia Care Management Model that provides comprehensive care to Medicare beneficiaries with Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia. Under the model, participating health care providers receive payment under Medicare for comprehensive care management services that are provided to individuals with diagnosed dementia, excluding Medicare Advantage enrollees, hospice care recipients, and nursing home residents. Required services include medication management, care coordination, and health, financial, and environmental monitoring, as well as trainings and other support services for unpaid caregivers. Providers must furnish services through interdisciplinary teams and must ensure access to a team member or primary care provider 24-7. The CMMI must set payments and determine quality measures for the model in accordance with specified requirements. The bill also allows the CMMI to design a similar model under Medicaid.
BUILDER Act of 2021 or the Building United States Infrastructure through Limited Delays and Efficient Reviews Act of 2021 This bill places limits on the environmental review of proposed major federal actions under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) and establishes deadlines and other requirements to expedite the environmental review of such actions. Specifically, the bill limits the scope of the environmental review of major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment as specified by the bill. The bill also specifies the thresholds that trigger when agencies must issue environmental assessments and environmental impact statements for proposed agency actions, outlines when agencies are not required to prepare environmental documents for such actions, and establishes deadlines to complete such documents. The bill also establishes a process for designating a lead federal agency as well as a joint lead agency, such as a state government, to supervise the environmental review under NEPA. A lead agency may allow a project sponsor to prepare environmental documents under specified circumstances. Additionally, the bill revises requirements concerning the judicial review of NEPA cases, including by establishing deadlines to file lawsuits under NEPA.
This resolution honors the memory of U.S. Capitol Police Officer William Francis "Billy" Evans for the selfless acts of heroism he displayed on April 2, 2021.
Rural Forest Markets Act of 202 1 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Rural Forest Market Investment Program to guarantee investments to finance certain projects that will enable rural private forest landowners to participate in an innovative market for forest carbon or other products. In establishing the program, USDA must consider ways to ensure that the program minimizes disruptions to traditional forest products markets. Eligible projects are projects developed by a private entity or a publicly supported, charitable nonprofit organization engaged in the aggregation of sustainable forestry practices implemented by rural private forest landowners to facilitate the sale of credits in the voluntary carbon market or other environmental market using a methodology approved by a credible, third-party entity. USDA may guarantee up to $150 million with respect to each investment. Authority to carry out the program terminates on September 30, 2023.
Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act of 20 21 This bill makes it illegal to possess, buy, sell, or transport shark fins or any product containing shark fins, except for certain dogfish fins. A person may possess a shark fin that was lawfully taken consistent with a license or permit under certain circumstances. Penalties are imposed for violations under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act.The maximum civil penalty for each violation shall be $100,000, or the fair market value of the shark fins involved, whichever is greater.
Wage Equity Act of 2021 This bill addresses workplace wage discrimination based on sex. Specifically, it limits the acceptable reasons for wage disparities based on sex to legitimate business-related factors unrelated to sex. Italso protects from liability for such discrimination those employers who conduct a job and wage analysis audit to identify wage disparities and take reasonable steps to remedy any such disparities. Further, the bill prohibits employers from relying on, or requesting, the wage history of a prospective employee for hiring and wage determination purposes unless it is voluntarily provided by the prospective employee. Employers generally may not prohibit employees from inquiring about, or discussing, wage information concerning another employee or from requesting information from an employer about wage differentials. Finally, the bill permits the Department of Labor to establish a grant program for negotiation skills education for women and girls. It also requires the Government Accountability Office to study and report on the causes and effects of sex-based wage disparities.
Opioid Settlement Accountability Act This bill establishes certain requirements with respect to the disposition of funds received by states from litigation against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Specifically, the bill requires states to use such funds to address opioid use, such as through (1) opioid prevention and treatment services, (2) health care practitioner training, (3) first responder equipment, and (4) social support services. Additionally, the bill prohibits the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from considering such funds that are recovered or paid to a state on or after December 31, 2023, as an overpayment that reduces the state's payment, or that is subject to recoupment, under Medicaid. The bill applies retroactively.
Resetting the Impact Act of 2021 or the TRIA Act of 2021 This bill requires certain data collection and recommendations relating to a Medicare post-acute care prospective payment system to incorporate the effects of COVID-19 on providers and patients. Current law requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission to develop a prototype for a unified Medicare payment system for post-acute care that is based primarily on patient characteristics (e.g., cognitive ability, functional status, or impairments) rather than the provider setting (e.g., skilled nursing facility, home health agency, inpatient rehabilitation facility, or long-term care hospital). The bill requires the prototype to account for the role of post-acute care providers during public health emergencies, particularly in light of the COVID-19 emergency and the related effects on such providers and their patients. The bill also delays the development of the prototype until two years after the later of January 1, 2022, and the date by which the CMS has collected eight calendar quarters of data after the emergency ends and other changes have been implemented.
Protecting Access to Ground Ambulance Medical Services Act of 2021 This bill modifies Medicare payment of ground ambulance services in rural areas. Specifically, the bill extends the specialized rate increase for such services for an additional five years (until January 1, 2028). The bill also requires the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to (1) allow an area that has 1,000 or fewer individuals per square mile to retain its status as a rural area even if it would otherwise no longer qualify, and (2) establish an appeals process for providers to seek reconsideration of a change in an area's status.
Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program Enhancement Act This bill modifies the requirements for calculating taxable income to exclude from gross income payments under the federal veterinary medicine loan repayment program or any state loan repayment or forgiveness program that is intended to provide for increased access to veterinary services in such state.
Advancing Uniform Transportation Opportunities for Veterans Act or the AUTO for Veterans Act This bill authorizes the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide (or assist in providing) an eligible veteran or service member with an additional automobile or other conveyance under the VA automobile allowance and adaptive equipment program. Currently, a veteran or service member with a specified service-connected disability or impairment may not receive more than one automobile or other conveyance under the program. The bill authorizes the additional benefit for such veterans and service members if 10 years have passed since the person last received such benefit.
U.S.-Israel Cooperation Expansion Act This bill states U.S. policy concerning U.S. and Israeli law enforcement training and threats to U.S. and Israeli security and embassy protection. Specifically, the bill provides that it is U.S. policy to (1) support bilateral training between U.S. and Israeli law enforcement for sharing best practices related to anti-terrorism, community policing, and managing mass casualties; and (2) continue to counter threats to U.S. and Israeli security and embassy protection posed by illicit cross-border tunneling and unmanned aerial systems.
