United States · United States Congress · 15 June 2022
Reducing Farm Input Costs and Barriers to Domestic Production Act This bill addresses various provisions related to the regulation of domestic agricultural products, including by requiring the Department of Agriculture to publish criteria for considering requests from meat and poultry establishments to operate at line speeds in excess of the current regulatory limitations. The bill also nullifies the final rule issued by the Council on Environmental Quality on April 20, 2022, that reinstated various National Environmental Policy Act regulatory provisions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 June 2022
Critical Minerals Classification Improvement Act of 2022 This bill permits the inclusion of fuel minerals (e.g., uranium) on a list of mineral commodities that are critical to the U.S. economy and national security. (Fuel minerals are currently excluded from the list.) Additionally, the U.S. Geological Survey must revise the list to add critical fuel minerals if it determines the revisions are necessary.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2022
This resolution requests that the President transmit certain information to the House of Representatives related to the proposed waiver of intellectual property commitments under the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (known as the TRIPS waiver). In particular, the resolution requests information demonstrating that (1) the TRIPS waiver will increase global supply and delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, (2) the waiver will accelerate the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, or (3) China will not obtain access to patents or other intellectual property related to COVID-19 vaccines even if expressly excluded from the waiver.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2022
This resolution sets forth the rule for consideration of H.R. 1011 (Life at Conception Act), which declares that the right to life guaranteed by the Constitution is vested in each human being at all stages of life, including the moment of fertilization, cloning, or other moment at which an individual comes into being.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2022
Chase COVID Unemployment Fraud Act of 2022 This bill addresses fraud and overpayments of pandemic unemployment assistance, including by allowing states to retain a specified percentage of recovered funds and prohibiting the Department of Labor from allowing blanket waivers of overpayments.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2022
Student Loan Accountability Act This bill generally prohibits the Departments of Education, Justice, or the Treasury from taking any action to cancel or forgive the outstanding balances, or portion of balances, of covered loans. Covered loans refer to Federal Family Education Loans, Federal Direct Loans, Federal Perkins Loans, and loans under the Health Education Assistance Loan Program. The prohibition does not apply to targeted federal student loan forgiveness, cancellation, or repayment programs carried out under the Higher Education Act of 1965. Additionally, the bill repeals the temporary tax-free treatment of discharged student loan debt. It also prohibits tax return information from being shared for the purpose of administering a student loan cancellation plan.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2022
This bill nullifies the executive order that was published on March 10, 2021, and established requirements for expanding access to voter registration and election information.
United States · United States Congress · 8 June 2022
Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022 or the DEFEND Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense to seek to cooperate with Middle East allies and partners (i.e., countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region as appropriate) to identify and develop an approach for such allies and partners to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect against attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2022
Leaker Accountability Act of 2022 This bill establishes a new federal crime for the unauthorized disclosure of confidential information by officers or employees of the Supreme Court. Specifically, the bill prohibits an officer or employee of the Supreme Court from knowingly publishing, divulging, disclosing, or making known in any manner or to any extent not authorized by law any confidential information coming to that officer or employee in the course of the employment or official duties of that officer or employee. A violation is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both.
United States · United States Congress · 24 May 2022
Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill extends through 2024 certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19. Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), (2) the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services), and (3) other types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services.
United States · United States Congress · 19 May 2022
Preventing Racism in Medicare Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from including the development of anti-racism plans (i.e., plans to address systemic racism in health care) as a qualifying clinical practice improvement activity under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), as described in a November 2021 rule. (MIPS is an incentive program under Medicare that allows health care professionals to receive payment adjustments based on certain performance measures.)
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2022
Taylor Force Martyr Payment Prevention Act of 2022 This bill expands the institutional factors the Department of the Treasury must consider when making a finding that a foreign financial institution is of primary money laundering concern and is therefore subject to special measures, including the prohibition of opening or maintaining correspondent accounts in U.S financial institutions. Specifically, Treasury must consider (1) the extent to which an institution knowingly provides financial services to Hamas, or to an agent of Hamas; and (2) the extent to which an institution, transaction, or type of account is used to facilitate or promote payments for certain acts of terrorism against U.S. and Israeli citizens.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2022
Babies Need More Formula Now Act of 2022 This bill addresses the regulation of infant formula, including by authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to waive certain requirements related to importation. The FDA may waive labeling requirements related to the importation (or distribution or sale) of infant formula from a country with requirements that provide a similar assurance of safety as U.S. requirements. The FDA must, when appropriate, enter into arrangements to harmonize U.S. regulatory requirements pertaining to infant formula with the requirements of other nations. The bill imposes time lines for the FDA to respond to submissions for market approval for new infant formula. The FDA must also issue guidance as to what types of changes in the ingredients of infant formula, if any, may not require a new growth study to meet FDA requirements. The bill also authorizes a person to import, without prior notice to the FDA, up to a three-month supply of infant formula for personal use from a country with formula safety standards similar to U.S. standards, such as Canada. Before recommending or requiring a recall of infant formula due exclusively to a labeling deficiency, the FDA must ensure that the recall will not negatively affect the supply of formula in the United States. The bill also requires the FDA to (1) notify Congress no later than 24 hours after initiating a formula recall, and (2) provide certain information to formula manufacturers about restarting production after an inspection of a manufacturing facility impacted by a recall.
United States · United States Congress · 16 May 2022
North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the individuals and communities that provided financial and other support for the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II. The North Platte Canteen, a volunteer-run effort, provided entertainment to U.S. troops traveling across the country.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2022
Commonsense Reporting Act of 2022 This bill addresses the eligibility verification process for the premium assistance tax credit and cost-sharing subsidy under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). It requires the Department of the Treasury to develop and implement a reporting system that allows employers to voluntarily report information about their health plans for the current plan year prior to the beginning of open enrollment. The bill also allows electronic transmission of employee and enrollee statements and permits Treasury to accept full names and dates of birth in lieu of dependents' and spouses' Social Security account numbers. The bill also allows certain large employers who do not offer their employees minimum health care coverage 90 days to appeal an assessment for not providing such coverage. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate (1) for the period beginning on January 1, 2015, and ending on December 31, 2020, the notification of employers by PPACA exchanges of the eligibility of employees for advance payments of the premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing subsidies; and (2) for calendar year 2023, the functionality of the prospective reporting system established by this bill, including the accuracy of information collected.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2022
This resolution condemns the unauthorized leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion concerning abortion and the related violence, property damage, and attempted intimidation of Supreme Court Justices by activists. It also encourages the enforcement of federal criminal laws that prohibit protests and picketing outside of the homes of federal judges, jurors, witnesses, and others involved in the U.S. court system.
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2022
Building America's Health Care Workforce Act This bill extends certain flexibilities relating to training and competency requirements for nurse aides in Medicare skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and Medicaid nursing facilities (NFs). Generally, SNFs and NFs may not hire nurse aides for longer than four months unless they meet certain training and certification requirements. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services waived some of these requirements during the COVID-19 emergency period so as to allow facilities to maintain adequate staffing levels; the waiver ends in June 2022. The bill extends these flexibilities for at least two years after the bill's enactment and specifies that (1) any time worked by a nurse aide during the emergency period counts toward the 75 hours required for initial training, and (2) a competency evaluation may be conducted at the SNF or NF where the nurse aide is employed if the state does not offer such an evaluation at least once a week.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2022
This joint resolution nullifies the interim final rule submitted by the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security and published on March 29, 2022, concerning procedures for the consideration of asylum claims and other related issues. (Among other changes, the interim final rule requires an asylum seeker subject to expedited removal to be screened by an asylum officer for a credible fear of persecution or torture, rather than a credible fear of persecution, reasonable possibility of persecution, or reasonable possibility of torture.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2022
Veterans First Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from obligating or expending any amounts to provide emergency assistance in response to an emergency at the southern border directly resulting from the repeal of certain public health orders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Specifically, the bill prohibits such emergency assistance in response to the repeal of the order issued on August 2, 2021, titled Public Health Reassessment and Order Suspending the Right To Introduce Certain Persons From Countries Where a Quarantinable Communicable Disease Exists ; the order issued on April 1, 2022, titled Public Health Determination and Order Regarding Suspending the Right To Introduce Certain Persons From Countries Where a Quarantinable Communicable Disease Exists ; and an order relating to the same public health concerns as the listed orders.
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2022
This resolution thanks the teachers of the United States and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2022
Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2022 This bill allows health care providers to receive prescribing information for drugs electronically rather than in paper form from manufacturers.
United States · United States Congress · 21 April 2022
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.
United States · United States Congress · 14 April 2022
Protecting Charter Schools from Federal Overreach Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Education from finalizing or implementing its March 14, 2022, proposed rule (or any substantially similar rule) that revises priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Charter Schools Program.
United States · United States Congress · 6 April 2022
Protecting American Innovation Act This bill establishes certain limitations on modifying trade agreements, including those related to the TRIPS Agreement (i.e., the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights). The TRIPS Agreement contains obligations for World Trade Organization members to protect patents and other intellectual property rights. Specifically, the bill prohibits the President (or any U.S. official, employee, or agent) from negotiating or concluding any withdrawal, suspension, or modification to a trade agreement that adversely affects the rights of the United States or U.S. persons under a trade agreement with China or Russia. Additionally, the bill states that a TRIPS waiver to address the COVID-19 pandemic shall not take effect if (1) the President does not submit required reports from the Department of Commerce and the Department of Defense (DOD), (2) the Commerce report concludes that the TRIPS waiver will not result in an increase in global vaccine access, or (3) the DOD report concludes that the TRIPS waiver would adversely impact U.S. national security. Prior to entering into a negotiation with a trading partner concerning a suspension of or modification to a trade agreement, the bill requires (1) the U.S. Trade Representative to publish certain information in the Federal Register and allow for public comment, and (2) the President to provide written notice and consult with Congress. Further, the President shall not enter into any suspension of or modification to a trade agreement unless the President has complied with such consultation requirements and receives congressional approval.
United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2022
The Real Emergencies Act This bill denies the President authority to declare a national emergency, an emergency or major disaster, or a public health emergency on the premise of climate change.
United States · United States Congress · 4 April 2022
Supply Chain Disruptions Relief Act This bill modifies the treatment of liquidations of new motor vehicle inventory as qualified LIFO (last in first out accounting method) inventory. It allows new motor vehicle dealers to elect to wait until the end of 2025 to replace their inventory for purposes of determining income attributable to the sale of such inventory during 2020 and 2021.
United States · United States Congress · 1 April 2022
No User Fees for Gun Owners Act This bill prohibits a state or local government from imposing any insurance requirement, tax, user fee, or similar charge as a condition of the manufacture importation, acquisition, transfer, or continued ownership of a firearm or ammunition, with the exception of a proportionate sales tax. The bill imposes the same prohibition under the Internal Revenue Code for firearms, pistols, or revolvers, but allows for the assessment of a proportionate sales tax.
United States · United States Congress · 30 March 2022
This resolution supports the preservation of the stepped-up basis tax rule that allows recipients of inherited assets such as land, equipment, or buildings to adjust the cost basis of the assets to reflect their fair market value. The resolution opposes any efforts to impose new taxes on family farms or small businesses and recognizes the importance of generational transfers of farm and family-owned businesses.
United States · United States Congress · 28 March 2022
This resolution honors the life and legacy of the late Representative Don Young and directs the Sergeant at Arms to designate a Don Young Reserved Seat on the floor of the chamber of the House of Representatives.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2022
Renewing Investment in American Workers and Supply Chains Act This bill classifies nonresidential real property and residential rental property as 20-year property for depreciation purposes.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2022
Employee Rights Act This bill makes various changes with respect to the collective bargaining process and labor relations. For example, the bill permits an employer to refuse to collectively bargain with a union within 90 days prior to the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement if the employer receives evidence that the majority of the employees in the bargaining unit do not support the union. The bill requires support from a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit (not just a majority of the employees voting) when electing union representation. The bill also requires unions to provide bargaining unit employees with the right to vote by secret ballot, including when voting whether to engage in a strike or refusal to work. Further, union dues, fees, assessments, and other contributions may be used for only collective bargaining or contract administrative functions. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for nullifying executive orders that the Office of Management and Budget determines are likely to result in an employer ordering a plant closure or mass layoff.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2022
This joint resolution nullifies the rule titled Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; Updating Payment Parameters, Section 1332 Waiver Implementing Regulations, and Improving Health Insurance Markets for 2022 and Beyond , which was issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of the Treasury on September 27, 2021. The rule expands the open enrollment period for individual health coverage and rescinds the previous interpretation of certain requirements relating to Section 1332 waivers (also known as State Innovation Waivers or State Relief and Empowerment Waivers).
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2022
Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act This bill expands Medicare coverage to permanently include services provided by a pharmacist, including incidental services and supplies, related to testing, drug regimens, and vaccines for COVID-19, influenza, and certain other illnesses. Specifically, the bill provides for continued coverage of pharmacist services relating to testing and vaccines for COVID-19 and influenza, as well as coverage of testing for respiratory syncytial virus and streptococcal pharyngitis (i.e., strep throat) and the initiation of drug regimens that are used to treat COVID-19, influenza, or strep throat. It also generally provides for coverage of pharmacist services during a public health emergency or to address health equity. A pharmacist, or the facility with which the pharmacist is contracted or employed, may present a claim for reimbursement of 85% (or 100% during a declared emergency) of the applicable amount. A pharmacist may not bill an individual for such a service other than for the applicable deductible or coinsurance amounts.
United States · United States Congress · 24 March 2022
COI Elimination Act This bill limits U.S. contributions to the United Nations pertaining to the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Current law imposes a cap on the annual U.S. contribution to the U.N. budget. The bill lowers that cap by 25% of the amount budgeted for the commission. The bill also states that it shall be U.S. policy to seek the abolition of the commission and combat systemic anti-Israel bias in international bodies.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2022
Suspending Normal Trade Relations with Russia and Belarus Act This bill suspends normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. It also permanently authorizes the President to impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions based on violations of human rights, and it revises the President's authority to impose these sanctions. Specifically, the bill authorizes the President to proclaim increases in the rates of duty applicable to products of Russia or Belarus. This authority terminates on January 1, 2024. The President may restore normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus, subject to congressional disapproval. The bill directs the U.S. Trade Representative to take certain actions, including to consider steps to suspend Russia's participation in the World Trade Organization and seek to halt the accession process of Belarus. Additionally, the bill statutorily authorizes broader coverage of current visa- and property-blocking sanctions for human rights violations to cover persons involved in serious human rights abuses. (Current law imposes these sanctions on persons responsible for gross violations of human rights, a higher standard.) The bill authorizes the President to impose sanctions on any foreign person who (1) is responsible for serious human rights abuse, (2) is a current or former government official who is responsible for or complicit in corruption, (3) is or has been a leader or official of an entity that has engaged in any of these activities, (4) has provided support for any of these activities, or (5) is owned or controlled by a person subject to these sanctions.
United States · United States Congress · 17 March 2022
Protect American Election Administration Act of 2022 This bill generally prohibits a state from soliciting, receiving, or expending any payment or donation of funds, property, or personal services from a private entity for the purpose of administering a federal election. For example, the bill prohibits the use of these payments or donations for programs related to voter education, outreach, and registration. The prohibition shall not apply to a state's acceptance and use of a private entity's donation of space to be used for a polling place or an early voting site.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2022
This joint resolution nullifies the rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services on October 7, 2021, that reverts requirements for federally funded providers of family planning services to those in effect before May 3, 2019, and makes other changes to family planning programs. Specific changes in the rule include (1) removing restrictions on pregnancy options counseling and referrals for abortion services, (2) eliminating requirements for physical and financial separation between abortion-related activities and specified family planning activities, and (3) providing a particular focus on health equity.
United States · United States Congress · 16 March 2022
This resolution urges the government of Argentina to bring the perpetrators of the March 17, 1992, terrorist attack on the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires to justice (in 1999 the Supreme Court of Argentina found that the transnational terrorist organization Hezbollah was responsible for the attack). The resolution commends the Argentinian government for designating Hezbollah as a terrorist organization and urges other U.S. allies and partners in Latin America and the Caribbean to do the same. The resolution urges these allies and partners to condemn and counter regional governments in the hemisphere that aid and abet Iran and Hezbollah. The resolution also commends the Argentinian government for adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism and encourages other partners and allies to do the same. Finally, the resolution commends the Secretary General of the Organization of American States for appointing a Commissioner to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism in the Western Hemisphere.
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2022
Ukrainian Independence Park Act of 2022 This bill designates specified properties in the District of Columbia within the approximate triangular area formed by 22nd Street Northwest to the east, P Street Northwest to the south, and Florida Avenue Northwest to the west as Ukrainian Independence Park .
United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2022
Eliminating Paperwork for Startups Act This bill requires the Internal Revenue Service to allow the election relating to property transferred in connection with services (i.e., to include in gross income the amount of such property in the year of transfer) to be made in electronic form.
United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2022
Federal Student Loan Integrity Act This bill limits the authority of the Department of Education (ED) to waive or modify statutes and regulations in response to military contingencies or national emergencies, including by prohibiting ED from further using this authority in connection with the COVID-19 national emergency. Under the Higher Education Relief Opportunities for Students (HEROES) Act of 2003, ED may waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to federal student-aid programs as ED deems necessary in connection with a war or other military operation or national emergency. This bill prohibits ED from issuing a waiver or modification that (1) provides for a period that exceeds 30 days during which payments of principal or interest due on federal student loans are suspended or interest does not accrue on such loans, or (2) results in the discharge or cancellation of federal student loans. Further, the bill prohibits ED from using this authority to waive or modify any statutory or regulatory provision applicable to federal student-aid programs in connection with the national emergency declared by the President on March 13, 2020, to respond to COVID-19.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2022
Rural Prosperity Act of 2022 This bill addresses social, economic, and community well-being and resilience in rural communities. Specifically, the bill establishes, within the Executive Office of the President, the Office of Rural Prosperity to promote and support social and economic prosperity in rural areas. The office, among other duties, must develop (1) a strategy for rural development, and (2) metrics to measure the effectiveness of federal programs on rural areas. Additionally, the bill sets up a council that includes representatives from federal agencies and White House policy offices to ensure collaboration across federal agencies and with other stakeholders concerning the needs of rural areas. The bill also requires the Department of Agriculture to develop, and report on the implementation of, a rural prosperity action plan that addresses structural challenges that affect rural communities.
United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2022
Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act This bill extends the Acute Hospital Care at Home Program under Medicare until two years after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency (the program allows hospitals to treat certain patients from emergency departments or inpatient hospital beds at home during the emergency period). It also requires an evaluation of this program and the Hospital Without Walls program (the program allowed hospitals to transfer patients to outside facilities, such as hotels, to continue treatment during the emergency period).
![Official portrait of Rep. Smith, Adrian [R-NE-3]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/s001172_200.jpg)