United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2022
This bill requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of State to report to Congress on the death of Shireen Abu Akleh. The report shall also be made available to the public on the State Department's website. (Abu Akleh was a U.S. citizen and journalist who was shot and killed in the city of Jenin in the West Bank in May 2022. At the time of her shooting, Israeli security forces and Palestinians were trading fire in the area.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2022
Public Service Expenditure Cap Modification Act This bill waives for FY2023 a cap on the amount that recipients of Community Development Block Grant funds may spend on public service activities (e.g., those concerned with employment, crime prevention, childcare, and health). Current law prohibits recipients from expending more than 15% of funds on such activities. The bill also directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to allow recipients to provide emergency grant payments on behalf of eligible families for up to six months. Currently, these payments, which provide assistance with housing, utilities, or other subsistence support, are limited to three months.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2022
Keep Americans Safe Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of a large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The bill does not prohibit certain conduct with respect to an LCAFD, including the following: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification and the date of manufacture. Additionally, the bill allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender an LCAFD under a buy-back program.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2022
This resolution affirms that there is well-established authority for the Food and Drug Administration to approve, license, and otherwise regulate reproductive health products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Public Health Service Act. The resolution also affirms that (1) such federal laws preempt (i.e., supersede conflicting state or local laws) any state or local laws that prohibit or limit access to or use of any reproductive health product, and (2) the Department of Justice has authority to enforce the preemptive effect of such federal laws by suing any state or political subdivision of a state that prohibits or limits access to or use of any reproductive health product.
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 2022
This concurrent resolution commemorates the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, commonly known as the Clean Water Act.
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2022
Campus Accountability and Safety Act This bill addresses sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other violence and harassment on the campuses of institutions of higher education (IHEs). Among other provisions, the bill (1) requires additional information to be included in the annual campus security report provided to current and prospective students and employees, (2) requires each IHE to establish a campus security policy that meets certain requirements, and (3) authorizes grants to address these issues.
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 2022
Expanding Representation at HHS Act of 2022 This bill requires certain agencies and offices within the Department of Health and Human Services to address diversity in their procurement activities and workforce. The bill specifically covers offices and agencies that are authorized to award grants or other financial assistance, such as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Each covered entity must establish an Office of Minority and Women Inclusion that is responsible for managing diversity within the entity and with respect to the entity's activities. This new office is not, however, responsible for enforcing civil rights statutes, regulations, or executive orders. In addition, an entity subject to the bill's requirements must modify its evaluation, award, and termination of grants and contracts to ensure, to the maximum extent feasible, the inclusion of minorities; women; and minority-led and women-led grantees, contractors, subgrantees, and subcontractors. Each entity must also undertake actions to increase diversity in its workforce, including by recruiting at institutions of higher education where the majority of the students are members of minority populations.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
Reproductive Health Care Accessibility Act This bill establishes various grants and related programs that address sexual and reproductive health care for individuals with disabilities. Specifically, the Health Resources and Services Administration must support training for health care providers who offer sexual and reproductive health care to individuals with disabilities, and educating individuals with disabilities about sexual and reproductive health care. The Administration for Community Living must establish a national center to provide recommendations, technical assistance, and other resources related to the provision of sexual and reproductive health care for individuals with disabilities. The bill also authorizes support for medical schools, nursing schools, and other educational institutions that offer obstetrics and gynecology training programs to expand the number of individuals with disabilities entering the reproductive health care workforce. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services must study the effectiveness and other aspects of reproductive health care services and programs for individuals with disabilities.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture Act This bill establishes within the Smithsonian Institution the National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture. The museum (1) may carry out educational and liaison programs in support of its goals, and (2) shall establish specified grant and scholarship programs.
United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2022
Commission To Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture Act This bill establishes the Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of American LGBTQ+ History and Culture. The commission shall submit reports that address the feasibility of establishing and maintaining such a museum, the availability and cost of collections to be acquired and housed in the museum, the impact of the museum on existing American LGBTQ+ history-related museums, development of criteria for evaluating possible locations for the museum, and the feasibility of the museum becoming part of the Smithsonian Institution. The commission shall develop a fundraising plan that will address the support of the museum through contributions from the public. No federal funds may be obligated to carry out this bill.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2022
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress and the President should examine and support ways to expand access to contraceptives.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
This concurrent resolution recognizes the disparity in wages paid to Black women and its impact on women, families, and the nation, and reaffirms Congress' support for ensuring equal pay and closing the gender wage gap.
United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2022
National Council on African American History and Culture Act of 2022 This bill establishes a National Council on African American History and Culture in the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The duties of the council shall include gathering timely and authoritative information concerning historical developments and cultural trends in African-American history and culture; evaluating the various programs and activities of the NEH to determine the extent to which such programs and activities are contributing, or not contributing, to the successful preservation and celebration of African-American history and culture; and developing and recommending to the NEH national policies to foster and promote the understanding of African-American history, the preservation of African-American culture, and the celebration of African Americans as contributors to the country's economic, cultural, and political success.
United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2022
This resolution condemns the actions of a White supremacist mob that drove Black residents out of Atlanta, Georgia in 1906 and supports the designation of a national day of remembrance for the victims of forced migrations of Black Americans.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2022
Helping Families Heal Act of 2022 This bill establishes programs and sets out other actions to address mental health impacts of law enforcement personnel violence on those who have experienced, witnessed, or otherwise suffered traumatic experiences due to such violence, with a particular emphasis on communities and schools.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2022
This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2022
Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now Act or the LOAN Act This bill makes various changes to federal student aid programs, including by providing funding to increase the maximum Pell Grant award for each eligible student and reducing the number of monthly loan payments required for loan forgiveness under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2022
Loan Forgiveness for Educators Act of 2022 This bill expands the Teacher Loan Forgiveness program. Among other provisions, the bill (1) renames the program the Educator Loan Forgiveness program, (2) expands program eligibility to early childhood educators and program directors serving in early childhood education programs and school leaders serving in public high-need schools, and (3) establishes a program in which the Department of Education cancels monthly student loan payments during qualifying service and provides complete loan forgiveness after five years of service.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2022
Worker Safety in Climate Disasters Act This bill provides paid emergency leave time (80 hours for a full-time employee) for an employee who is unable to work (or telework) due to certain climate disasters.
United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2022
Wind Safety Standard Act of 2022 This bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue a standard for preventing workplace injuries caused by high winds (i.e., winds of such velocity that the winds could blow an employee from an elevated location, cause an employee to lose control of equipment or material, or expose an employee to other hazards).
United States · United States Congress · 2 September 2022
Expanding the Voluntary Opportunities for Translations in Elections Act or the Expanding the VOTE Act This bill expands access to voting materials for individuals with limited proficiency in the English language, including by establishing incentive grants for states and political subdivisions to provide translated voting materials. Additionally, the bill directs the Government Accountability Office to study the impact of (1) reducing the threshold requirement under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and (2) expanding the definition of language minorities to include native speakers of additional languages.
United States · United States Congress · 30 August 2022
Ban All Neurotoxic Organophosphate Pesticides From Our Food Act or the BAN OPs From Our Food Act This bill prohibits any organophosphate pesticides in food. (The Environmental Protection Agency banned chlorpyrifos, a type of organophosphate pesticide, from food in February 2022.)
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 2022
Afghan Adjustment Act This bill expands eligibility for special immigrant visas to certain Afghan nationals (and accompanying spouse and children) and addresses related issues. The Department of Homeland Security may provide such visas to Afghan nationals who provided qualifying service as a member of the Afghan Air Force or other specified entities and meet eligibility requirements, such as passing a background check. Currently, special immigrant visas for Afghan nationals are generally only available to those who were employed by or on behalf of the U.S. government in Afghanistan. Such visas shall also be available to an Afghan national who is a qualifying relative of a veteran or member of the U.S. Armed Forces. The bill also modifies procedures for providing lawful permanent resident status to certain classes of Afghan nationals, such as by (1) providing a streamlined process with specified vetting requirements for certain individuals, including those who provided support to the U.S. government in Afghanistan; and (2) preserving the eligibility of certain battered spouses whose eligibility for such status stemmed from a marriage that has terminated. Furthermore, the Department of State (1) must respond to inquiries from Members of Congress about specific applications from Afghan nationals seeking special immigrant or refugee status; and (2) establish an office in Afghanistan to perform certain tasks, such as issuing visas, if no U.S. embassies are operational in Afghanistan. The President must establish a task force to develop and implement a strategy to assist Afghan nationals who qualify for admission to the United States.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 2022
No Cost for Monkeypox Testing Act of 2022 This bill requires specified public health care programs and private health insurance to cover, through December 31, 2023, testing for monkeypox without imposing cost-sharing, including deductibles, coinsurance, and copayments. (Monkeypox is a viral disease that is endemic to parts of Africa and causes symptoms similar to, but less severe than, smallpox.) The bill also establishes procedures for uninsured individuals to access such testing at no cost.
United States · United States Congress · 9 August 2022
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that it is the duty of the federal government to establish a new statutory royalty program that provides musicians whose recorded work is listened to on streaming music services reasonable remuneration through a royalty payment earned on a per-stream basis, ensures streaming music services compensate musicians at fair rates that are not significantly lower than rates earned on traditional physical record sales, and avoids falling behind in investing in musicians within the United States compared to other countries that have already proposed legislation to address inequalities in the music industry. The concurrent resolution also expresses that such statutory royalty program should be administered by SoundExchange and the Copyright Royalty Board, who will together calculate, collect, retain, and distribute the royalty payments to all eligible musicians whose recorded work is listened to on streaming music services; and funded by mandatory pro rata contributions collected by SoundExchange from eligible providers of music-streaming service with the option for SoundExchange to request additional direct public funding.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2022
Emergency Price Stabilization Act of 2022 This bill creates the Sub-Task Force on Emergency Price Stabilization under the White House Supply Chains Disruption Task Force. The new task force must monitor the price of essential goods and services, investigate corporate price increases, make recommendations to the President, and report plans and research to the public. The bill also grants the President the authority to enact or adjust price controls and regulations in accordance with these recommendations.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2022
This bill imposes a 100% excise tax on the purchase of a single-family home by a specified large investor (i.e., any person, other than a tax-exempt charitable organization or a governmental entity, with assets having a fair market value exceeding $20 million). The tax does not apply if the home is used as the principal residence of the investor or the sale to the investor is pursuant to a governmental program for providing housing to low-income individuals.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2022
Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022 This bill expressly classifies broadband internet as a telecommunications service rather than an information service for purposes of regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. (Current law treats providers of telecommunications services as common carriers and subjects them to more stringent requirements.)
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2022
Restoring Artistic Protection Act of 2022 This bill limits the admissibility of evidence of a defendant's creative or artistic expression against the defendant in a federal criminal case. The term creative or artistic expression means the expression or application of creativity or imagination in the production or arrangement of forms, sounds, words, movements, or symbols, including music, dance, performance art, visual art, poetry, literature, film, and other such objects or media.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2022
Protect Sexual and Reproductive Health Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to undertake activities to promote access to sexual and reproductive health and well-being. The bill renames HHS's Office of Population Affairs as the Office of Sexual and Reproductive Health and modifies its responsibilities. Among other activities, the office must develop and implement a strategy to promote sexual and reproductive health and well-being. This strategy must include recommendations to integrate sexual and reproductive health equity and reproductive justice into federal programs. HHS must also award grants for improving access to sexual and reproductive health care to nonprofit or community-based organizations that assist individuals seeking abortion services through programs that are unbiased and medically and factually accurate. Grant funds may not be used to pay for abortion services. Additionally, HHS and the Director of the White House Gender Policy Council must jointly establish an interagency task force to coordinate and promote federal programs and activities related to sexual and reproductive health and well-being.
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2022
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, election as the first African American woman in Congress, and campaign to be the first African American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2022
This resolution recommends that the Department of Health and Human Services declare a public health emergency to respond to the spread of monkeypox in countries, including the United States, where the disease is not endemic. (Monkeypox is a viral disease that is endemic to parts of Africa and causes symptoms similar to, but less severe than, smallpox.)
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2022
No Shame at School Act of 20 22 This bill establishes requirements for the treatment of a child who is participating in the National School Lunch Program or the School Breakfast Program and owes unpaid school meal fees. It also requires local educational agencies to certify certain children (e.g., homeless children) as categorically eligible for free lunches or breakfasts without an application.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
LGBTQI+ and Women's History Education Act of 2022 This bill directs the National Museum of American History of the Smithsonian Institution to carry out, among other things (1) the development and national dissemination of accurate, relevant, and accessible national resources for classrooms to administer LGBTQI+ and women's history education in an inclusive and intersectional approach; (2) the development, national dissemination, and implementation of principles of sound pedagogy for administering LGBTQI+ and women's history education; and (3) the development, operation, and expansion of a teacher fellowship program to cultivate and support leaders in LGBTQI+ and women's history education. In addition to the activities described in this bill, the museum shall develop and maintain on its website content designated for educators, students, and families to improve their awareness and understanding of LGBTQI+ and women's history education.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
Healthy Meals, Healthy Kids Act This bill reauthorizes and expands (1) child nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other institutional food service programs; and (2) the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
Renewing Immigration Provisions of the Immigration Act of 1929 This bill expands eligibility for a program that authorizes the Department of Homeland Security to, at its discretion, provide lawful permanent resident status to certain long-term residents of the United States, including individuals who are unlawfully present. Currently, this program, sometimes referred to as the Registry program, is only available to eligible non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who entered the United States before January 1, 1972. The bill removes this entry cutoff date and opens up the program to eligible individuals who have resided in the United States for at least seven years. Existing requirements (e.g., the individual must not be inadmissible or deportable due to certain grounds related to crime or terrorism) continue to apply.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
Reproductive Health Travel Fund Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to award grants to pay for travel, childcare, and other expenses of an individual seeking access to abortion services. Eligible grant recipients must be nonprofit or community-based organizations that assist individuals seeking abortion services through programs that are unbiased and medically and factually accurate. The grants may not be used to pay for abortion procedures.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
No Tax Breaks for Union Busting (NTBUB) Act This bill denies employers a tax deduction for any expenditures incurred for attempting to influence their employees with respect to labor organizations or labor organization activities, such as elections, labor disputes, and collective actions. The bill requires employers to report on their attempts to influence their employees with respect to labor organizations and their activities.
United States · United States Congress · 19 July 2022
Tipped Worker Protection Act This bill increases the minimum wage for tipped employees over a phase-in period and provides a process for employers to pool and distribute tips.
United States · United States Congress · 18 July 2022
Respect for Marriage Act This bill provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages. Specifically, the bill replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.) The bill also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The bill allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2022
EPA Regulatory Authority Act of 2022 This bill provides that in identifying the best system of emission reduction for purposes of a standard performance under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency may include measures that apply beyond an individual stationary source or category of stationary sources. Additionally, the bill provides that each determination in the Clean Power Plan (i.e., the final rule titled Carbon Pollution Emission Guidelines for Existing Stationary Sources: Electric Utility Generating Units published in the Federal Register on October 23, 2015) with respect to a best system of emission reduction is deemed as authorized.
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2022
Right to Contraception Act This bill sets out statutory protections for an individual's right to access and a health care provider's right to provide contraception and related information. Contraception refers to an action taken to prevent pregnancy, including the use of contraceptives (i.e., a device or medication used to prevent pregnancy), fertility-awareness based methods, and sterilization procedures. Generally, the bill prohibits measures that single out and impede access to contraception and related information. However, a party may defend against a claim that a measure violates the bill's prohibitions by demonstrating, through clear and convincing evidence, that the measure significantly advances access to contraception and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations.
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2022
Public Health Air Quality Act of 2022 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency to take specified actions related to monitoring and improving air quality, including by implementing a program to administer or conduct emissions measurement and quantification, promulgating regulations related to specified source categories, and deploying not fewer than 1,000 air quality sensors.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2022
Youth Voting Rights Act This bill expands voting access for youth. Specifically, the bill establishes a private right of action to enforce the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which prohibits denying or abridging the right to vote based on age. Additionally, the bill directs each state to designate as voter registration agencies all offices within public institutions of higher education (IHEs) that provide assistance to students, implement a preregistration process to allow minors who are 16 years or older to register to vote in federal elections that take place when or after the preregistered individual turns age 18, and ensure the availability of polling places on campuses of IHEs (with the availability of waivers). The bill prohibits durational residency requirements for voting in all federal elections. Currently, this prohibition applies only to voting for the offices of President and Vice President. States and local jurisdictions with voter identification requirements must treat IHE-issued student identification cards as voter identification. The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) must make grants to states to increase the involvement of individuals under age 18 in public election activities. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress on trends related to voter registration, absentee voting, and provisional voting. The EAC must also collect and make publicly available certain data from states.
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 2022
Strengthening and Improving Public Service Loan Forgiveness Act of 2022 This bill makes changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program, including by (1) lowering the number of monthly payments required for loan forgiveness from 120 to 60; and (2) making permanent certain limited waivers, such as a waiver that allowed certain late or partial loan payments to count as qualifying payments for PSLF loan forgiveness.
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2022
Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022 This bill prohibits anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. ( Abortion services includes the use of any drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies and any health care services related to an abortion, whether or not provided at the same time or on the same day.) Specifically, the bill prohibits any person acting under state law from preventing, restricting, impeding, or retaliating against health care providers who provide legal abortion services to out-of-state residents, any person or entity who helps health care providers to provide such services, any person who travels to another state to obtain such services, any person or entity who helps another person travel to another state to obtain such services, or the movement in interstate commerce of drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies. The Department of Justice may enforce this bill through civil actions; the bill also establishes a private right of action for violations.