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 · 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
Enhancing Questions to Understand Intentions for Pregnancy Act of 2022 or the EQUIP Act of 2022 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide eligible health organizations with demonstration program grants to implement routine screenings about people's pregnancy intentions in order to provide better contraceptive and prepregnancy care.
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2022
Storing All Firearms Effectively and Safely Act or the SAFES Act This bill allows individual taxpayers a refundable tax credit for 90% of the aggregate amount paid for (1) any gun safe, for taxable years beginning before 2030; and (2) any gun safe, for taxable years beginning after 2029, determined to be highly effective in preventing unauthorized access. The bill limits the amount of the credit and denies the credit for any used safes.
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2022
This resolution affirms the use of diplomacy with the African Union and its member countries and expresses support for implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
United States · United States Congress · 5 August 2022
This bill authorizes and provides funding for lump-sum catch-up payments from the United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund to 9/11 victims, 9/11 spouses, and 9/11 dependents.
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2022
National Plan to End Parkinson's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a project to prevent and cure Parkinson's disease (a progressive brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements) and related conditions. Among other components of the project, HHS must (1) implement and periodically update a national plan to coordinate and guide efforts to prevent and cure the disease; (2) improve diagnosis, treatment, and care of those with the disease; and (3) address health and other disparities related to the disease. HHS must also conduct annual assessments on the preparation for and response to the increased burden of Parkinson's disease. In addition, the bill establishes a council, comprised of federal and nonfederal stakeholders, to advise HHS on and make recommendations concerning the prevention and cure of Parkinson's disease. The bill's provisions terminate at the end of calendar year 2035.
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
Strengthening Welfare in Marine Settings Act of 2022 or the SWIMS Act of 2022 This bill establishes prohibitions on capturing, importing, exporting, or breeding of orcas, beluga whales, false killer whales, or pilot whales for the purpose of public display. Specifically, the bill prohibits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration from issuing any permit under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 that authorizes the taking (e.g., capturing) or importation of such orcas or whales for the purpose of public display. The bill further revises the act to make it unlawful to export such orcas or whales, unless they are being transported to marine mammal sanctuaries or for release into the wild. Further, the bill makes it unlawful under the Animal Welfare Act for any person to breed or artificially inseminate such marine mammals for purposes of using their progeny for public display.
United States · United States Congress · 26 July 2022
Behavioral Health Coverage Transparency Act of 2022 This bill increases oversight of the insurance coverage parity requirements for mental health and substance use disorder, including providing a process for auditing insurance providers and filing formal complaints for violations of the requirements.
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2022
Protecting and Preserving Social Security Act This bill revises methods for calculating various aspects of Social Security benefits, eliminates the cap on compensation subject to Social Security taxes, and extends eligibility for Social Security benefits during the month of a beneficiary's death.
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2022
Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 activities to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition. The bill also modifies aspects of the strategy, such as requiring the strategy to seek to improve the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2028 activities related to the Emergency Food Security Program, an international market-based assistance program.
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 · 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 · 18 July 2022
This resolution condemns the 1994 attack on the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and expresses sympathy for the victims' relatives. It also expresses concern for the continuing 28-year-long delay in the proper resolution of the case and calls for accountability for the attack, including for the Iranian and Hezbollah operatives involved.
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 · 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.
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2022
This resolution expresses condolences with respect to the collapse of the Champlain Towers South condominium building in Surfside, Florida, and supports the investigation into the causes of the collapse and efforts to prevent future high-rise building collapses.
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2022
Stop Anti-Abortion Disinformation Act or the SAD Act This bill prohibits advertisements that use deceptive or misleading statements related to the provision of abortion services. Abortion services include (1) surgical and non-surgical procedures to terminate a pregnancy, or (2) providing referrals for such procedures. The Federal Trade Commission must promulgate rules to implement the prohibition, and the bill provides for enforcement by the commission.
United States · United States Congress · 16 June 2022
Default Proceed Sale Transparency Act This bill establishes new requirements in the case of a firearm transfer by a licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer to an unlicensed person prior to the completion of a background check. Current law permits such transactions—default proceed transactions—if a submitted background check remains incomplete after three business days.
United States · United States Congress · 9 June 2022
Ruthie and Connie LGBTQ Elder Americans Act of 2022 This bill addresses matters related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in certain federal programs serving older Americans, particularly by including an individual's LGBTQ status within the scope of the greatest social needs served by such programs.
United States · United States Congress · 31 May 2022
Protecting Our Kids Act This bill makes various changes to federal firearms laws, including to establish new criminal offenses and to expand the types of weapons and devices that are subject to regulation. Among the changes, the bill generally prohibits the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals who are under 21 years of age; establishes new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking and related conduct; establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers); establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels; subjects bump stocks to regulation under federal firearms laws; and generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices.
United States · United States Congress · 27 May 2022
Health Care Provider Shortage Minimization Act of 2022 This bill provides statutory authority to classify qualified locum tenens physicians and advanced care practitioners as independent contractors for federal tax purposes. (Locum tenens generally refers to an individual who temporarily fulfills the duties of another individual and is commonly used to refer to temporary staffing in the healthcare industry.) Under current law, independent contractors are considered self-employed for federal tax purposes and, thus, are required to make quarterly estimated income tax payments and pay self-employment taxes (Social Security and Medicare taxes). (Other federal tax reporting requirements and obligations apply.) The bill defines a qualified locum tenens physician or advanced care practitioner as an individual who provides temporary services for not more than one continuous year at a site of service as (1) a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, dentistry, optometry, or podiatry (authorized to provide such services by the state, U.S. possession, or U.S. territory in which such services are performed); or (2) a nurse practitioner, physician’s assistant, or certified registered nurse anesthetist. The term also includes an individual who provides such temporary services and is otherwise considered a physician under the Social Security Act (e.g., certain chiropractors).
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2022
This resolution expresses support for Finland and Sweden's historic decision to apply to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The resolution also opposes any attempt by the Russian government to obstruct Finland and Sweden's decision to apply to join NATO. Finally, the resolution calls on the member states of NATO to formally support the accession of Finland and Sweden into the transatlantic alliance.
United States · United States Congress · 18 May 2022
This resolution calls on the Russian government to immediately release Brittney Griner. The resolution urges the United States, in all interactions with the Russian government, to raise the case of Brittney Griner and to press for her release. The resolution further urges the Russian government to provide consular access to Brittney Griner while she remains in detention and to respect her human rights. Finally, the resolution expresses support to the family of Brittney Griner and a commitment to bringing her home.
United States · United States Congress · 17 May 2022
Access to Baby Formula Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to take certain actions to address emergencies, disasters, and supply chain disruptions (particularly the shortage of infant formula in the United States) affecting participants of the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The bill directs USDA to require each infant formula cost containment contract to include remedies in the event of an infant formula recall, including how an infant formula manufacturer would protect against disruption to WIC participants in the state. USDA must, within 30 days, ensure there is a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health and Human Services that includes procedures for coordination and information sharing regarding any supply chain disruption, including a supplemental food recall. The bill also authorizes USDA to waive or modify any WIC qualified administrative requirement during emergencies, disasters, and supply chain disruptions. Specifically, USDA may waive or modify such a requirement for one or more state agencies if (1) the requirement cannot be met by state agencies during the emergency, disaster, or disruption; and (2) the modification or waiver is necessary to provide assistance to WIC participants and does not substantially weaken the nutritional quality of supplemental foods. For example, USDA may waive the maximum monthly allowance for infant formula. The bill establishes notification requirements for USDA and state agencies related to supply chain disruptions.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2022
Alzheimer's Accountability and Investment Act This bill requires the National Institutes of Health to annually submit, beginning in FY2024, an estimate of its budget and personnel needs for carrying out initiatives pursuant to the National Alzheimer's Project. This project supports coordination of federal planning, research, and other efforts to address Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.
United States · United States Congress · 13 May 2022
NAPA Reauthorization Act This bill extends through 2035 and makes other changes to the National Alzheimer's Project. This project supports coordination of federal planning, programs, and other efforts to address Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. In particular, the bill incorporates a focus on promoting healthy aging and reducing risk factors associated with cognitive decline. The bill also expands the membership of the Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services to include (1) a researcher with experience recruiting and retaining diverse clinical trial participants, (2) an individual diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and (3) representatives from additional federal agencies (e.g., the Department of Justice and the Office of Management and Budget).
United States · United States Congress · 12 May 2022
This concurrent resolution expresses opposition to the application of criminal laws to pregnancy outcomes and affirms that people deserve access to high-quality health care without fear of reprisal or punishment.
United States · United States Congress · 29 April 2022
Designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 6000 South Florida Avenue in Lakeland, Florida, as the "U.S. Marine Corporal Ronald R. Payne Jr. Post Office."
United States · United States Congress · 28 April 2022
Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Reauthorization Act of 2022 or the Childhood Cancer STAR Reauthorization Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and modifies pediatric cancer research and related programs, including to expand collection of and access to relevant biospecimens and to support the transition of pediatric cancer survivors to primary care.
United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2022
Strengthen and Tackle Opportunities to Prevent Violence Act of 2022 or the STOP Violence Act of 2022 This bill allows funds under the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program to be used for efforts to prepare against mass violence and protect public assembly facilities.