Agriculture Foreign Investment Transparency Act This bill revises reporting requirements related to acquisitions or transfers of certain agricultural land interests by foreign persons. Specifically, the bill (1) requires the Department of Agriculture to make all reports required under the Agricultural Foreign Investment Disclosure Act of 1978 (AFIDA) publicly available on its website, and (2) expands the material required to be reported under the AFIDA to include security interests and land leases of any period.
This concurrent resolution commends the bravery, courage, and resolve of the women and men of Iran who are (1) participating in the current protests to defend their fundamental human rights, and (2) risking their safety to speak out against the human rights abuses committed by the Iranian regime. The resolution condemns (1) the brutal beating and death of Mahsa Amini; and (2) the violent suppression by the Iranian regime of women and men participating in the current demonstrations, including children, and calls for transparent accountability for all killings of protesters by Iranian security forces. Finally, the resolution encourages continued efforts by the Biden Administration to respond to the protests, including the recent sanctioning of the Iranian morality police.
This resolution designates November 13, 2022, as National Warrior Call Day to encourage individuals to talk with members of the Armed Forces and veterans to connect them with support.
This resolution reiterates its strongest condemnation of the 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and the 1994 attack on the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. The resolution also honors the victims of the 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Argentina and the 1994 AMIA bombing, and expresses its sympathy to the relatives of the victims, who are still waiting for justice. Finally, the resolution underscores the concern of the United States regarding the continuing, decades-long delay in resolving the 1992 and 1994 terrorist attacks in Argentina, and urges the President of the United States to offer technical assistance to the Argentinian government to support the ongoing investigations.
HR 7075 designates a specific triangular area in Washington, D.C. (bounded by 22nd Street NW, P Street NW, and Florida Avenue NW) as "Ukrainian Independence Park," including National Park Service reservations 57D and 360 (which contains the Taras Shevchenko Memorial). The bill updates all federal references to this area to use the new name and authorizes signage highlighting Ukraine's independence and U.S.-Ukraine solidarity. This is a procedural designation bill with no substantive policy changes, solely renaming a park area.
SRES 858 is a symbolic Senate resolution expressing support for National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. It does not create new laws or allocate funds but publicly endorses efforts to promote adoption awareness, celebrate adoptive families, and encourage Americans to consider adoption. The resolution specifically recognizes that every child deserves a permanent family and urges people to support adoption opportunities during November and year-round. It highlights existing statistics about children in foster care (e.g., 114,000 waiting for adoption) but focuses solely on raising awareness, not changing policies. This resolution was introduced by 35 Senators and adopted without legislative effect.
The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027, increases funding for, and modifies the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. This program supports home visits for expectant and new parents who live in communities that are at-risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes. Changes to the program include setting out requirements for allocating program funds; increasing the percentage of funds reserved for tribal entities; establishing a publicly available dashboard that reports program outcomes; requiring activities to reduce unnecessary data collection, reporting, and other administrative requirements of the program; and allowing for virtual home visits (provided certain conditions are met). The bill also reduces funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.
Uyghur Policy Act of 2021 This bill addresses human rights issues concerning the Uyghurs and other minority groups in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China. The bill authorizes the establishment of a Special Coordinator for Uyghur Issues position within the Department of State. The State Department's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs may, subject to appropriations, make certain funds available to human rights advocates working on behalf of Uyghurs and members of other ethnic and religious minority groups persecuted in China. The funds, if made available, shall be used to facilitate the presence of such human rights advocates at public diplomacy forums to speak on issues related to the human rights and religious freedoms of minority groups persecuted in China. The State Department must ensure that Uyghur language training is available to Foreign Service officers. It must also ensure that a Uyghur-speaking member of the Foreign Service is assigned to U.S. diplomatic and consular missions in China.
This joint resolution nullifies a Department of Labor rule concerning the fiduciary duties with respect to employee benefit plans. Under the rule issued on December 1, 2022, plan fiduciaries may consider climate change and other environmental, social, and governance factors when they make investment decisions and when they exercise shareholder rights, including voting on shareholder resolutions and board nominations.
Truck Parking Safety Improvement Act This bill directs the Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide competitive grants to Indian tribes, states, metropolitan planning organizations, and local governments for projects that provide parking for commercial motor vehicles and improve the safety of commercial motor vehicle drivers on federal-aid highways or on a facility with reasonable access to such a highway or a freight facility. In providing grants, DOT must prioritize applicants that demonstrate a shortage of commercial motor vehicle parking capacity in the corridor in which the project is located; consultation with motor carriers, commercial motor vehicle drivers, public safety officials, and private providers of commercial motor vehicle parking; the project will likely increase the availability or utilization of commercial motor vehicle parking, facilitate the efficient movement of freight, and improve highway safety, traffic congestion, and air quality; and the ability to provide for the maintenance and operation of the facility.
This resolution recognizes the efforts and sacrifices of the wildland firefighters who have risked their lives to fight intense wildfires in 2022. The resolution also (1) expresses support for communities throughout the West as they focus on recovery and rebuilding areas and communities affected by wildfires, and (2) extends gratitude to the families and loved ones of wildland firefighters for supporting the wildland firefighter community.
Fairness for American Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Act This bill authorizes and provides funding for additional payments from the U.S. Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund. Specifically, the bill (1) provides lump-sum catch-up payments from the fund to 9/11 victims and their families; and (2) makes victims of the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut and their families eligible for lump-sum catch-up payments from the fund. The bill also rescinds specified unobligated funds that were provided for (1) the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program, and (2) emergency rental assistance.
