Rep. Steny H. Hoyer

Southern Maryland National Heritage Area Act This bill establishes the Southern Maryland National Heritage Area in Maryland. The heritage area shall consist of land in St. Mary's, Calvert, Charles, and Prince George's Counties in Maryland. The Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland shall serve as the local coordinating entity for the heritage area. The council shall submit a management plan for the heritage area.

This concurrent resolution permits the Greater Washington Soap Box Derby Association to sponsor soap box derby races on the Capitol grounds on June 18, 2022.

Commission To Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture Act This bill establishes a Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture. The commission must (1) report recommendations for a plan of action for the establishment and maintenance of a National Museum of Asian Pacific American History and Culture in Washington, DC; (2) develop a fundraising plan to support the establishment, operation, and maintenance of the museum through public contributions; (3) obtain an independent review of this fundraising plan, including an analysis of the resources necessary to fund the construction of the museum and its operations and maintenance in perpetuity without reliance on federal funds; and (4) submit a legislative plan of action to establish and construct the museum. The commission may convene a national conference relating to the museum. The commission shall be solely responsible for acceptance of contributions to it and payment of its expenses. No federal funding may be obligated to carry out this bill.

Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2021 This bill establishes new background check requirements for firearm transfers between private parties (i.e., unlicensed individuals). Specifically, it prohibits a firearm transfer between private parties unless a licensed gun dealer, manufacturer, or importer first takes possession of the firearm to conduct a background check. The prohibition does not apply to certain firearm transfers or exchanges, such as a gift between spouses in good faith.

Enhanced Background Checks Act of 2021 (Sec. 2) This bill revises background check requirements applicable to proposed firearm transfers from a federal firearms licensee (e.g., a licensed gun dealer) to an unlicensed person. Specifically, it increases the amount of time, from 3 business days to a minimum of 10 business days, that a federal firearms licensee must wait to receive a completed background check prior to transferring a firearm to an unlicensed person. (This type of transaction is often referred to as a default proceed transaction.) If a submitted background check remains incomplete after 10 business days, then the prospective purchaser may submit a petition for a final firearms eligibility determination. If an additional 10 days elapse without a final determination, then the federal firearms licensee may transfer the firearm to the prospective purchaser. (Sec. 3) The Government Accountability Office must report on the extent to which the changes have prevented firearms transfers to prohibited persons. (Sec. 4) The Federal Bureau of Investigation must report on the number of petitions it receives for final federal firearms determinations. (Sec. 5) The Department of Justice, in consultation with the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence and Firearms, must report on further amendments to the background check process that would likely reduce the risk of death or great bodily harm to victims of domestic violence, domestic abuse, dating partner violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

This bill provides for the removal of certain statues and busts from display in the Capitol. The bill directs the Joint Committee on the Library to remove the bust of Roger Brooke Taney in the Old Supreme Court chamber of the Capitol and to obtain a bust of Thurgood Marshall with which to replace it. The Joint Committee on the Library must remove all Confederate statutes and busts, as well as the statues of Charles Brantley Aycock, John Caldwell Calhoun, and James Paul Clarke, from areas of the Capitol accessible to the public. Furthermore, the Architect of the Capitol (AOC) must store each removed statue. Additionally, the bill prohibits the display of statues in National Statuary Hall of persons who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America or in the military forces or government of a state while it was in rebellion against the United States; requires the AOC to identify such statues and the Joint Committee on the Library to arrange for their removal; requires each statue to be returned to the providing state if the state requests and agrees to pay any transportation-related costs; and permits a state that has a statue removed to replace the statue.

Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill modifies and reauthorizes through FY2026 programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal firearms laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

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.

Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Berell Ferencz in recognition of his service to the United States and the international community during the post-World War II Nuremberg trials and his lifelong advocacy for international criminal justice and the rule of law.

United States Innovation and Competition Act of 2021 This bill addresses U.S. technology and communications, foreign relations and national security, domestic manufacturing, education, trade, and other matters. Among other provisions, the bill provides funding for FY2022-FY2026 to support U.S. semiconductor manufacturing, research and development, and supply chain security; provides funding for wireless supply chain innovation; establishes a Directorate for Technology and Innovation in the National Science Foundation; extends through 2025 the authority of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to lease its non-excess real property and related personal property; authorizes various programs and policies related to space exploration; authorizes various international affairs programs and activities, including foreign assistance for the Indo-Pacific region; requires federal infrastructure programs to provide for the use of materials produced in the United States; imposes sanctions on China for cybersecurity and human rights abuses; requires the Department of Health and Human Services to consider national security risks associated with sensitive genetic information; includes initiatives related to elementary and secondary education, including those to increase computer science education; contains provisions related to higher education, including those reauthorizing through FY2027 international education programs and addressing China's influence on institutions of higher education; modifies and expands the schedule for graduated merger filing fees; prohibits federal funding for the Wuhan Institute of Virology; requires the U.S. Trade Representative to take certain actions related to digital trade and censorship practices; and extends through 2027 the Generalized System of Preferences.