Sen. John Kennedy

Protecting Federal Funds from Human Trafficking and Smuggling Act of 2022 This bill prohibits a nonprofit entity from receiving federal funds (and denies a tax exemption) unless the entity certifies compliance with certain federal laws (e.g., laws with respect to human trafficking and smuggling). It also establishes reporting requirements, including that the Government Accountability Office must annually report to Congress on those nonprofit entities that do not certify their compliance with these laws.

Never Yielding Europe's Territory (NYET) Act of 2022 This bill addresses Russia's actions against Ukraine and other countries in the region. The bill authorizes and expedites the provision of security assistance, including by (1) prioritizing delivering excess defense articles to Ukraine, (2) authorizing the Department of State to waive certain costs for defense articles leased to Ukraine, and (3) authorizing additional Foreign Military Financing for programs in Europe. The bill also provides funding for (1) Foreign Military Financing assistance to Ukraine, (2) the Global Engagement Center to counter foreign-sponsored propaganda and disinformation, (3) the Countering Russian Influence Fund to support Ukraine and other countries in response to Russia's aggression, and (4) International Military Education and Training assistance for Ukraine. Furthermore, the bill imposes sanctions, including on (1) senior Russian military officials responsible for planning or executing military operations that violated Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity, and (2) foreign individuals or entities that acted on behalf of Russia's government to destabilize Ukraine or disrupt Ukraine's critical infrastructure. The bill also addresses additional matters, including (1) authorizing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to explore opening new bureaus to reach audiences on Russia's periphery; and (2) providing for expedited approval of natural gas exports to qualifying nations, including NATO members, whereas currently expedited approval is only available for exports to countries that are in a free trade agreement relating to natural gas with the United States.

Cutting Rampant Access to Crack Kits Act of 2022 or the CRACK Act of 2022 This bill prohibits community-based overdose prevention programs, syringe services programs, and other harm reduction programs from using funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to procure or distribute pipes or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inhale, or ingest narcotics.

Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 or the EARN IT Act of 2022 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.

Chimp Sanctuary Act This bill prohibits the housing of chimpanzees at any Air Force installation. Any chimpanzees currently housed at an Air Force installation must be transferred to Chimp Haven in Louisiana.

Ban IRS Biometrics Act This bill prohibits the Department of the Treasury from requiring taxpayers to provide biometric information as a condition of filing any tax return, receiving any service, or accessing taxpayer information. The bill defines biometric information as any information regarding any measurable physical characteristic or personal behavioral trait used to recognize the identity, or verify the claimed identity or location, of an individual, including facial images, fingerprints, and iris scans. Treasury must also develop a plan for the safe and secure destruction and disposal of any biometric information collected or used prior to the enactment of this bill.

OSHA ETS Clarification Act of 2022 This bill limits the scope of the Department of Labor's authority to issue emergency temporary standards concerning safety and health to dangers or hazards specific to the workplace. Currently, Labor may issue an emergency standard upon determining that (1) employees are exposed to a new danger or hazard, and (2) the emergency standard is necessary to protect employees. Under this bill, Labor must also determine that the danger or hazard arises exclusively from or is specific to the workplace covered by the emergency standard.

No People's Liberation Army in Logistical Operations and Other Pertinent Humanitarian Operations Leading to Endangered Security Act or the No PLA LOOPHOLES Act This bill increases restrictions on military-to-military exchanges or contacts between the U.S. Armed Forces and the Chinese military. Specifically, the bill expands an existing prohibition on exchanges or contacts that include inappropriate exposure to advanced logistical operations to cover logistical operations instead. Additionally, the bill eliminates an exception to the prohibited exchanges or contacts in the case of search and rescue or humanitarian operations or exercises.

This bill revises membership of the Board of Directors of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Currently, the Comptroller of the Currency and the Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau have statutorily designated seats on the five-member board. The bill removes this requirement and bars any officer of either agency from holding seats on the board. Additionally, the bill revises the continuation of service requirements to limit a board member's service beyond the end of their term.

Stop the Nosy Obsession with Online Payments Act of 2022 or the SNOOP Act of 2022 This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.