Sen. Jon Ossoff

Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2021 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2021 This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements. First, the bill prohibits foreign nationals from participating in the decision-making process regarding an election expenditure. Additionally, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) must conduct an audit after each federal election cycle to determine the incidence of illicit foreign money. Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the FEC to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle. Finally, the bill requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.

Fire Station Improvement Act of 2022 This bill expands the eligible uses of firefighter assistance grant funds to cover the repair, modification, or improvement of fire stations, fire training facilities, and other similar facilities to improve the functionality of those facilities.

This bill modifies grants available through the Department of Transportation (DOT) that support the development, expansion, and improvement of fixed guideway transportation systems (e.g., light rail and bus rapid transit). The modifications include (1) counting the costs of complying with federal environmental laws towards grant requirements for nonfederal matching contributions, and (2) requiring DOT to maintain a dashboard to track the status of, and other information about, grant applications and projects.

This resolution designates June 2022 as African-American Music Appreciation Month. Further, the resolution recognizes the contributions of African Americans to the musical heritage of the United States; the wide array of talented and popular African-American musical artists, composers, songwriters, and musicians who are underrecognized for contributions to music; the achievements, talent, and hard work of African-American pioneer artists and the obstacles that those artists overcame to gain recognition; and the need for African-American students to have greater access to, and participation in, music education in schools across the United States. The resolution also recognizes Black History Month and African-American Music Appreciation Month as an important time to celebrate the impact of the African-American musical heritage on the musical heritage of the United States.

Defense Infrastructure Support Act This bill extends to September 30, 2025, the authority of the Department of Defense to use a working capital fund for unspecified minor military construction projects to revitalize and recapitalize defense industrial base facilities.

Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2022 This bill prohibits discrimination against individuals based on their source of income, veteran status, or military status in the sale or rental of housing and other related real estate transactions and services.

Protecting the Right to Organize Act of 20 21 This bill expands various labor protections related to employees' rights to organize and collectively bargain in the workplace. Among other things, it revises the definitions of employee , supervisor , and employer to broaden the scope of individuals covered by the fair labor standards; permits labor organizations to encourage participation of union members in strikes initiated by employees represented by a different labor organization (i.e., secondary strikes); and prohibits employers from bringing claims against unions that conduct such secondary strikes. The bill also allows collective bargaining agreements to require all employees represented by the bargaining unit to contribute fees to the labor organization for the cost of such representation, notwithstanding a state law to the contrary; and expands unfair labor practices to include prohibitions against replacement of, or discrimination against, workers who participate in strikes. The bill makes it an unfair labor practice to require or coerce employees to attend employer meetings designed to discourage union membership and prohibits employers from entering into agreements with employees under which employees waive the right to pursue or a join collective or class-action litigation. Finally, the bill addresses the procedures for union representation elections, modifies the protections against unfair labor practices that result in serious economic harm, and establishes penalties and permits injunctive relief against entities that fail to comply with National Labor Relations Board orders.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 679) formally commemorates June 19, 2022, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day" to honor the historical event of June 19, 1865, when Union troops announced the end of slavery in Texas. It references the significance of this date in U.S. history, specifically the moment news of emancipation reached enslaved people in the Southwestern States. The resolution does not create new legal obligations or affect any specific group; it is a symbolic recognition of this historical milestone. It aligns with Juneteenth’s established status as a federal holiday, which was officially designated in 2021.

This bill removes the maximum annual revenue threshold that limits certain small businesses owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals from receiving funding under the disadvantaged business enterprise program. The program provides such small businesses the opportunity to compete for federally funded transportation contracts.

Military Families Mental Health Services Act This bill authorizes the Department of Defense to waive cost-sharing requirements for the first three outpatient mental health visits for beneficiaries of TRICARE Select and TRICARE Prime each year.