Sen. James E. Risch

Prohibiting Federal Emergencies for Abortion Act This bill prohibits the President and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring a federal emergency relating to abortion. Specifically, neither the President nor HHS may declare a national emergency for purposes of (1) promoting, supporting, or expanding access to abortion; or (2) taking adverse action against or litigating against states that prohibit or otherwise restrict abortion.

This resolution designates June 26, 2022, as the International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking and expresses support for efforts to address substance use and prevent drug trafficking and production.

Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 This act revises requirements governing ocean shipping to increase the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to promote the growth and development of U.S. exports through an ocean transportation system that is competitive, efficient, and economical. For example, the bill requires the FMC to (1) investigate complaints about detention and demurrage charges (i.e., late fees) charged by common ocean carriers, (2) determine whether those charges are reasonable, and (3) order refunds for unreasonable charges. It also prohibits common ocean carriers, marine terminal operators, or ocean transportation intermediaries from unreasonably refusing cargo space when available or resorting to other unfair or unjustly discriminatory methods.

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.

Political Bias In Algorithm Sorting Emails Act of 2022 or the Political BIAS Emails Act of 2022 This bill restricts email providers from applying filtering algorithms that label political campaign messages as spam and requires providers to publicly report on their email delivery practices.

This concurrent resolution expresses that the Senate welcomes Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the United States; eagerly anticipates the address of Prime Minister Mitsotakis before a joint meeting of Congress; appreciates the historic and present role of Greece in the defense of democracy, including through the provision of support to Ukraine amid the ongoing brutal and unprovoked invasion by Russia; reaffirms the steadfast and bipartisan support for the friendship between the people and governments of the United States and Greece; and appreciates the important role that Greek-Americans play in supporting the strong bonds that exist between the United States and Greece.

This resolution celebrates the 245th anniversary of the creation of the U.S. flag, recognizes that the Pledge of Allegiance has been a valuable part of life for the people of the United States for generations, and defends the constitutionality of the pledge.

This resolution welcomes Finland and Sweden's decision to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The resolution acknowledges that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has dramatically changed the security situation in Europe, and that the reform and expansion of NATO is key to ensuring a safe and prosperous future for the United States and its critical allies and partners. The resolution also calls on the President to move expeditiously to complete all documents and reports needed to support the Senate's approval of the accession protocols. Finally, the resolution calls on all NATO members to move rapidly to complete their ratification processes.

COI Elimination Act This bill limits U.S. contributions to the United Nations pertaining to the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel. Current law imposes a cap on the annual U.S. contribution to the U.N. budget. The bill lowers that cap by 25% of the amount budgeted for the commission unless the Department of State certifies to Congress that the commission has been abolished. After such a certification, the United States shall, subject to appropriations, provide to the United Nations an amount equal to all the contributions that were withheld under this bill. The bill also states that it shall be U.S. policy to seek the abolition of the commission and combat systemic anti-Israel bias in international bodies.

Somaliland Partnership Act This bill requires the Department of State to annually report to Congress on U.S. assistance to Somaliland. The State Department must also report to Congress on the feasibility of establishing a U.S.-Somaliland partnership, including opportunities for collaboration on regional security issues. For the purposes of this bill, Somaliland is the territory within Somalia that has been a self-declared independent and sovereign state since 1991 that is not internationally recognized.