Porch Pirates Act of 2022 This bill extends federal criminal penalties for obstruction of correspondence and theft of stolen mail matter (which apply to U.S. Postal Service mail) to matter (e.g., packages) sent or delivered by private or commercial interstate carriers.
No Backdoor Gun Control Act of 2022 This bill removes the category of any other weapon from the definition of firearm under the National Firearms Act. The bill treats persons who acquire or possess any other weapon as meeting registration or licensing requirements under the National Firearms Act. The bill requires the Department of Justice to destroy any records relating to the registration of any other weapon not later than one year after the enactment of this bill.
Countering Human Trafficking Act of 2022 This bill provides statutory authority for the Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The CCHT coordinates DHS efforts to combat human trafficking and the importation of goods produced with forced labor. The bill requires the CCHT to develop a strategy to improve the systems and processes used throughout DHS to combat human trafficking and the importation of goods produced with forced labor. The bill transfers the functions and resources of the Blue Campaign (i.e., the national public awareness effort to combat human trafficking) to the CCHT. DHS may also transfer to the CCHT any other component, directorate, or office of the department related to combating human trafficking.
Midland Over Moscow Act This bill imposes sanctions related to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline and revises the expedited approval process for natural gas imports and exports in or out of the United States. (Nord Stream 2 is a pipeline constructed to increase the export of natural gas from Russia to Europe.) Within 10 days of this bill's enactment, the President must impose sanctions on any entity responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance, financing, or operation of Nord Stream 2, as well as any corporate officer or principal shareholder with a controlling interest in such an entity. The bill also revokes the President's authority to waive certain sanctions related to Nord Stream 2 and TurkStream, another Russian natural gas pipeline project. The bill also allows any nation, with specified exclusions, to use an expedited process to receive approval to import or export natural gas in or out of the United States (currently only a nation with a free trade agreement with the United States may use the expedited process). Specifically, the bill excludes any nation (1) subject to U.S.-imposed sanctions or trade restrictions, or (2) excluded by the President or Congress for national security reasons.
Continuous and Enduring Action to Stop Every Overdose Act of 2022 or the CEASE Overdose Act of 2022 This bill places fentanyl-related substances as a class into schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. A schedule I controlled substance is a drug, substance, or chemical that has a high potential for abuse; has no currently accepted medical value; and is subject to regulatory controls and administrative, civil, and criminal penalties under the Controlled Substances Act.
Abolishing the Lottery and Immigration Enforcement Now Act of 2022 or the ALIEN Act of 2022 This bill makes various changes to immigration laws, including by (1) eliminating the diversity visa program; (2) establishing additional penalties for non-U.S. nationals ( aliens under federal law) who overstay a visa, such as criminal penalties for an overstay and permanent bans for repeat overstays; and (3) eliminating the authority of the Department of Homeland Security to waive certain grounds of inadmissibility, such as for grounds related to the simple possession of 30 grams or less of marijuana.
Fresh Start Act of 2022 This bill establishes a federal statutory process to expunge records related to certain nonviolent criminal offenses. The bill defines the nonviolent offenses eligible for expungement; it establishes qualifications for an eligible offender; and it sets forth procedures for filing an expungement petition.
Sanctioning Tyrannical and Oppressive People within the Chinese Communist Party Act or the STOP CCP Act This bill imposes visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any person who is or was a member of any National Communist Party Congress of China, as well as any adult family member of such a person. The President may waive the sanctions for renewable periods of 30 days by certifying to Congress that China's government and the Chinese Communist Party have ceased (1) any acts of genocide against the Uyghur Muslim population; (2) all threats, military exercises, and aggression toward Taiwan; (3) undermining the autonomy of Hong Kong; and (4) any efforts to steal the intellectual property of U.S. persons. The certification must also be publicly available on a federal government website.
Ethiopia Stabilization, Peace, and Democracy Act This bill imposes sanctions and addresses other issues related to the conflict in Ethiopia. The President must impose property-blocking sanctions (and visa-blocking sanctions in the case of an individual) against a foreign entity or individual that has taken certain actions to expand or extend the civil war or other conflicts in Ethiopia. The bill prohibits assistance, with certain exceptions, to Ethiopia's security forces unless the Department of State certifies to Congress that Ethiopia's government has ceased all military operations associated with the civil war and met other specified conditions. The Department of the Treasury must instruct U.S. representatives at international financial institutions to oppose, with some exceptions, such institutions providing loans or assistance to the governments of Ethiopia or Eritrea. Furthermore, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation may not provide certain support for projects in Ethiopia. These restrictions must terminate after the State Department certifies that certain conditions, such as a cessation of military operations associated with the civil war in Ethiopia, have been met. The President may provide support for activities necessary to preserve evidence of atrocities in Ethiopia and to pursue accountability for such atrocities. Within 90 days of this bill's enactment, the State Department must report to Congress a determination of whether actions in Ethiopia by the armed forces of Ethiopia and Eritrea, the Tigrayan Peoples Liberation Front, and other armed actors constitute genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity.
Immigration Transparency and Transit Notification Act of 2022 This bill requires notifications to certain officials before an unaccompanied alien child or a non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) without lawful immigration status may be placed in or transported to a state or local jurisdiction. The bill also authorizes the office of the governor of the relevant state to prohibit the placement or transportation. At least seven calendar days before taking such an action, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must notify (1) the relevant state governor's office, (2) the state attorney general's office, (3) the county or municipal government, (4) local law enforcement, and (5) federal and state legislators representing the relevant jurisdiction. The action may not take place if the state governor's office objects no later than three calendar days after receiving the notification. This authority to object shall not apply if the action is to place an unaccompanied child with, or transport the child to, a family member.
Stopping Traffickers and Their Accomplices Act of 2022 This bill requires an abortion provider to notify the National Human Trafficking Hotline if the provider has a reasonable suspicion that the patient is a victim of trafficking. It also requires each abortion provider to complete annual training on how to identify and respond appropriately to individuals who are at risk of or who have experienced trafficking. The bill establishes penalties for violations.
Fentanyl Trafficker Elimination Act This bill increases the term of imprisonment for drug trafficking offenses involving large quantities of fentanyl or fentanyl analogues. Specifically, the bill requires life imprisonment for illegally importing or exporting, or illegally manufacturing, distributing, dispensing, or possessing with intent to manufacture, distribute, or dispense, 400 grams or more of fentanyl or 100 grams or more of a fentanyl analogue, regardless of prior offenses or if death or serious bodily injury occurs. (Currently, such offenses carry a minimum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment for a first offense; penalties increase with subsequent offenses or if death or serious bodily injury occurs.)
