This bill updates the legal boundary description of the Red River National Wildlife Refuge by replacing a 2000 map with a 2022 map, as specified in the refuge's enabling law. It directly affects the official administrative boundaries of the refuge but does not alter conservation management, land use, or public access. The change simply aligns the refuge's legal description with a more recent, approved boundary map. This is a procedural adjustment with no new policy or financial impact.
Providing Resources, Officers, and Technology to Eradicate Cyber Threats to Our Children Act of 2022 or the PROTECT Our Children Act of 2022 This act reauthorizes through FY2024 (1) the National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction, and (2) the National Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force Program.
Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Act of 2022 This act reauthorizes through FY2027 various activities carried out by the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that support screening and early intervention services for newborns, infants, and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. The Government Accountability Office must also conduct a study of state early hearing detection and intervention programs, including with respect to disparities in accessing the programs.
Disaster Assistance for Rural Communities Act This bill authorizes the Small Business Administration (SBA) to declare a disaster in rural areas where significant damage has been incurred for the purpose of providing certain assistance. A rural area is a county or political subdivision designated as such by the Census Bureau. Significant damage means uninsured losses of not less than 40% of the fair replacement value or pre-disaster fair market value of the damaged property (whichever is less). For a rural area where the President has declared a major disaster, the SBA may declare a disaster for the purpose of providing economic injury disaster loans if (1) the state or tribal government wherein the rural area is located requests the declaration; and (2) any home, small business, private nonprofit organization, or small agricultural cooperative has incurred significant damage. The Government Accountability Office must report on (1) any unique challenges to communities in rural areas compared to communities in urbanized areas when seeking economic injury disaster assistance, and (2) any legislative recommendations for improving access to disaster assistance for communities in rural areas.
Cardiovascular Advances in Research and Opportunities Legacy Act This act addresses research, education, and awareness concerning valvular heart disease and its treatment. This disease is caused by damage to or disease affecting any valve that controls blood flow in the heart. The National Institutes of Health may conduct or support research on the disease in consultation with the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). The NHLBI must also conduct a workshop on mitral valve prolapse, which occurs when the valve between the chambers of the left side of the heart seals improperly. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must develop best practices to treat valvular heart disease. HHS may also carry out other projects to increase education and awareness of the disease.
Big Cat Public Safety Act This act revises requirements governing the trade of big cats (i.e., species of lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, or cougar or any hybrid of such species) under the Lacey Act to limit the possession, breeding, and exhibition of big cats. The Lacey Act prohibits any person from importing, exporting, buying, selling, transporting, receiving, or acquiring big cats across state lines or the U.S. border. However, some exemptions are provided for certain entities, such as universities and wildlife sanctuaries. (Sec. 3) The act expands the Lacey Act prohibitions to include a prohibition on possessing or breeding big cats. Breeding means facilitating propagation or reproduction (whether intentionally or negligently), or failing to prevent propagation or reproduction. Owners of big cats that were born before this act's enactment may keep their big cats, but the owners must register them with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The act modifies the list of entities that are exempt from prohibitions to export, buy, sell, transport, receive, acquire, possess, or breed big cats. The modified list includes exemptions for entities or facilities exhibiting animals to the public if they (1) hold a Class C license in good standing under the Animal Welfare Act, and (2) do not allow individuals to come into direct physical contact with big cats. However, direct contact is allowed if the individual is a trained professional, a veterinarian, or directly supporting conservation programs that do not involve commercial activities and meet other specified restrictions. (Sec. 4) A person who knowingly violates the act must be fined not more than $20,000, or imprisoned for no more than five years, or both. The act considers each violation to be a separate offense. The offense must be deemed to have been committed not only in the district where the violation first occurred, but also in any district in which the defendant may have taken or been in possession of the prohibited wildlife species. (Sec. 5) The act extends forfeiture provisions to fish, wildlife, or plants that are bred or possessed; thus, big cats bred or possessed in violation of the act are subject to forfeiture. (Sec. 6) The Department of the Interior must issue regulations to implement this act.
Respect for Marriage Act This act provides statutory authority for same-sex and interracial marriages. Specifically, the act replaces provisions that define, for purposes of federal law, marriage as between a man and a woman and spouse as a person of the opposite sex with provisions that recognize any marriage between two individuals that is valid under state law. (The Supreme Court held that the current provisions were unconstitutional in United States v. Windsor in 2013.) The act also replaces provisions that do not require states to recognize same-sex marriages from other states with provisions that prohibit the denial of full faith and credit or any right or claim relating to out-of-state marriages on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, or national origin. (The Supreme Court held that state laws barring same-sex marriages were unconstitutional in Obergefell v. Hodges in 2015; the Court held that state laws barring interracial marriages were unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia in 1967.) The act allows the Department of Justice to bring a civil action and establishes a private right of action for violations. The act does not (1) affect religious liberties or conscience protections that are available under the Constitution or federal law, (2) require religious organizations to provide goods or services to formally recognize or celebrate a marriage, (3) affect any benefits or rights that do not arise from a marriage, or (4) recognize under federal law any marriage between more than two individuals.
Small Project Efficient and Effective Disaster Recovery Act or the SPEED Recovery Act This act increases to $1 million the threshold for eligibility for assistance for what qualifies as a small project under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, thereby allowing more recovery projects to proceed under simplified procedures. The threshold must be reviewed every three years. The Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security must conduct an audit, and report to Congress, on whether there has been waste and abuse as a result of the change in the threshold.
Solid Start Act of 2022 This act permanently authorizes and expands the Solid Start program, which is an outreach program for veterans in their first year of separation from the military. Specifically, the act requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to coordinate with the Department of Defense to collect updated contact information during transition classes or separation counseling for members of the Armed Forces who are separating from service; explain the existence and purpose of the program; call veterans three times within the first year of separation; publish information about the program in booklets and on the VA website; provide women veterans with information tailored to their health care and benefit needs; provide information on access to state and local resources, such as Vet Centers; gather and analyze data that assesses the effectiveness of the program; ensure calls are tailored to each veteran's needs by conducting quality assurance tests; and prioritize outreach to veterans who have accessed mental health resources prior to separation from the Armed Forces. Under the act, the VA is authorized to (1) encourage members of the Armed Forces to provide additional contact information if they are unreachable following their separation, and (2) follow up on missed phone calls.
Expedited Delivery of Airport Infrastructure Act of 2021 This act makes incentive payments incurred for expedited completion of certain federally financed airport development projects an allowable project cost standard.
This bill designates the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 3900 Crown Road Southwest in Atlanta, Georgia, as the John R. Lewis Post Office Building.
This bill designates the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Mishawaka, Indiana, as the "Jackie Walorski VA Clinic" to honor former U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski, who served on the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs and advocated for veterans. The law requires all federal references - including laws, documents, and maps - to use the new name for the clinic, effective upon enactment. It does not change the clinic’s services, funding, or operations, as it is a purely commemorative naming resolution.
