Equal Access to Contraception for Veterans Act This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from requiring payment from a veteran for any contraceptive item that is required to be covered by health insurance plans without a cost-sharing requirement.
Invest to Protect Act of 2022 This bill directs the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to award grants to local and tribal governments that employ fewer than 200 law enforcement officers. Grant funds may be used for various activities, including to provide de-escalation training and improve recruitment and retention.
Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2022 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a pilot grant program for improving recycling accessibility in communities. The EPA may award grants to states, local governments, Indian tribes, or public-private partnerships.
Recycling and Composting Accountability Act This bill establishes data collection and reporting requirements concerning recycling and composting programs. For example, the Environmental Protection Agency must report on the capability of the United States to implement a national composting strategy for compostable materials in order to reduce contamination rates for recycling.
Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022 This bill provides financial and technical assistance to states, territories, and the District of Columbia for the purposes of (1) recovering species listed as a threatened or endangered species under the Endangered Species Act or under state law, or (2) avoiding the need to list species under such laws. For example, the bill establishes the Endangered Species Recovery and Habitat Conservation Legacy Fund. A portion of the fund must be used to establish an Endangered Species Recovery Grant Program. It also provides funding for (1) the conservation or restoration of wildlife and plant species of greatest conservation need; (2) the wildlife conservation strategies of states, territories, or the District of Columbia; and (3) wildlife conservation education and recreation projects. The Department of the Interior must use a portion of the funding for a grant program. The grants must be used for innovative recovery efforts for species of greatest conservation need, species listed as endangered or threatened species, or the habitats of such species. In addition, the bill requires certain revenues generated from fees and penalties for violations of environmental requirements to be used as a source for the funding.
Home Heating Emergency Funding Act of 2022 This bill provides $4 billion in emergency supplemental appropriations for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which provides grants for states, tribes, and territories to operate home energy assistance programs for low-income households.
Reproductive Freedom for All Act This bill establishes a general right of all persons to make certain reproductive decisions without undue government interference. It specifically provides statutory authority for the Supreme Court's prior holdings in Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey . In Roe , the Court held that the Constitution protects a woman's decision to terminate her pregnancy. In Casey , the Court reaffirmed this holding and additionally held that state abortion regulations may not place a substantial obstacle in the path of a woman seeking an abortion before fetal viability (i.e., an undue burden). However, a state may (1) restrict abortions after viability, except when a pregnancy endangers the life or health of the woman; and (2) enact regulations to further the health or safety of a woman seeking an abortion, except for unnecessary health regulations that present a substantial obstacle to a woman seeking an abortion. Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for the Court's holdings in Griswold v. Connecticut (the right of married couples to obtain contraception), Eisenstadt v. Baird (the right of single persons to obtain contraception), Carey v. Population Services International (the right of minors to obtain contraception), and Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt (that certain state restrictions on abortion facilities and providers created an undue burden). The bill allows the Department of Justice or any person adversely affected by a state law that violates this bill to seek injunctive relief. It also specifies that the bill does not affect laws regarding conscience protection.
Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
Taiwan Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 This bill authorizes the President to lend or lease defense articles to Taiwan for protection against potential Chinese military aggression and requires the President to establish expedited procedures for delivering loaned or leased defense articles to Taiwan.
Summer Meals Act of 2021 This bill revises provisions related to the Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), which provides meals to children and teens in low-income areas during the summer months when school is not in session. The bill redefines areas in which poor economic conditions exist , where the SFSP may operate, as areas in which at least 40% (currently, 50%) of the children have been determined to be eligible for free or reduced price school meals under the school lunch and breakfast programs. The bill reimburses service institutions (other than school food authorities) for up to one meal and one snack per child each day during after-school hours, weekends, and school holidays during the regular school calendar. Currently, such institutions are reimbursed for meals and snacks served to children over the summer months or to children who are on vacation under a continuous school calendar. USDA may award competitive grants to service institutions to increase participation in the summer food service program for children at congregate feeding sites through innovative approaches to limited transportation and mobile meal trucks. Service institutions that are participating in the summer food service program for children may serve up to three meals, or two meals and one snack, during each day of operation. Currently, this option is reserved for camps and service institutions that serve meals primarily to migrant children.
Net Neutrality and Broadband Justice Act of 2022 This bill expressly classifies broadband internet as a telecommunications service rather than an information service for purposes of regulation by the Federal Communications Commission. (Current law treats providers of telecommunications services as common carriers and subjects them to more stringent requirements.)
Weatherization Assistance Program Improvements Act of 2022 This bill expands the Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program, including by establishing a Weatherization Readiness Fund. If the dwellings of low-income households have significant defects or hazards that prevent the installation of weatherization (e.g., energy efficiency) measures under the program, then states may use the fund for repairing such defects and hazards.
