Small Business Establishment Registration Waiver Act This bill allows the Food and Drug Administration to waive annual establishment registration fees for small businesses for which such fees present a financial hardship.
Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.
Stop Communist Construction of Public Infrastructure Act of 2022 or the Stop CCP Infrastructure Act of 2022 This bill prohibits certain entities related to China or the Chinese government from receiving federal funds for public works projects in the United States. Specifically, this prohibition applies to entities that are (1) headquartered in China; or (2) owned, financed, influenced by, or affiliated with the Chinese government, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), or the Chinese military. Further, state and local governments must verify that a recipient for federal funds for a public works project is free from any obligations, influences, or connections to any of these entities.
VA Workforce Investment and Expansion Act of 2022 This bill addresses workforce and employment matters of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Among other elements, the bill requires the VA to develop and implement a national rural recruitment and hiring plan for the Veterans Health Administration (VHA); authorizes the VA to buy out non-VA service contracts of certain health care professionals in exchange for employment at rural or highly rural VA facilities; requires the VA to establish qualifications for each of its human resources positions and establish standardized performance metrics for such positions; increases the pay cap for certain employees of the VHA; expands employment opportunities for housekeeping aides by removing the requirement that competition for VA housekeeping aide positions is restricted to preference eligibles; modifies the authority of the VA related to hours, conditions and employment, and pay for certain employees of the VHA; authorizes the VA to establish an awards program for certain appointed personnel; authorizes the VA to waive any annual premium or aggregate limitation on pay for an employee of the VHA during the calendar year in which the official duty station of the employee is closed or the office, facility, activity, or organization of the employee is realigned; provides additional authority for the VA to provide recruitment and relocation bonuses, retention bonuses, merit awards, incentives for critical skills, and student loan repayments; and authorizes specified health care professionals to prescribe controlled substances through telemedicine.
Ruthie and Connie LGBTQ Elder Americans Act of 2022 This bill addresses matters related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals in certain federal programs serving older Americans, particularly by including an individual's LGBTQ status within the scope of the greatest social needs served by such programs.
Removing Emissions to Mend Our Vulnerable Earth Act of 2022 or the REMOVE Act of 2022 This bill establishes the Committee on Large-Scale Carbon Management within the Department of Energy to plan and oversee efforts to (1) remove carbon dioxide from the air or ocean, and (2) store such carbon.
Bruce's Law This bill reauthorizes certain grants through FY2027 and sets out other activities to address the dangers of fentanyl-related drug overdoses, with a particular focus on fentanyl contamination. Specifically, the bill (1) reauthorizes grants that are available through the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for community-based coalitions to address local drug crises, and (2) authorizes new grants for coalitions to implement education and prevention strategies in communities that face significant levels of drug overdoses related to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. The ONDCP may delegate authority to execute the new grants to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must carry out a campaign to increase public awareness of the dangers of fentanyl, including the risk of fentanyl contamination in counterfeit drugs. The bill also establishes an interagency work group to coordinate and improve federal efforts to reduce and prevent overdoses involving fentanyl contamination in illegal drugs. Work group members include the ONDCP, HHS, the Department of Justice, and the Department of State.
Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022 or the DEFEND Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense to seek to cooperate with Middle East allies and partners (i.e., countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region as appropriate) to identify and develop an approach for such allies and partners to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect against attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran.
Farm Credit Administration Independent Authority Act This bill prohibits the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau from issuing, implementing, or continuing any policy or guidance issued after January 1, 2021, that affects the Farm Credit Administration (FCA), Farm Credit System, or FCA Board.
American Food Supply Chain Resiliency Act of 2022 This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service to enter into cooperative agreements with entities (such as states, colleges, and nonprofit organizations) to establish at least six Supply Chain Regional Resource Centers to support small-sized and medium-sized agricultural businesses and producers of agricultural products.
Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Military Servicemembers Act or the MARCH for Military Servicemembers Act This bill repeals the restriction on utilizing Department of Defense funds and facilities for performing abortions. The restriction only allows such funds and facilities to be used for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's life is endangered.
This bill extends authorization through FY2027 and expands veteran eligibility for certain Department of Veterans Affairs programs for homeless or seriously mentally ill veterans, including (1) outreach services; (2) care, treatment, and rehabilitative services; and (3) therapeutic transitional housing assistance. The bill also extends through FY2027 a program to provide additional services for homeless veterans at certain centers.
