This concurrent resolution condemns the October 25, 2021, coup in Sudan. It recognizes the Prime Minister and his cabinet as the constitutional leaders of Sudan's transitional government and calls for Sudan's military junta, among other things, to immediately release all civilian government officials, civil society members, and other individuals detained in connection with the coup; return to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution; and lift the state of emergency, including complete restoration of all means of communication. Finally, the concurrent resolution calls on international partners to join U.S. efforts to impose targeted sanctions on the junta and other accomplices to the coup; and suspend Sudan's participation in all regional multilateral organizations until Sudan is returned to constitutional rule under the transitional constitution.
Isolate Russian Government Officials Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of the Treasury, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System to take all necessary steps to exclude Russian government officials, to the maximum extent practicable, from certain international meetings, including the activities of the Group of 20, the Basel Committee for Banking Standards, and the Bank for International Settlements. This requirement shall be in effect until the earlier of five years after the bill's enactment or 30 days after the President reports to Congress that Russia's government has ceased activities to destabilize Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The President may also waive this requirement upon reporting to Congress that doing so is in the national interest of the United States.
Empowering States to Protect Seniors from Bad Actors Act This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 and otherwise revises the Senior Investor Protection Grant Program. The bill moves the program from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to the Securities and Exchange Commission, establishes a task force to oversee the program, and eliminates certain grant eligibility requirements.
NOAA Weather Radio Modernization Act of 2021 or the NWR Modernization Act of 2021 This bill provides for the expansion of, and upgrades to, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radio All Hazards network (NWR). NOAA shall expand coverage of NWR and ensure its reliability by maintaining support for existing systems serving areas not covered by cellular service or having poor quality cellular service; ensuring consistent maintenance of, and timely repairs to, broadcast transmitter site equipment and antennas; and enhancing the ability to amplify Non-Weather Emergency Messages via NWR as necessary. NOAA shall complete an assessment of access to NWR. NOAA shall enhance NWR to ensure its capabilities and coverage remain valuable to the public. In carrying out such activities, NOAA must prioritize practices, capabilities, and technologies recommended by the assessment to maximize accessibility, particularly in remote and underserved areas of the country.
Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022 This bill makes it easier for federally employed firefighters who contract certain illnesses to qualify for federal workers' compensation. Specifically, the bill provides that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, mesothelioma, and specified other cancers of those employed in fire protection activities for at least five years are presumed to be proximately caused by such employment for purposes of a disability or death claim under the federal workers' compensation program. This presumption also applies to federal employees employed in fire protection activities for at least five years who experience a sudden cardiac event or stroke within 24 hours of performing a fire protection activity. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to conduct a review to determine whether breast cancer, gynecological cancer, and rhabdomyolysis should be included under the presumption and to conduct periodic reviews to determine whether other diseases should be included. In addition, a person may petition Labor to include another disease under the presumption. An employee in fire protection activities is a firefighter, paramedic, emergency medical technician, rescue worker, ambulance personnel, or hazardous material worker who (1) is trained in fire suppression; (2) has the legal authority and responsibility to engage in fire suppression; (3) is engaged in the prevention, control, and extinguishing of fires or response to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk, including the prevention, control, suppression, or management of wildland fires; and (4) performs such activities as a primary responsibility.
SRES 630 is a Senate resolution expressing support for designating the week of May 1-7, 2022, as "National Small Business Week" to honor small businesses and entrepreneurs nationwide. It highlights that small businesses support over 61 million jobs and demonstrate resilience amid pandemic challenges, though the resolution does not create new legal requirements or funding. The resolution symbolically recognizes their economic contributions and role in community rebuilding without imposing binding obligations. As a commemorative measure, it aligns with longstanding presidential designations dating to 1963.
This resolution expresses that the Senate (1) remains committed to the Cambodian people and their aspirations for a more peaceful, prosperous, democratic, and sovereign country as envisioned in the agreements signed at the Paris Conference on Cambodia on October 23, 1991 (commonly referred to as the Paris Peace Agreements), with the support of the international community; and (2) calls upon all signatories of the Paris Peace Agreements, including Cambodian stakeholders, to reaffirm their commitments under the agreements.
SRES 122 is a non-binding Senate resolution reaffirming U.S. commitment to key alliances and partnerships, including NATO, Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and other Indo-Pacific partners. It emphasizes the strategic importance of these relationships for global security, economic prosperity, and upholding democratic values, while urging equitable burden-sharing and strengthened defense cooperation. The resolution does not create new laws or alter existing policies - it formally expresses congressional support for maintaining and enhancing these alliances. It specifically highlights commitments like the U.S.-Japan security treaty and NATO's role, without imposing any new requirements on the executive branch.
Benjamin Berell Ferencz Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to Benjamin Berell Ferencz in recognition of his service to the United States and the international community during the post-World War II Nuremberg trials and his lifelong advocacy for international criminal justice and the rule of law.
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act This bill authorizes the allocation of certain funds for purposes related to the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, requires the Department of State to develop a strategy for prioritizing efforts to increase disaster response and resilience in the Caribbean, and establishes monitoring and reporting requirements. Funds for carrying out the initiative shall be used for purposes that include (1) promoting citizen safety, security, and the rule of law in the Caribbean; (2) prioritizing efforts to combat corruption; and (3) promoting the rule of law in the Caribbean and countering influence from authoritarian regimes. The State Department shall develop a strategy that incorporates specific, measurable benchmarks demonstrating a prioritization of efforts to increase disaster response and resilience through carrying out specified coordination, resilience, and preparedness programs in beneficiary countries. The State Department must also submit an implementation plan that includes a timeline and stated objectives for such actions to be taken.
Transatlantic Telecommunications Security Act This bill directs the Department of State and other federal agencies to help certain countries improve the security of their telecommunications networks and addresses related issues. Assistance provided under this bill shall be available to projects in a country that falls below certain gross domestic product per capita thresholds and is (1) a NATO member state that shares a border with Russia, or (2) a European country that has not participated in or aided Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A project located in such a country shall be eligible for assistance if the project (1) improves telecommunications networks; (2) is inclusive, transparent, economically viable, sustainable, supplied only with secure equipment and services, and compliant with international standards and laws; and (3) does not use equipment or services from China or Russia or replaces such equipment or services. To support eligible projects, the State Department shall provide diplomatic and political support and shall also encourage international financial institutions to provide investment support. The U.S. Trade and Development Agency, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and other specified federal agencies shall also provide project support, such as feasibility studies and finance-related support, as necessary. The State Department must also appoint, from among its existing personnel, an International Telecommunication Union Security Campaign Director. The director must, among other duties, lead efforts to promote candidates for elections at the International Telecommunication Union who will support and defend democratic values, internet freedom, and telecommunication security.
Ukraine Religious Freedom Support Act This bill directs the President, when determining whether Russia is a country of particular concern for religious freedom under certain federal laws, to consider incidents occurring in the parts of Ukraine that Russia (or any Russia-affiliated non-state group) occupies, controls, or recognizes as independent. (The United States may take certain actions, such as withdrawing development assistance, against a country of particular concern for religious freedom.)
