SRES 784 is a Senate resolution designating the week beginning September 12, 2022, as "National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week." It recognizes Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) - colleges and universities with at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment - as vital to higher education access, economic mobility, and community development. The resolution calls for public ceremonies and activities during this week to honor HSIs' contributions, particularly during Hispanic Heritage Month. This is a symbolic recognition with no policy changes or funding impacts.
HR 7618 designates the Kol Israel Foundation Holocaust Memorial in Bedford Heights, Ohio, as a national memorial. The bill formally recognizes the memorial's role in preserving the memory of Holocaust victims and honoring survivors who built it. Crucially, the designation does not make the site part of the National Park System and explicitly states no federal funds will be used for the memorial. This is a commemorative measure affecting the memorial's official status, not a policy change with operational requirements.
National Service Animals Memorial Act This bill authorizes the National Service Animals Monument Corporation to establish a commemorative work on federal land in the District of Columbia to commemorate the heroic deeds and sacrifices of service animals and handlers of service animals in the United States. The corporation shall be solely responsible for the acceptance of contributions for, and the payment of the expenses of, the establishment of the commemorative work. The establishment of the commemorative work shall be in accordance with the Commemorative Works Act. Federal funds may not be used to pay any expenses for the establishment of the commemorative work.
Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and modifies operations of the Peace Corps. Changes include increasing the readjustment allowance paid to volunteers when their service terminates and providing statutory authority for an executive order that grants returned volunteers noncompetitive eligibility for federal civil-service positions. Additionally, the bill entitles returned volunteers to sixty days of health care benefits. The Peace Corps must also provide volunteers with information about enrolling in U.S. health plans before service termination and mental health care during and after service. The bill also includes provisions to address involuntary termination of Peace Corps service in emergencies, including by expediting re-enrollment of involuntarily terminated volunteers. The Peace Corps must also adequately insure volunteers' safety and must coordinate with the Department of State to periodically update agreements concerning the security of Peace Corps volunteers and staff abroad. The bill also authorizes Peace Corps to recruit domestically based volunteers to serve in the United States at the request of another agency or to provide services in a host country virtually, modifies the Peace Corps National Advisory Council's membership and functions, expands whistleblower protections for volunteers, increases the rate of pay that applies to a volunteer's workers compensation claim, requires Peace Corps to implement a zero tolerance drug use policy regarding volunteer involvement with illegal drugs, and emphasizes the use of the internet in Peace Corps programs. Furthermore, the bill requires reporting, including on the provision of mental health services to volunteers.
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2022 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
Wildfire Recovery Act This bill makes changes with respect to the federal cost share for Fire Management Assistance Grants and provides that the federal share shall be not less than 75% of the eligible cost. Specifically, the bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to conduct and complete a rulemaking to provide criteria for the circumstances under which FEMA may recommend that the President increase the federal cost share. Such criteria shall include a threshold metric that assesses the financial impact to a state or local government from responding to a fire for which fire management assistance is being provided.
This resolution remembers Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her more than 70 years of service in support of the British people and the Commonwealth of Nations. The resolution also expresses gratitude to Queen Elizabeth II for her efforts to maintain strong bilateral relations between the United Kingdom and the United States. Finally, the resolution extends condolences to the family of Queen Elizabeth II, to the people of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and to the peoples of the Commonwealth of Nations.
This resolution expresses that the Senate has heard the announcement of the death of the Honorable Jacqueline R. Walorski, Congresswoman for the Second Congressional District of Indiana. The resolution also honors Representative Walorski for her service to Indiana and the United States. The resolution expresses that when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Representative Walorski.
Jenna Quinn Law This bill allows the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to provide grants for evidence-informed child sexual abuse awareness and prevention programs. The grants may be awarded for a period of up to five years. The bill also requires the HHS Office of Inspector General to report on expenditures under the program.
Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act This bill provides for measures to mitigate wildfires, drought, and other natural and human disasters. Among the bill's other provisions, it sets a minimum rate of pay for federal wildland firefighters and provides parity in pay, benefits, and bonuses for federal structural firefighters; requires implementation of a 10-year National Wildfire Plan; establishes the Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Assessment and Monitoring Program; requires a plan to sustain the survival of critically important fisheries within certain states during periods of extended drought; establishes the Open Access Evapotranspiration (OpenET) Data Program for the delivery of satellite-based evapotranspiration data to certain data users; authorizes the Colorado River Indian Tribes to enter into agreements for conserved water under specified conditions; authorizes, ratifies, and confirms, the Hualapai Tribe water rights settlement agreement; adds specified land to the Hualapai Reservation; establishes a Natural Disaster Grid Mitigation Map that identifies critical electric grid infrastructure in each state that is vulnerable to natural disasters; establishes a grant program to award grants to remove nonnative plant species in riparian areas that contribute to drought conditions; establishes four Centers of Excellence for Wildfire Smoke to carry out research on the effects on public health of smoke emissions from wildland fires; establishes a National Disaster Safety Board; establishes a National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program; establishes a basic training program to increase the capacity of environmental justice communities to address disproportionately adverse human health or environmental effects in their communities.
This resolution designates September 2022 as National Child Awareness Month to (1) promote awareness of youth-serving charities and organizations throughout the United States, (2) recognize the efforts made by those charities and organizations as critical contributions to the future of the United States, and (3) recognize the importance of meeting the needs of at-risk children and youth.
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.
