Expanding Access to Family Planning Act This bill provides, subject to specified conditions, funding through FY2032 for federally funded family planning services and clinics. In particular, the funds must be used for (1) grants and contracts that support the provision of family planning services, and (2) clinic infrastructure (e.g., construction and renovation of clinics). Clinics that receive funding to provide family planning services must offer each patient with a positive pregnancy test the opportunity for nondirective counseling on (1) prenatal care and delivery; (2) infant care, foster care, and adoption; and (3) pregnancy termination. This counseling must include referrals if requested by a patient. Additionally, if a funding recipient makes subawards for the provision of family planning services, the recipient may not prohibit an entity from participating in a subaward program for reasons other than the entity's inability to provide family planning services.
Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act of 2021 or the DISCLOSE Act of 2021 This bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals, requiring additional disclosures of campaign expenditures, and requiring additional disclosures regarding certain political advertisements. First, the bill prohibits foreign nationals from participating in the decision-making process regarding an election expenditure. Additionally, the bill expands existing foreign money prohibitions to include disbursements for paid web-based or digital communications and federal judicial nomination communications. It also prohibits foreign nationals from contributing to campaigns related to ballot initiatives and referenda. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) must conduct an audit after each federal election cycle to determine the incidence of illicit foreign money. Next, the bill makes it unlawful to establish or use a corporation, company, or other entity with the intent to conceal an election contribution or donation by a foreign national. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to five years, or both. Covered organizations (e.g., corporations, labor organizations, and political organizations) must, within 24 hours, file reports with the FEC to disclose campaign expenditures of more than $10,000 during an election cycle. Finally, the bill requires organizations to provide additional disclosures regarding political advertisements, including the donors who contributed the most money to that organization in the last year.
Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act of 2022 or the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act This bill addresses home care and caregiver programs for veterans.
Buffalo Tract Protection Act This bill withdraws specified Bureau of Land Management lands in Placitas, New Mexico, from (1) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (2) disposition under the mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. Any conveyance of the surface estate of such federal land shall require a reservation of the mineral estate to the United States.
Serving Our LGBTQ Veterans Act This bill establishes a Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Veterans within the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Among other functions, the center must serve as principal adviser to the VA on the adoption and implementation of policies and programs affecting veterans who are LGBTQ.
Return Home to Housing Act This bill increases the maximum rate of per diem payments provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs to entities (i.e., grant recipients or authorized entities) that furnish services and transitional housing to homeless veterans.
Department of Veterans Affairs Continuing Professional Education Modernization Act or the VA CPE Modernization Act This bill modifies the program under which the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) reimburses specified full-time health care professionals for continuing professional education expenses. Under current law, only board-certified physicians and dentists are eligible for such reimbursement. The bill expands the program to require reimbursement for various specified full-time health care professionals (e.g., registered nurses) and increases the amount available for a physician or dentist. Additionally, the bill removes the requirement that an individual be board-certified to receive reimbursement. The VA may adjust the amounts available based on inflation.
This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) it opposes the establishment of a new U.S. consulate in Jerusalem for outreach to Palestinians, (2) any establishment of a new consulate or diplomatic mission in Jerusalem should not move forward without congressional approval through the passage of new legislation, and (3) the presence of a U.S. diplomatic mission devoted to a non-state actor in Israel's sovereign capital would be an affront to the territorial integrity of a long-standing U.S. partner and ally.
Evaluating Lynching Locations (ELL) for National Park Sites Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to conduct a special resource study of sites within approximately 100 miles of Memphis, Tennessee, at which lynchings took place. In conducting the special resource study, Interior shall (1) evaluate the national significance of such study area, and (2) determine the suitability and feasibility of designating the study area as a unit of the National Park System.
This resolution recognizes the critical role the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission plays in addressing long-standing issues including the wage gap, combating workplace harassment, and ensuring all workers are treated with dignity and respect in the workplace.
HRES 1226 designates the week of July 19-25, 2022, as "Black Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week" to highlight mental health challenges during pregnancy or after childbirth that disproportionately affect Black women and families. The resolution emphasizes that Black women are 3 times more likely to die from maternal causes than White women and that 1 in 4 women of color face these conditions compared to 1 in 7 White women. It calls for raising public awareness, promoting culturally appropriate care, and encouraging government and community efforts during this designated week. As a non-binding resolution, it does not create new programs but supports existing goals to address racial disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Supporting Mental Assistance Responder Teams Community Policing Act or the SMART Community Policing Act This bill expands the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) program to specifically allow funds to be used for mobile crisis teams, behavioral health personnel, and case management or outreach teams to help deescalate situations between law enforcement and individuals experiencing a mental health crisis.
