Insider Trading Prohibition Act This bill generally provides statutory authority for the prohibition against securities trading, as well as related communications to others, by a person who has access to material, nonpublic information and is aware or recklessly disregards that the information is material and nonpublic. Further, that person must either be aware or recklessly disregards that the information has been obtained wrongfully or that the trading would be wrongful. The bill also provides, for purposes of establishing a violation of this prohibition, that it is not necessary for such a person to know specifically how such information was obtained or whether a personal benefit was paid or promised.
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.
Stronger Enforcement of Civil Penalties Act of 2021 This bill increases civil and administrative monetary penalties for securities laws violations. The bill also adds a fourth tier of monetary penalties for violations by a person that, within the five-year period preceding the violation (1) was criminally convicted for securities fraud; or (2) became subject to a judgment or order imposing monetary, equitable, or administrative relief in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) action alleging fraud. In addition, the bill expands penalties for violations of certain federal court injunctions or SEC orders.
Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2022 This bill restricts the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from decreasing payments for Medicare home health services based on certain adjustments until 2026. Current law requires the CMS to make certain permanent and temporary payment adjustments under the Medicare prospective payment system for home health services based on behavioral assumptions for 2020 through 2026. The bill restricts the CMS from making adjustments that decrease payments until 2026; the CMS must also ensure that any such necessary decreases are made before 2032.
National Plan to End Parkinson's Act This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to carry out a project to prevent and cure Parkinson's disease (a progressive brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements) and related conditions. Among other components of the project, HHS must (1) implement and periodically update a national plan to coordinate and guide efforts to prevent and cure the disease; (2) improve diagnosis, treatment, and care of those with the disease; and (3) address health and other disparities related to the disease. HHS must also conduct annual assessments on the preparation for and response to the increased burden of Parkinson's disease. In addition, the bill establishes a council, comprised of federal and nonfederal stakeholders, to advise HHS on and make recommendations concerning the prevention and cure of Parkinson's disease. The bill's provisions terminate at the end of calendar year 2035.
Prosper Africa Act This bill requires actions to promote trade, investment, and strategic partnerships between the United States and countries in Africa. The President must establish the Prosper Africa Initiative to prioritize and coordinate U.S. government activities and diplomatic efforts aimed at increasing two-way trade and investment between the United States and Africa. The President must also establish (1) the Prosper Africa Directorate to perform various functions to support the initiative, including by developing and implementing policies to promote such trade and investment; (2) an interagency leadership committee to provide strategic guidance to the initiative and coordinate federal agency efforts; and (3) an advisory council to advise the President on the extent to which the directorate and federal agencies are meeting the objectives established in this bill. Designated staff in U.S. embassies located in Africa shall also support the initiative to the extent practicable. The President must seek to convene a meeting every two years between the U.S. government and the heads of state of African countries to advance shared priorities and strengthen partnerships. The bill also requires the President to (1) report to Congress and make publicly available a government-wide strategy to achieve this bill's objectives, and (2) annually report to Congress on matters related to U.S. government efforts to achieve this bill's objectives.
Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into agreements to address social, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. The USAID shall seek to ensure that such activities meet various requirements related to monitoring and evaluating outcomes, collecting data, and using specified indicators and methodologies for international basic education. The Department of State shall periodically update and report to Congress a publicly available U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls, and the USAID shall periodically report to Congress on the activities initiated under this bill and efforts to monitor and evaluate such activities.
Global Food Security Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2028 activities to implement the Global Food Security Strategy, a whole-of-government strategy to promote global food security, resilience, and nutrition. The bill also modifies aspects of the strategy, such as requiring the strategy to seek to improve the efficiency and resilience of agricultural production. The bill also reauthorizes through FY2028 activities related to the Emergency Food Security Program, an international market-based assistance program.
Atrocity Crimes, Relief and Accountability Act or the ACRA Act The bill requires the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development to provide assistance to suspected victims, survivors, and witnesses of war crimes; establishes a Ukraine victims trust fund; and establishes a Ukraine atrocity crimes rewards fund. The bill also allows the International Criminal Court to conduct limited activities in the United States relating solely to foreign nationals suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Shirley Chisholm Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Shirley Chisholm, in recognition of her activism, independence, and groundbreaking achievements in politics, election as the first African American woman in Congress, and campaign to be the first African American to gain the nomination of a major political party for President of the United States. Following its award, the gold medal shall be given to the Smithsonian Institution where it shall be available for display and research.
Overdraft Protection Act of 2021 This bill prohibits a financial institution from engaging in unfair or deceptive acts in connection with overdraft coverage. Each financial institution that offers overdraft coverage for accounts must disclose overdraft coverage fees. It must also disclose that the consumer's transaction may be declined if there are insufficient funds in the related account, and the consumer will not be charged a fee if such transaction is declined. A financial institution must provide certain other disclosures regarding its overdraft protection program, including prompt notification of the account's overdraft status. The bill limits the number of overdraft fees a consumer may be charged each month and year, and provides that such fees must be reasonable. The bill prohibits an overdraft coverage fee if the overdraft results solely from a debit hold amount that exceeds the actual dollar amount of the transaction. The bill also prohibits a financial institution from charging a non-sufficient fund fee for any automated teller machine or debit card transaction, or reporting negative information regarding consumer use of overdraft coverage to any consumer reporting agency when the overdraft amounts and coverage fees are paid under the terms of an overdraft coverage program.
American Families United Act This bill authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or the Department of Justice (DOJ) to exercise discretion in certain immigration cases. The bill also removes certain requirements related to birthright citizenship. Under this bill, DOJ or DHS may, on a case-by-case basis, exercise discretion by declining to remove an alien or bar an alien from entering the United States to prevent hardship for the alien's U.S. citizen spouse, parent, or child. However, DOJ or DHS may not exercise this discretion if the alien is removable or inadmissible due to certain grounds, including specified crime- and security-related grounds. The bill also removes certain requirements related to birthright citizenship for a child born outside of the United States to one U.S. citizen parent and one alien parent. Specifically, the bill removes a provision that requires the U.S. citizen parent to be physically present in the United States for at least five years before the child's birth in order for the child to acquire U.S. citizenship at birth.
