Sen. John Hoeven

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 526) formally condemns the antisemitic terrorist attack at Congregation Beth Israel Synagogue in Colleyville, Texas, on January 15, 2022, where hostages were held at gunpoint. It expresses gratitude that no lives were lost, applauds law enforcement and emergency responders for their actions, and condemns antisemitism in the United States. The resolution does not create new policies or allocate funds; it is a symbolic expression of support for the Jewish community and law enforcement. It directly affects the congregation and local community by affirming their safety and the importance of religious freedom.

This resolution commends the courage, resolve, and restraint shown by the Ukrainian people in their pursuit of sovereignty and democracy and reaffirms unwavering U.S. support for a secure, democratic, and independent Ukraine. It also condemns Russia's attempted annexation of Crimea in 2014 and denounces Russia's military buildup of over 150,000 troops on Ukraine's border.

This bill requires the Department of State to (1) submit to Congress any classified State Department cables or memos that express a dissenting opinion relating to the withdrawal of the U.S. Armed Forces from Afghanistan, and (2) make publicly available unclassified versions of such cables and memos.

Portable Benefits for Independent Workers Pilot Program Act This bill requires the Department of Labor to award grants for FY2022, on a competitive basis, to states, local governments, or nonprofit organizations to support broad innovation and experimentation with respect to portable benefits. Portable benefits are work-related benefits that are provided to workers who are not traditional full-time employees in a manner that allows the worker to maintain the benefits upon changing jobs. The grants must be used for (1) the evaluation, or improvement to the design or implementation, of existing models or approaches for providing portable benefits; or (2) the design, implementation, and evaluation of new models or approaches for providing such benefits. The grants may not be used for a model or approach that provides only retirement-related benefits. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate and report to Congress on the outcome of the grants awarded pursuant to this bill.

Terminating Reckless and Unnecessary Checks Known to Erode Regular Shipping Act or the TRUCKERS Act This bill prohibits the Department of Homeland Security from imposing any COVID-19 vaccination requirement on any commercial truck driver who is a national of Canada or Mexico and seeking to temporarily enter the United States for business through a land port of entry.

This bill requires the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to report to Congress if an intelligence community element determines that U.S. military equipment left unsecured in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria has been used in a terrorist attack against the United States, U.S. allies or partners, or local populations. The report must be submitted no later than 30 days after the intelligence community determination.

Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Reauthorization Act of 2021 This bill provides federal housing assistance to Indians and Native Hawaiians. Specifically, the bill reauthorizes through FY2032 and otherwise revises the Indian Housing Block Grant program and the Native Hawaiian Housing Block Grant program. Among other revisions to these programs, the bill expands allowable housing activities under the Indian program to include education-related stipends, college housing assistance, and other education-related assistance for low-income college students. Next, the bill authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to guarantee housing loans for Indians and Native Hawaiians through FY2032. HUD may make grants to eligible recipients of block grants for use in eliminating drug-related and violent crime. Additionally, the bill provides statutory authority for the Tribal HUD-VASH program, which provides rental assistance and supportive services to Indian veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and living in or near an area where a tribe or tribally designated housing entity provides assistance for affordable housing. HUD must use at least 5% of rental assistance amounts under the HUD-VASH program, which provides housing assistance to homeless veterans, for the Tribal HUD-VASH program. The Tribal HUD-VASH program must be carried out by HUD in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Under the program, grants must be made to entities eligible for housing assistance block grants. HUD may make renewal grants to entities that have received prior program grants.

This resolution supports the designation of February 2022 as Career and Technical Education Month to celebrate career and technical education across the United States.

Never Yielding Europe's Territory (NYET) Act of 2022 This bill addresses Russia's actions against Ukraine and other countries in the region. The bill authorizes and expedites the provision of security assistance, including by (1) prioritizing delivering excess defense articles to Ukraine, (2) authorizing the Department of State to waive certain costs for defense articles leased to Ukraine, and (3) authorizing additional Foreign Military Financing for programs in Europe. The bill also provides funding for (1) Foreign Military Financing assistance to Ukraine, (2) the Global Engagement Center to counter foreign-sponsored propaganda and disinformation, (3) the Countering Russian Influence Fund to support Ukraine and other countries in response to Russia's aggression, and (4) International Military Education and Training assistance for Ukraine. Furthermore, the bill imposes sanctions, including on (1) senior Russian military officials responsible for planning or executing military operations that violated Ukraine's sovereignty or territorial integrity, and (2) foreign individuals or entities that acted on behalf of Russia's government to destabilize Ukraine or disrupt Ukraine's critical infrastructure. The bill also addresses additional matters, including (1) authorizing Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty to explore opening new bureaus to reach audiences on Russia's periphery; and (2) providing for expedited approval of natural gas exports to qualifying nations, including NATO members, whereas currently expedited approval is only available for exports to countries that are in a free trade agreement relating to natural gas with the United States.

Stop the Nosy Obsession with Online Payments Act of 2022 or the SNOOP Act of 2022 This bill modifies requirements for third party settlement organizations to eliminate their reporting requirement with respect to the transactions of their participating payees unless they have earned more than $20,000 on more than 200 separate transactions in an applicable tax period. A third party settlement organization is the central organization that has the contractual obligation to make payments to participating payees (generally, a merchant or business) in a third party payment network. This reverses a provision in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that lowered the reporting threshold to $600 with no minimum on the number of transactions.