Rep. Michael Cloud

Veterans First Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Veterans Affairs from obligating or expending any amounts to provide emergency assistance in response to an emergency at the southern border directly resulting from the repeal of certain public health orders from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Specifically, the bill prohibits such emergency assistance in response to the repeal of the order issued on August 2, 2021, titled Public Health Reassessment and Order Suspending the Right To Introduce Certain Persons From Countries Where a Quarantinable Communicable Disease Exists ; the order issued on April 1, 2022, titled Public Health Determination and Order Regarding Suspending the Right To Introduce Certain Persons From Countries Where a Quarantinable Communicable Disease Exists ; and an order relating to the same public health concerns as the listed orders.

This bill implements oversight procedures related to quality assurance in the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Specifically, the bill requires the VA to implement a plan to strengthen oversight of the quality assurance program in the VBA. The VA must monitor the plan to address any deficiencies. The VBA must annually compile a list of common recurring deficiencies and action items relating to disability compensation identified in its ongoing reviews of the functions of each of its principal organizational elements. Additionally, the VBA must develop and carry out a plan to address the recurring deficiencies and action items. The Government Accountability Office must conduct a feasibility study of the VA entering a contract with a nongovernmental entity to carry out the quality assurance program in the VBA.

Protecting Free Speech Act This bill terminates the Disinformation Governance Board of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and prohibits using DHS funding for the activities of any other entity that is substantially similar to the board.

This resolution acknowledges that Specialist Bishop E. Evans was discovered, deceased, along the Rio Grande, near Eagle Pass, Texas. The resolution also honors the life and service of Specialist Evans and recognizes that his actions resulted in the survival of two migrants.

This joint resolution nullifies the rule issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on February 3, 2021, that requires the use of face masks on planes, trains, buses, and other public conveyances and at transportation hubs to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.

Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2021 This bill makes it a violation of federal law for a recipient of federal funds who operates, sponsors, or facilitates athletic programs or activities to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity that is designated for women or girls. The bill specifies that sex shall be recognized based solely on a person's reproductive biology and genetics at birth.

This bill requires the reinstatement of individuals who were discharged or dismissed from the Armed Forces solely because they refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccination. Specifically, such individuals must be reinstated, at their request, in the same rank and grade they held at the time of their separation from the Armed Forces. The discharge or dismissal of such individuals must be characterized as honorable. Such individuals may not be denied retired or retainer pay or any benefits through the Department of Defense or Department of Veterans Affairs solely on the basis they refused to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

Amplifying Processing of Livestock in the United States Act or the A-PLUS Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to revise federal regulations related to market agencies owning, financing, or participating in the operation of a meat packing entity. Specifically, this bill allows market agencies to have an ownership interest in, finance, or participate in the management or operation of a packing entity if such packing entity has a cumulative slaughter capacity of less than 2,000 animals per day or 700,000 animals per year.

This resolution calls on the Biden administration and its officials to maintain the sanctions on the repressive regimes in Venezuela and Iran. The resolution also expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that American energy independence should be achieved again for the sake of U.S. national security and the security of U.S. allies; and President Biden should immediately rescind his Executive Orders that prohibit the approval of new leases on federal lands and waters, and should immediately take actions to reestablish American energy independence.

Reversing Every Vaccine Emergency Requirement and Stopping Employee OSHA Mandates Act or the REVERSE OSHA Mandates Act This bill limits the authority of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to regulate workplace safety and health matters. Specifically, the bill repeals OSHA's authority to issue emergency temporary standards related to workplace safety and health. The bill further specifies that OSHA may not, under its authority to regulate workplace safety and health, require the administration of any drug, vaccine, or other biological product to an employee.