Aviator Cancer Examination Study Act or the ACES Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs to seek to enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study the incidence and mortality of cancer among individuals who served in the regular or reserve components of the Navy, Air Force, or Marine Corps as air crew members of a fixed-wing aircraft or personnel supporting generation of such an aircraft.
Recruiting in Underserved Rural Areas and Localities for Veterans Act or the RURAL Veterans Act This bill addresses the recruitment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health care professionals in rural areas. Specifically, the bill requires the VA to establish the Office of Rural Recruitment to improve the recruitment of health care professionals for rural and highly rural community-based outpatient clinics and medical centers of the VA. The bill also requires the director of each Veterans Integrated Service Network that contains at least one rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic to annually develop and maintain a strategy to recruit health care professionals. The Office of Rural Recruitment shall conduct a study on the feasibility of a scholarship program for health care professionals to attend the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in exchange for service as full-time employees at a rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic or medical center of the VA for a specified period of time. The VA shall establish the Rural Health Quality and Access Fellowship program to provide fellowships to health care professionals at the graduate or post-graduate level who serve on a short-term basis as full-time employees at a rural or highly rural community-based outpatient clinic or medical center of the VA and conduct research on (1) improving the quality of rural health care, (2) access to health care in rural areas, and (3) recruitment and retention of health care professionals in rural areas.
Don Young Veterans Advancing Conservation Act This bill requires the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish the Veterans Advancing Conservation Grant Program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to facilitate the training and employment of veterans for marine and coastal conservation activities (e.g., coral restoration and rehabilitation). NOAA must coordinate with the Department of the Interior and the Department of Veterans Affairs to implement the program.
This resolution expresses that the Senate has heard of the death of the Honorable Orrin G. Hatch, former U.S. Senator for the state of Utah. The resolution also expresses that the Senate honors the life and legacy of the late Senator Hatch for his unwavering dedication to Utah as a Senator and a public servant and accomplishments in legislating with principle and dedication for the good of the people of the United States. The resolution states when the Senate adjourns today, it stands adjourned as a further mark of respect to the memory of Senator Hatch.
CDFI Crisis Fund Act This bill establishes the CDFI National Crisis Fund. The fund is authorized to make grants to community development financial institutions (CDFIs) providing financial products as emergency assistance to small businesses and low-income populations in certain circumstances. Furthermore, the fund is triggered by certain emergency declarations, including the COVID-19 emergency period; certain disaster declarations; a specified increase in a statewide unemployment rate; or a specified increase in the nationwide unemployment rate. Specified amounts in the fund are set aside for grants to Native and minority CDFIs. The Government Accountability Office must report on the impact of the fund and provide recommendations.
This resolution thanks the teachers of the United States and promotes the teaching profession by encouraging students, parents, school administrators, and public officials to recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week.
This resolution designates May 5, 2022, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls." It directly honors Native American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women and girls who are victims of violence or disappearance, referencing documented statistics showing they face disproportionately high rates of violent crime and homicide. The resolution calls on the public and organizations to commemorate these victims and show solidarity with affected families. As a symbolic measure with no binding policy changes, it aims to raise awareness about this issue without creating new legal requirements.
Better Cybercrime Metrics Act This bill establishes various requirements to improve the collection of data related to cybercrime and cyber-enabled crime (cybercrime). Among the requirements the Department of Justice (DOJ) must enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to develop a taxonomy for categorizing different types of cybercrime faced by individuals and businesses; DOJ must establish a category in the National Incident-Based Reporting System for collecting cybercrime reports from federal, state, and local officials; DOJ's Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Bureau of the Census must include questions about cybercrime in the annual National Crime Victimization Survey; and the Government Accountability Office must assess the effectiveness of reporting mechanisms for cybercrime and disparities in reporting cybercrime data and other types of crime data.
SRES 613 is a Senate resolution supporting National Minority Health Month in April 2022. It calls for raising public awareness about health disparities faced by specific minority groups, including American Indians, Alaska Natives, Asian Americans, African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders. The resolution does not create new laws or allocate funds but serves as a symbolic statement to highlight these inequities, referencing statistics on higher rates of conditions like diabetes, HIV, and infant mortality in these communities.
This resolution recognizes the significance of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month as an important time to celebrate the contributions of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders to the history of the United States. The resolution also recognizes that the Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities enhance the rich diversity of the United States.
Pride in Mental Health Act This bill expands programs that prevent and treat child abuse and neglect to address issues facing youth who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, nonbinary, or gender-variant members of indigenous communities (e.g., Two Spirit). Specifically, these programs include (1) research and reporting requirements, (2) providing technical assistance, (3) grants to states and local agencies to train child-welfare personnel, and (4) community-based prevention-service grants. The bill also establishes a grant program to provide mental and behavioral health resources for such youth, including trauma-informed care.
This resolution (HRES 1072) designates April 30, 2022, as "National Adult Hepatitis B Vaccination Awareness Day" to raise public attention. It does not create new laws or policies but symbolically supports efforts to address hepatitis B, which affects millions in the U.S. and has serious health risks like liver cancer. The resolution encourages increased adult vaccination (currently at 30% coverage), testing, and linkage to care, particularly for high-risk groups including people with opioid use disorder and communities disproportionately impacted by the disease. It highlights that hepatitis B is highly infectious and often undiagnosed, with rising cases linked to the opioid epidemic in several states.
