This Senate resolution (SRES 794) officially designates the week of September 26-30, 2022, as "National Clean Energy Week." It does not create new laws or affect specific people or groups; instead, it symbolically recognizes the importance of clean energy. The resolution encourages Americans, businesses, and governments to support clean energy solutions and invest in affordable, low-emission technologies. It highlights clean energy’s role in job creation and economic growth but contains no binding requirements or policy changes.
Corruption, Overthrowing Rule of Law, and Ruining Ukraine: Putin's Trifecta Act or CORRUPT Act This bill requires the President to report to Congress, within 30 days of this bill's enactment, a determination as to whether specified Russian persons meet the criteria to be subject to sanctions under laws that authorize sanctions relating to corruption or human rights violations. Russian persons specified in this bill include businessperson Roman Arkadyevich Abramovich, Minister of Health Mikhail Albertovich Murashko, and First Deputy Premier Andrey Removich Belousov.
HR 4380 designates the Healing Garden at 6900 Delta Drive in El Paso, Texas, as the "El Paso Community Healing Garden National Memorial." This designation does not make the site part of the National Park System and explicitly states that no federal funds will be required or authorized for the memorial's upkeep or operations. The bill is purely procedural, focusing on naming the site.
This resolution expresses the U.S. Senate's support for student parents - individuals attending college while raising children - and designates September 2022 as National Student Parent Month. It does not create new laws or funding but formally recognizes the challenges faced by this group, including high rates of food/housing insecurity and balancing education with caregiving. The resolution directly affects approximately 4 million student parents in postsecondary education, who often juggle work, childcare, and studies. It serves as a symbolic acknowledgment of their contributions, without implementing concrete policy changes.
This resolution recognizes (1) the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15, 2022; and (2) the integral role of Latinos and their manifold heritage in the economy, culture, and identity of the United States.
SRES 780 is a Senate resolution designating September 2022 as "National Workforce Development Month." It does not create new laws or funding but formally acknowledges the importance of workforce development programs. The resolution supports existing federal initiatives like the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which helps workers gain skills through training, career pathways, and job placement services. It recognizes that these programs assist millions of people, including those with low incomes, veterans, and individuals with disabilities, by connecting them to employment opportunities.
S. Res. 775, introduced by Senators Durbin, Coons, and Blumenthal on September 20, 2022, is a Senate resolution condemning violence and threats against Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) employees. It specifically addresses threats following an August 8, 2022, FBI search of a former president’s residence, including calls to defund the FBI and comparisons of the FBI to the Nazi Gestapo. The resolution urges all public officials to reject political violence and honors FBI employees for their service in executing lawful warrants. It emphasizes that the U.S. resolves disputes through political processes, not violence.
SRES 784 is a Senate resolution designating the week beginning September 12, 2022, as "National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week." It recognizes Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) - colleges and universities with at least 25% Hispanic undergraduate enrollment - as vital to higher education access, economic mobility, and community development. The resolution calls for public ceremonies and activities during this week to honor HSIs' contributions, particularly during Hispanic Heritage Month. This is a symbolic recognition with no policy changes or funding impacts.
This resolution applauds and expresses support for the continued cooperation between the United States and the European Union in thwarting Hezbollah's terrorist activities. It also urges the European Union to designate Hezbollah in its entirety as a terrorist organization.
Peace Corps Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2024 and modifies operations of the Peace Corps. Changes include increasing the readjustment allowance paid to volunteers when their service terminates and providing statutory authority for an executive order that grants returned volunteers noncompetitive eligibility for federal civil-service positions. Additionally, the bill entitles returned volunteers to sixty days of health care benefits. The Peace Corps must also provide volunteers with information about enrolling in U.S. health plans before service termination and mental health care during and after service. The bill also includes provisions to address involuntary termination of Peace Corps service in emergencies, including by expediting re-enrollment of involuntarily terminated volunteers. The Peace Corps must also adequately insure volunteers' safety and must coordinate with the Department of State to periodically update agreements concerning the security of Peace Corps volunteers and staff abroad. The bill also authorizes Peace Corps to recruit domestically based volunteers to serve in the United States at the request of another agency or to provide services in a host country virtually, modifies the Peace Corps National Advisory Council's membership and functions, expands whistleblower protections for volunteers, increases the rate of pay that applies to a volunteer's workers compensation claim, requires Peace Corps to implement a zero tolerance drug use policy regarding volunteer involvement with illegal drugs, and emphasizes the use of the internet in Peace Corps programs. Furthermore, the bill requires reporting, including on the provision of mental health services to volunteers.
New Philadelphia National Historic Site Act This bill establishes the New Philadelphia National Historic Site in Illinois as a unit of the National Park System to preserve, protect, and interpret the history and archeological resources of the town established by Frank McWorter, a formerly enslaved man, in 1836. The historic site shall not be established until the Department of the Interior has determined it has acquired a sufficient quantity of land or interests in and within the boundary of the historic site to constitute a manageable unit.
Whistleblower Protection Improvement Act of 2021 This bill establishes, modifies, and expands certain whistleblower protections for federal employees, including with respect to petitions to Congress, whistleblower identity, and protected disclosures. For example, the bill prohibits personnel action against employees who exercise their right to petition or furnish information to Congress and specifically precludes the President, Members of Congress, members of the uniformed services, and other federal employees from interfering with this right. It also generally prohibits employees from disclosing the identity of whistleblowers to individuals outside of the government and allows the Inspector General to determine whether to investigate a referral if the referral is found to have been made in retaliation for whistleblowing activity. Employees may request corrective action from the Merit Systems Protection Board with respect to such prohibited practices and may file an action in court if the board does not render a final decision within 180 days of a request. The bill also expands the list of recipients to whom an employee may make a protected disclosure to include a supervisor in the employee's direct chain of command. It also includes personnel actions involving furloughs of more than 14 days but less than 30 days, and furloughs of 13 days or less that are not due to funding lapses, as appealable adverse actions that are subject to certain procedural requirements.
