Rep. Kathy Castor

Safety From Violence for Healthcare Employees Act or the SAVE Act This bill establishes a new criminal offense for knowingly assaulting or intimidating hospital personnel during the performance of their official duties in a manner that interferes with their performance of the duties or limits their ability to perform the duties. Additionally, the bill authorizes grants to reduce the incidence of violence at hospitals, including violence or intimidation against hospital personnel in the performance of their duties.

Oil and Gas Industry Antitrust Act This bill requires the Federal Trade Commission to investigate and report on whether the price of gasoline is being manipulated by reducing refinery capacity or by any other form of market manipulation. The report must include a long-term strategy for the commission and Congress to address manipulation of oil and gas markets during times of national or international crisis or emergency.

Strengthen and Tackle Opportunities to Prevent Violence Act of 2022 or the STOP Violence Act of 2022 This bill allows funds under the Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program to be used for efforts to prepare against mass violence and protect public assembly facilities.

Stopping Harmful Image Exploitation and Limiting Distribution Act of 2022 or the SHIELD Act of 2022 This bill establishes a new criminal offense related to the distribution of intimate visual depictions. Specifically, it makes it a crime to knowingly distribute (or intentionally threaten to distribute) an intimate visual depiction of an individual (1) with knowledge of or reckless disregard for the individual's lack of consent and reasonable expectation of privacy, and (2) without a reasonable belief that distributing the depiction touches a matter of public concern. A violator is subject to criminal penalties—a fine, a prison term of up to two years for each individual victim depicted, or both.

Cuban Family Reunification Parole Act of 2022 This bill directs the Department of State to restart processing applications under the Cuban Family Reunification Parole Program. (The program, which was suspended in 2017, allows eligible U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to apply for parole for family members in Cuba, who can then enter the United States while waiting for immigrant visas.) The State Department must prioritize applications filed before this bill's enactment and ensure that the adjudication of such applications begin no later than six months after this bill's enactment date.

Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2022 This bill prohibits government entities and insurance providers from denying community-based services to individuals with disabilities that require long-term service or support that would enable such individuals to live in the community and lead an independent life. Specifically, these entities may not discriminate against such individuals in the provision of community-based services by such actions as imposing prohibited eligibility criteria, cost caps, or waiting lists or failing to provide a specific community-based service. Additionally, community-based services must be offered to individuals with such disabilities prior to institutionalization. Institutionalized individuals must be notified regularly of community-based alternatives. The bill requires the Department of Justice to issue regulations requiring government entities and insurance providers to offer community-based long-term services to individuals with such disabilities who would otherwise qualify for institutional placement. Government entities must ensure sufficient availability of affordable, accessible, and integrated housing that is not a disability-specific residential setting or a setting where services are tied to tenancy. Regulations shall also (1) require government entities and insurance providers to perform self-evaluation on current services, policies, and practices and concerning compliance with requirements of this bill; and (2) require government entities to submit a transition plan. The bill provides funds for FY2022 for the Department of Health and Human Services to provide technical assistance with respect to transition plans. The bill allows civil actions by individuals subjected to, or about to be subjected to, a violation of its requirements.

Porch Pirates Act of 2022 This bill extends federal criminal penalties for obstruction of correspondence and theft of stolen mail matter (which apply to U.S. Postal Service mail) to matter (e.g., packages) sent or delivered by private or commercial interstate carriers.

Landlord Accountability Act of 2022 This bill provides protections to tenants of certain federally assisted housing and establishes a low-income housing maintenance tax credit for eligible landlords. Specifically, the bill prohibits discrimination, in the context of rental housing, against individuals who possess a housing choice voucher. Additionally, the bill prohibits landlords from taking or failing to take certain actions with the intent to make a unit ineligible to receive assistance from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Landlords that violate this prohibition are subject to a penalty for each violation and may be sued by tenants who are harmed. In addition, the bill allows HUD to provide grants to states, Indian tribes, local governments, and affordable housing organizations to develop, expand, and assist tenant harassment prevention programs. The bill also provides protections to tenants of multifamily housing projects by requiring HUD to (1) increase the staffing level for the Multifamily Housing Complaint Line, (2) create a Multifamily Housing Complaint Resolution Program, and (3) publicly disclose on its website information regarding each complaint received under the program. Landlords must also display in certain multifamily housing projects information about the complaint line and the phone number of the regional or local HUD office. In addition, the bill provides a tax credit to qualifying landlords that is equal to the landlord's low-income housing maintenance expenses for the year. To qualify, landlords must have addressed within 30 days any complaints filed against them under the complaint resolution program.

Climate Resilience Workforce Act This bill sets forth provisions to establish a climate resilience workforce, a national climate resilience action plan, an Office of Climate Resilience within the White House, and related efforts and entities.

Lifting Immigrant Families Through Benefits Access Restoration Act of 2021 or the LIFT the BAR Act of 2021 This bill repeals certain limits on the eligibility of noncitizens who lawfully reside in the United States for federal means-tested programs, including Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), programs funded through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) grants, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and certain nutrition and housing programs.