Rep. Vern Buchanan

Sanctioning Tyrannical and Oppressive People within the Chinese Communist Party Act or the STOP CCP Act This bill imposes visa- and property-blocking sanctions on any person who is or was a member of any National Communist Party Congress of China, as well as any adult family member of such a person. The President may waive the sanctions for renewable periods of 30 days by certifying to Congress that China's government and the Chinese Communist Party have ceased (1) any acts of genocide against the Uyghur Muslim population; (2) all threats, military exercises, and aggression toward Taiwan; (3) undermining the autonomy of Hong Kong; and (4) any efforts to steal the intellectual property of U.S. persons. The certification must also be publicly available on a federal government website.

Stop the Betrayal Act of 2022 This bill prohibits using federal funds to transport an unlawfully present non-U.S. national ( alien under federal law) into a U.S. region that is not within the border jurisdiction of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, unless such transportation is for (1) enforcing immigration laws, or (2) bringing an unaccompanied alien child to a Department of Health and Human Services facility.

Removing Waste and Protecting Medicare Act This bill makes several budgetary changes, including (1) prohibiting sequestration orders in 2022, (2) rescinding certain COVID-19 state and local relief funds, and (3) extending certain adjustments under Medicare with respect to sequestration and payments under the physician fee schedule. It also modifies requirements relating to federal programs and benefits, such as permanently requiring taxpayers to include Social Security numbers on their tax returns in order to qualify for the child tax credit.

Illegal Immigrant Payoff Prohibition Act This bill prohibits the payment of a settlement to an alien for a civil action brought against the United States in connection with the alien's inadmissibility to, or unlawful presence in, the United States.

Supporting Every at-Risk Veteran In Critical Emergencies Act of 2021 or the SERVICE Act of 2021 This bill authorizes the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services within the Department of Justice to make grants to support the creation and operation of veterans' response teams in state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies.

Better Enforcement of Grievous Offenses by unNaturalized Emigrants Act or the BE GONE Act This bill expands, for immigration purposes, the definition of aggravated felony to include sexual abuse, sexual assault, and aggravated sexual violence. (Under current law, a conviction for an aggravated felony is grounds for deportation and may bar an individual from other immigration-related benefits.)

Stop the Importation and Manufacturing of Synthetic Analogues Act of 2021 or SIMSA This bill establishes a process and requirements for regulating substances that have a similar chemical structure and actual or predicted effect as a controlled substance that is currently subject to such regulation because of its potential for abuse or dependence.

Never Again International Outbreak Prevention Act This bill establishes measures related to international accountability for outbreaks of novel viruses and diseases. The Department of State must establish lists of countries based on the procedures and standards each country has implemented to (1) identify outbreaks and monitor diseases, and (2) ensure that novel viruses and diseases are timely reported. The President must take specified action with respect to countries that are deemed capable of implementing such procedures and standards but have not done so. The President may also sanction government officials of such countries. Foreign state sovereign immunity is waived in any case seeking damages against a foreign state for (1) injury or death in the United States caused by a state's failure to abide by such procedures and standards, or (2) intentionally misleading the international community or the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the outbreak or spread of a health concern that leads to a pandemic. The President must facilitate (1) an international investigation and report on the response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), and (2) an international audit of the WHO relating to its actions in response to COVID-19. The U.S. Representative to the United Nations (U.N.) must request that the U.N. (1) review the WHO's response to COVID-19, and (2) recommend actions to improve future responses and ensure WHO accountability for identified failures. The Representative shall seek a global ban on wet markets (markets where animals of uncertified origin and health are sold in unhygienic conditions, dead or alive, for human consumption).

Major Richard Star Act This bill provides that combat-disabled uniformed services retirees with fewer than 20 years of creditable service may concurrently receive, without reduction, veterans' disability compensation and retired pay or combat-related special compensation.

This bill prohibits an individual who is not a U.S. citizen from voting in any elections in the District of Columbia (DC). Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections; however, the DC Council passed a bill on October 18, 2022, that allows noncitizens who meet residency and other requirements to vote in local elections.