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.
This bill retroactively applies the Generalized System of Preferences (a U.S. trade preference program that provides duty-free access to imports on products from certain developing countries) for the period after December 31, 2020, and before September 1, 2022. These covered articles shall be liquidated or reliquidated as though entry occurred on December 31, 2020. A request for liquidation or reliquidation must be filed with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and such request must contain sufficient information for CBP to locate the entry or, if the entry cannot be located, reconstruct the entry. Any amounts owed by the United States pursuant to liquidation or reliquidation of an entry of a covered article shall be paid without interest.
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.
Improving Seniors' Timely Access to Care Act of 2022 This bill establishes several requirements and standards relating to prior authorization processes under Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. Specifically, MA plans must (1) establish an electronic prior authorization program that meets specified standards, including the ability to provide real-time decisions in response to requests for items and services that are routinely approved; (2) annually publish specified prior authorization information, including the percentage of requests approved and the average response time; and (3) meet other standards, as set by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, relating to the quality and timeliness of prior authorization determinations.
Assuring that the Fact-Finding Examination Continues to Track Human Rights in Venezuela Act or the AFFECT Human Rights in Venezuela Act This bill requires the Department of State to act in the United Nations to extend the mandate of the International Fact-Finding Mission in Venezuela and to provide technical assistance to the Fact-Finding Mission. The bill also authorizes the President to direct U.S. representatives to the United Nations to support actions addressing Venezuela's human rights violations.
This concurrent resolution (1) calls on the Members of Congress and all people of the United States to observe September 11, 2022, as a National Day of Service and Remembrance in honor of those who lost their lives or were injured in the September 11, 2001, attacks and in tribute to those who came to the aid of those in need and to the defense of the United States; and (2) recognizes the heroic actions of first responders and other citizens in New York, New York, the District of Columbia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Commemorative Coin Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to mint and issue 50,000 $5 gold coins, 400,000 $1 silver coins, and 750,000 half-dollar clad coins emblematic of the legacy of Harriet Tubman as an abolitionist. The Secretary may issue coins under this bill only during the period of January 1, 2024, through December 31, 2024. All surcharges received by Treasury from the sale of such coins must be paid equally to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, and The Harriet Tubman Home, Inc. in Auburn, New York, for the purpose of accomplishing and advancing their missions.
Assault Weapons Ban of 2022 This bill makes it a crime to knowingly import, sell, manufacture, transfer, or possess a semiautomatic assault weapon (SAW) or large capacity ammunition feeding device (LCAFD). The prohibition does not apply to a firearm that is (1) manually operated by bolt, pump, lever, or slide action, except for certain shotguns; (2) permanently inoperable; (3) an antique; (4) only capable of firing rimfire ammunition; or (5) a rifle or shotgun specifically identified by make and model. The bill also exempts from the prohibition the following, with respect to a SAW or LCAFD: importation, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession related to certain law enforcement efforts, or authorized tests or experiments; importation, sale, transfer, or possession related to securing nuclear materials; and possession by a retired law enforcement officer. The bill permits continued possession, sale, or transfer of a grandfathered SAW, which must be securely stored. A licensed gun dealer must conduct a background check prior to the sale or transfer of a grandfathered SAW between private parties. The bill permits continued possession of, but prohibits sale or transfer of, a grandfathered LCAFD. Newly manufactured LCAFDs must display serial number identification. Newly manufactured SAWs and LCAFDs must display the date of manufacture. The bill also allows a state or local government to use Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to compensate individuals who surrender a SAW or LCAFD under a buy-back program.
Physical activity, Living healthy, Access, Youth development, and Safety in Youth Sports Act or the PLAYS in Youth Sports Act This bill directs the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to establish a program to award grants to eligible national nonprofit organizations to improve the health and positive youth development impacts of youth sports participation and to increase access to youth sports for all children and youth, especially underserved populations. The activities supported include training and certification programs for coaches; training for youth development and character development; instructing positive parental involvement; developing and implementing coach and volunteer retention efforts; fostering a positive sport experience for all involved that emphasizes athlete development over winning at all costs; and activities to enhance effects beyond the playing field, such as with respect to nutrition practices, academic performance, encouragement of life-long practices, and promotion of positive self-image. The bill sets forth provisions regarding background checks of coaches, mentors, and other adults with access to youth sports participants. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may establish a program to award grants to municipalities, counties, and states to fund efforts to establish and implement model standards, such as through surveys, studies, pilot programs, and guidelines, for out-of-school youth sports coaches. The Government Accountability Office and HHS must report to Congress regarding youth sports. The bill authorizes the CDC and the National Institutes of Health to undertake, support, enhance, and expand research and prevention efforts to advance youth sports safety.
Keeping Girls in School Act This bill authorizes the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to enter into agreements to address social, cultural, health, and other barriers that adolescent girls face in accessing quality secondary education. The USAID shall seek to ensure that such activities meet various requirements related to monitoring and evaluating outcomes, collecting data, and using specified indicators and methodologies for international basic education. The Department of State shall periodically update and report to Congress a publicly available U.S. global strategy to empower adolescent girls, and the USAID shall periodically report to Congress on the activities initiated under this bill and efforts to monitor and evaluate such activities.
