Rep. Troy A. Carter

This resolution celebrates the contributions of small businesses in every U.S. community and supports the designation of National Small Business Week. Further, it supports efforts to provide small businesses with aid and assistance through certain programs and initiatives.

Countering Malign Russian Activities in Africa Act This bill requires the Department of State to report to Congress a strategy and implementation plan outlining U.S. efforts to counter Russia's malign influence and activities in Africa. The State Department must also report to Congress annual updates on the strategy and implementation plan.

African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish the United States African-American Burial Grounds Preservation Program within the National Park Service (NPS). In carrying out the program, Interior may make grants to other federal agencies; state, local, and tribal governments; other public entities; educational institutions; historic preservation groups; and private nonprofit organizations for the identification of historic African-American burial grounds, the preservation and restoration of African-American burial grounds, the interpretation of African-American burial grounds, and related research and documentation for historic African-American burial grounds.

Small Business Advocacy Improvements Act of 2022 This bill expands the primary functions and additional duties of the Office of Advocacy of the Small Business Administration to include (1) examining the role of small businesses in the international economy, and (2) representing the views and interests of small businesses before foreign governments and international entities to contribute to regulatory and trade initiatives that may affect small businesses.

This resolution recognizes that Black women are experiencing high, disproportionate rates of maternal mortality and morbidity in the United States and that Black Maternal Health Week is an opportunity to deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health.

Student Loan Borrower Relief Act This bill revises income-driven repayment plans for federal student loans, including by reducing from 25 years to 15 years the maximum repayment period under these plans. Additionally, the bill makes changes to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, including by cancelling a portion of a borrower's student loans after every 12 months of eligible public service employment.

Revitalizing Small and Local Businesses Act This bill establishes a competitive grant program, administered by the Economic Development Administration, for national nonprofit organizations to partner with local organizations to provide specialized technical assistance, capacity building, and related services that support small businesses and business district revitalization in low-income, rural, and minority communities.

Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act or the MORE Act This bill decriminalizes marijuana. Specifically, it removes marijuana from the list of scheduled substances under the Controlled Substances Act and eliminates criminal penalties for an individual who manufactures, distributes, or possesses marijuana. The bill also makes other changes, including the following: replaces statutory references to marijuana and marihuana with cannabis , requires the Bureau of Labor Statistics to regularly publish demographic data on cannabis business owners and employees, establishes a trust fund to support various programs and services for individuals and businesses in communities impacted by the war on drugs, imposes an excise tax on cannabis products produced in or imported into the United States and an occupational tax on cannabis production facilities and export warehouses, makes Small Business Administration loans and services available to entities that are cannabis-related legitimate businesses or service providers, prohibits the denial of federal public benefits to a person on the basis of certain cannabis-related conduct or convictions, prohibits the denial of benefits and protections under immigration laws on the basis of a cannabis-related event (e.g., conduct or a conviction), establishes a process to expunge convictions and conduct sentencing review hearings related to federal cannabis offenses, directs the Government Accountability Office to study the societal impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis, directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to study methods for determining whether a driver is impaired by marijuana, directs the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on the workplace, and directs the Department of Education to study the impact of state legalization of recreational cannabis on schools and school-aged children.

Stop Flood Insurance Rate Hikes Act This bill allows National Flood Insurance Program policyholders to elect to pay premiums at the rate in effect prior to the implementation of Risk Rating 2.0 and to receive refunds for previously paid premiums. Risk Rating 2.0 bases premium rates on an individual property's specific flood risk instead of the flood risk of a general location and property type. Policyholders may elect to pay the previous rate until the Federal Emergency Management Agency performs several actions regarding Risk Rating 2.0, including publishing all data and methods used to calculate premium rates under Risk Rating 2.0, creating an online database where policyholders can see premium rates for their property using specified calculations, and publishing an assessment of the economic, social, and environmental impacts of Risk Rating 2.0.

Expanding Reentry Employment Assistance Act This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Labor's Reentry Employment Opportunities program, which provides competitive grants to improve employment and training outcomes and reduce recidivism of justice-involved individuals.