Rep. Adrian Smith

Stop Iranian Drones Act This bill expands existing provisions requiring sanctions against individuals or entities that provide certain types of weapons to Iran. Specifically, the bill modifies the provisions by adding unmanned combat aerial vehicles to the list of weapons covered by the sanctions. The bill also requires the Department of State to periodically report to Congress on the identities of any Iranian entity that has attacked a U.S. citizen using an unmanned combat aerial vehicle. The President must designate any such entity as a foreign terrorist organization.

Deterring Enemy Forces and Enabling National Defenses Act of 2022 or the DEFEND Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Defense to seek to cooperate with Middle East allies and partners (i.e., countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and other countries in the region as appropriate) to identify and develop an approach for such allies and partners to implement an integrated air and missile defense capability to protect against attacks from Iran and groups linked to Iran.

Connecting Rural Telehealth to the Future Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill extends through 2024 certain flexibilities that were initially authorized during the public health emergency relating to COVID-19. Among other things, the bill allows (1) rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers to serve as the distant site (i.e., the location of the health care practitioner), (2) the home of a beneficiary to serve as the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) for all services (rather than for only certain services), and (3) other types of practitioners to furnish telehealth services.

Maddy summaryThe Kidney Health Connect Act of 2022 allows Medicare to cover telehealth visits for kidney disease patients at renal dialysis facilities, removing previous geographic restrictions. It specifically eliminates the requirement that patients must have a face-to-face visit with a doctor during the same month to receive telehealth services at these facilities. This change directly affects Medicare beneficiaries receiving dialysis treatment, making it easier for them to access remote care from their regular dialysis centers. The bill modifies Medicare rules to treat dialysis facilities as valid telehealth originating sites without location limitations.

Preventing Racism in Medicare Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from including the development of anti-racism plans (i.e., plans to address systemic racism in health care) as a qualifying clinical practice improvement activity under the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), as described in a November 2021 rule. (MIPS is an incentive program under Medicare that allows health care professionals to receive payment adjustments based on certain performance measures.)

Taylor Force Martyr Payment Prevention Act of 2022 This bill expands the institutional factors the Department of the Treasury must consider when making a finding that a foreign financial institution is of primary money laundering concern and is therefore subject to special measures, including the prohibition of opening or maintaining correspondent accounts in U.S financial institutions. Specifically, Treasury must consider (1) the extent to which an institution knowingly provides financial services to Hamas, or to an agent of Hamas; and (2) the extent to which an institution, transaction, or type of account is used to facilitate or promote payments for certain acts of terrorism against U.S. and Israeli citizens.

Babies Need More Formula Now Act of 2022 This bill addresses the regulation of infant formula, including by authorizing the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to waive certain requirements related to importation. The FDA may waive labeling requirements related to the importation (or distribution or sale) of infant formula from a country with requirements that provide a similar assurance of safety as U.S. requirements. The FDA must, when appropriate, enter into arrangements to harmonize U.S. regulatory requirements pertaining to infant formula with the requirements of other nations. The bill imposes time lines for the FDA to respond to submissions for market approval for new infant formula. The FDA must also issue guidance as to what types of changes in the ingredients of infant formula, if any, may not require a new growth study to meet FDA requirements. The bill also authorizes a person to import, without prior notice to the FDA, up to a three-month supply of infant formula for personal use from a country with formula safety standards similar to U.S. standards, such as Canada. Before recommending or requiring a recall of infant formula due exclusively to a labeling deficiency, the FDA must ensure that the recall will not negatively affect the supply of formula in the United States. The bill also requires the FDA to (1) notify Congress no later than 24 hours after initiating a formula recall, and (2) provide certain information to formula manufacturers about restarting production after an inspection of a manufacturing facility impacted by a recall.

North Platte Canteen Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to recognize the individuals and communities that provided financial and other support for the North Platte Canteen in North Platte, Nebraska, during World War II. The North Platte Canteen, a volunteer-run effort, provided entertainment to U.S. troops traveling across the country.

Commonsense Reporting Act of 2022 This bill addresses the eligibility verification process for the premium assistance tax credit and cost-sharing subsidy under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). It requires the Department of the Treasury to develop and implement a reporting system that allows employers to voluntarily report information about their health plans for the current plan year prior to the beginning of open enrollment. The bill also allows electronic transmission of employee and enrollee statements and permits Treasury to accept full names and dates of birth in lieu of dependents' and spouses' Social Security account numbers. The bill also allows certain large employers who do not offer their employees minimum health care coverage 90 days to appeal an assessment for not providing such coverage. The Government Accountability Office must evaluate (1) for the period beginning on January 1, 2015, and ending on December 31, 2020, the notification of employers by PPACA exchanges of the eligibility of employees for advance payments of the premium assistance tax credit or cost-sharing subsidies; and (2) for calendar year 2023, the functionality of the prospective reporting system established by this bill, including the accuracy of information collected.

This resolution condemns the unauthorized leak of a draft Supreme Court opinion concerning abortion and the related violence, property damage, and attempted intimidation of Supreme Court Justices by activists. It also encourages the enforcement of federal criminal laws that prohibit protests and picketing outside of the homes of federal judges, jurors, witnesses, and others involved in the U.S. court system.