Rep. Lance Gooden

Second Amendment is Essential Act of 2021 This bill directs the Department of Homeland Security to designate the business of importing, manufacturing, or dealing firearms, or importing or manufacturing ammunition, as a critical infrastructure sector. Additionally, the bill states that individuals who are employed by those entities are critical infrastructure workers. The term critical infrastructure means systems and assets, physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health and safety, or any combination of those matters.

No Vaccine Passports for Americans Act This bill restricts collection and disclosure of an individual's vaccination status, including for COVID-19 vaccinations. It also makes it unlawful to discriminate based on COVID-19 vaccination status and to mandate vaccination in certain circumstances. Specifically, the bill prohibits the use of federal funds to establish or collaborate with federal, state, private, or international systems that track or monitor an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status. Additionally, federal agencies must destroy existing records that contain information about an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status within 30 days. Furthermore, agencies may not issue vaccine passports or similar standardized documentation of COVID-19 vaccination status. The bill also prohibits discrimination based on COVID-19 vaccination status or willingness to provide documentation of vaccination status in employment, public accommodations, and certain public programs and services. Remedies and enforcement mechanisms available under federal civil rights laws apply to violations under this bill. In addition, federal privacy standards for health information must prohibit the disclosure of non-anonymized information about the status of any vaccination without a patient's express consent. Moreover, the bill makes anyone who requests an individual's vaccination status subject to these standards. The bill temporarily bans (1) mandates for vaccines authorized for use under emergency procedures, and (2) administration of those vaccines to minors or individuals who lack capacity to consent to vaccinations without the consent of their parent or guardian. It also prohibits public disclosure of an individual's COVID-19 vaccination status without express, written consent. Violations of these prohibitions are subject to criminal and civil penalties.

Protecting Individual Sovereignty Through Our Laws Act or the PISTOL Act This bill modifies the definition of rifle for purposes of the National Firearms Act to exclude from such definition a pistol equipped with a rear brace or rear attachment designed to assist the shooter in controlling the pistol. The bill also directs the Department of Justice to amend applicable regulations governing pistols to provide that the presence or absence of rear mounted braces or attachments that can assist a user in controlling the pistol shall not cause a firearm to be considered a pistol.

Stars and Stripes Act of 2021 This bill prohibits the Department of State from displaying any flag or banner at a diplomatic or consular post other than specified flags. Such flags are (1) the U.S. flag; (2) the flag of the country wherein the post is located; (3) the flag of a state, territory, or possession of the United States; (4) a departmental or secretarial flag; (5) the flag of an Armed Force; or (6) a flag to honor prisoners of war or those missing in action.

Preventing Anti-Semitic Hate Crimes Act This bill requires a designated officer or employee of the Department of Justice (DOJ) to facilitate the expedited review of anti-Semitic hate crimes and reports of anti-Semitic hate crimes. Further, the bill requires DOJ to issue guidance for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies on expanding public education campaigns to raise awareness of anti-Semitic hate crimes. Finally, the bill increases the statutory maximum prison term for an individual who is convicted of a federal hate crime offense after a prior conviction for a hate crime offense under federal law or a hate crime felony under state law.

Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act of 2022 This bill bars the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture from prohibiting or regulating the use of lead ammunition or tackle on federal land or water that is under the jurisdiction of such departments and made available for hunting or fishing. The bill makes exceptions for specified existing regulations and where the applicable department determines that a decline in wildlife population at the specific unit of federal land or water is primarily caused by the use of lead in ammunition or tackle, based on the field data from such unit, and the state approves the regulations.

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.

Stop the Sexualization of Children Act This bill prohibits the presentation of sexually oriented materials to children under the age of 10. The bill defines sexually oriented material as any (1) depiction or description of sexual activity; (2) lewd or lascivious depiction or description of human genitals; or (3) topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects. Specifically, the bill prohibits (1) the use of federal funds to develop, implement, facilitate, or fund any sexually oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10; and (2) the use of federal facilities or properties to host or promote such programs, events, or literature. The bill grants a parent or guardian a private right of action against a government official, government agency, or private entity that violates this bill. Additionally, the bill prohibits federal agencies from disbursing federal funds to a government agency or private entity for three fiscal years if the agency or entity has received two or more injunctions for violations of the bill in a five-year period.

Merger Filing Fee Modernization Act of 202 2 This bill modifies and expands the schedule for graduated merger filing fees and requires that such fees be adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index. It also (1) requires parties to disclose in their premerger notification filings any subsidy received from a foreign entity of concern, (2) modifies the venue rules for multi-district antitrust litigation, and (3) establishes various reporting requirements.

Maddy summaryHR 9132 extends the operational authority of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) by amending the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act of 2020 to change its expiration date from July 1, 2022, to January 1, 2024. This extension directly affects HISA, the agency responsible for setting and enforcing safety and integrity standards in thoroughbred horse racing. The key provision is a simple date adjustment in the existing law, without altering HISA's duties or creating new regulations. This change ensures HISA can continue overseeing safety protocols without legislative interruption until the new deadline.