Sen. Ruben Gallego

Military Spouse Hiring Act This bill expands the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) to include the hiring of a qualified military spouse. (The WOTC permits employers who hire individuals who are members of a targeted group such as qualified veterans, ex-felons, or long-term unemployment recipients to claim a tax credit equal to a portion of the wages paid to those individuals.) A qualified military spouse is any individual who is certified by the designated local agency as being (as of the hiring date) a spouse of a member of the Armed Forces.

This resolution declares gun violence to be a public health crisis. It also urges the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expand research and data collection on preventing gun violence and the Surgeon General to report on firearm injuries and violence prevention.

Enhanced Pay for Election Workers Act This bill directs the Election Assistance Commission to establish a program to make payments to states to provide enhanced pay for election workers, including individuals serving as election officials or poll workers on a temporary or unpaid basis.

Protecting Our Kids Act This bill makes various changes to federal firearms laws, including to establish new criminal offenses and to expand the types of weapons and devices that are subject to regulation. Among the changes, the bill generally prohibits the sale or transfer of certain semiautomatic firearms to individuals who are under 21 years of age; establishes new federal criminal offenses for gun trafficking and related conduct; establishes a federal statutory framework to regulate ghost guns (i.e., guns without serial numbers); establishes a framework to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises at the federal, state, and tribal levels; subjects bump stocks to regulation under federal firearms laws; generally prohibits the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of large capacity ammunition feeding devices; and requires the Department of Justice to report on the demographic data of persons who are determined to be ineligible to purchase a firearm based on a background check performed by the national instant criminal background check system.

Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2022 This bill authorizes and establishes procedures for federal courts to issue federal extreme risk protection orders. Additionally, the bill establishes grants to support the implementation of extreme risk protection order laws at the state and local levels, extends federal firearms restrictions to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders, and expands related data collection. Extreme risk protection order laws, or red flag laws, generally allow certain individuals (e.g., law enforcement officers or family members) to petition a court for a temporary order that prohibits an at-risk individual from purchasing and possessing firearms. Among its provisions, the bill authorizes a family or household member, or a law enforcement officer, to petition for a federal extreme risk protection order with respect to an individual who poses a risk to themselves or others; directs the Department of Justice to establish a grant program to help states, local governments, Indian tribes, and other entities implement extreme risk protection order laws; extends federal restrictions on the receipt, possession, shipment, and transportation of firearms and ammunition to individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders; and requires the Federal Bureau of Investigation to compile records from federal, tribal, and state courts and other agencies that identify individuals who are subject to extreme risk protection orders.

This resolution condemns in the strongest terms the great replacement theory, which it describes as a white supremacist conspiracy theory that has been used to falsely justify racially motivated, violent acts of terrorism domestically and internationally.

Stay Cool Act This bill addresses risks associated with extreme heat, including through grants and activities that support (1) public preparedness and response to heat emergencies, (2) community-based interventions (e.g., cooling centers), (3) air conditioning and other cooling mechanisms in federally assisted housing, and (4) urban green spaces and vegetation.

Keep Infant Formula Safe and On the Shelves Act of 2022 This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to periodically inspect infant formula manufacturing facilities and addresses related issues. The FDA must periodically conduct inspections, including unannounced inspections, of infant formula manufacturer facilities. If the FDA makes a notable regulatory finding at such a facility, the manufacturer must undergo a comprehensive food safety audit that includes a root cause analysis, enhanced testing, and comprehensive environmental samples. A manufacturer of infant formula or essential medical food must notify the FDA no later than five business days after becoming aware of circumstances that could lead to a shortage of the relevant product in the United States. Further, the FDA must create and annually update a list of U.S. manufacturing facilities that could be converted to manufacture infant formula during a shortage. In the event of a shortage, the FDA may require infant formula manufacturers to provide certain information, such as the quantity of formula in a manufacturer's inventory. The bill also establishes under statute that food, including infant formula, is a critical material essential to the national defense and therefore subject to authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950. (Such authorities authorize the President to take various actions, such as requiring businesses to prioritize certain government contracts and incentivizing the domestic industrial base to expand the production of critical materials.) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration must issue a fact sheet and provide technical assistance to infant formula manufacturers to promote compliance with occupational health and safety standards.

Military Access to Reproductive Care and Health for Military Servicemembers Act or the MARCH for Military Servicemembers Act This bill repeals the restriction on utilizing Department of Defense funds and facilities for performing abortions. The restriction only allows such funds and facilities to be used for abortions in cases of rape, incest, or where the mother's life is endangered.

This resolution recognizes 100 years of continuous diplomatic relations between the United States and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania (the Baltic States). The resolution also commits to providing continued support for the Baltic States through economic and security cooperation, including through the Baltic Security Initiative.