Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution designates September 18-24, 2022, as "Community School Coordinators Appreciation Week" to symbolically recognize the work of community school coordinators. It does not create new programs, funding, or policy changes. The resolution thanks coordinators for their role in supporting students, families, and communities through collaborative school-community partnerships. It encourages public participation in events celebrating these coordinators' contributions to student success and community well-being. As a commemorative resolution, it has no direct legal or financial impact on affected individuals or entities.

Healthy Climate and Family Security Act of 2022 This bill addresses the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a program that caps the emissions of carbon dioxide and auctions carbon permits to producers or importers of crude oil, domestic or foreign coal operations, or certain natural gas entities. The bill also establishes the Healthy Climate Trust Fund for the proceeds of the auctions to be distributed as dividend payments to U.S. individuals.

This concurrent resolution commemorates the 30th anniversary of Operation Provide Comfort (the humanitarian operation to defend and deliver aid to Kurdish refugees fleeing Iraqi Kurdistan due to attacks by the regime of Saddam Hussein). It also reaffirms the strong partnership between the United States and the Iraqi Kurds.

Maddy summarySRES 875 is a non-binding Senate resolution declaring racism a public health crisis in the United States. It directly affects racial and ethnic minority communities, which face documented health disparities including lower life expectancy, higher maternal mortality, and worse pandemic outcomes due to systemic inequities. The resolution commits the Senate to establishing a nationwide strategy to address health disparities, dismantle systemic racism, and advance reforms for communities disproportionately impacted by racism. It cites evidence from public health experts and historical data showing racism meets all criteria of a public health crisis: widespread impact, unfair distribution, preventable nature, and lack of current preventive measures. The resolution is symbolic, urging cross-government action but not creating new laws or funding.

Medical Innovation Act of 2022 This bill requires certain drug manufacturers to make payments to fund research supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A drug manufacturer with over $1 billion in net income in a fiscal year that has entered into a relevant settlement agreement regarding specified violations must pay 0.75%-1.5% of its net income to the Department of Health and Human Services for each of its covered blockbuster drugs. A covered blockbuster drug is a drug that has at least $1 billion in net sales in a year and was developed, in whole or in part, through federal investments in medical research. Payments are divided between the FDA and the NIH in proportion to the discretionary funding of those agencies, excluding FDA user fees. Payments are not disbursed if appropriations for the FDA or the NIH are lower than in the prior fiscal year. Priorities for payments must include advancing regulatory science for medical products and research related to diseases that disproportionately account for federal health care spending. A covered blockbuster drug for which a manufacturer has not made a required payment is considered misbranded and subject to prohibitions on introducing or receiving misbranded drugs in interstate commerce.

Data Mapping to Save Moms' Lives Act This act directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to include data on maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity in its broadband health mapping tool. This is an online platform that allows users to visualize, overlay, and analyze broadband and health data at national, state, and county levels. The FCC must consult with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding the data to incorporate into the tool.

This joint resolution proposes a constitutional amendment related to the fundamental right to vote. Specifically, it grants every U.S. citizen of legal voting age the fundamental right to vote in any public election held in the jurisdiction in which the citizen resides. Next, it specifies that the fundamental right to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States, a state, or a political subdivision of a state, unless the denial or abridgment is in furtherance of a compelling governmental interest by the least restrictive means. Finally, it repeals a specific portion of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which allows for the denial of the right to vote based on crime. (Currently, some states disallow individuals from voting, either temporarily or indefinitely, after incarceration for a felony.)

Expanding Disability Access to Higher Education Act This bill establishes and revises programs to increase access to higher education for students with disabilities and increase their graduation rates. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Education (ED) to award additional funds under existing TRIO programs (i.e., programs designed to identify and support disadvantaged students) to increase the number of individuals with disabilities served by such programs; award grants to institutions of higher education to establish offices of accessibility on their campuses to support students and staff with disabilities; and collect data on students served by TRIO programs and Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, including with respect to student persistence in such programs, graduation rates, postsecondary enrollment rates, and supports provided to enrolled students. The bill also directs the Government Accountability Office to review and report on how ED and TRIO program agencies identify and support students with disabilities.

Continuity for Operators with Necessary Training Required for ATC Contract Towers Act of 2021 or the CONTRACT Act of 2021 This bill exempts certain air traffic controllers from a required reduction in their retirement annuity payment on account of earnings from certain work performed while entitled to such annuity. Under current law, retired Federal Aviation Administration air traffic controllers receive an annuity payment during the period between the mandatory retirement age of 56 and the Social Security minimum age of 62. Such annuity payment is required to be reduced by a certain percentage of any excess earnings during this period. The bill exempts from such reduction in annuity payments an air traffic controller who participates in the Air Traffic Control Contract Program (a public-private partnership for air traffic control services) following mandatory retirement.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates September as "African Diaspora Heritage Month" in the U.S. Code (Section 3(a)). It requests the President and state/local officials issue annual proclamations encouraging communities to observe the month with programs and activities. The bill directly affects all Americans by creating a designated month for recognizing the African diaspora community's contributions, as outlined in the findings section. This is a procedural designation with no new funding or regulatory changes.