Sen. Chris Van Hollen

Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act This bill establishes a series of requirements relating to the collection of medical debt. Among other provisions, the bill restricts the circumstances under which health care entities may initiate extraordinary collection actions, requires entities to provide detailed debt statements and payment receipts to patients, and establishes a public medical debt collection database with information about medical debt collectors.

This concurrent resolution commemorates the 50th anniversary of the enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972, commonly known as the Clean Water Act.

Maddy summarySRES 846 is a symbolic Senate resolution designating November 2022 as "National College Application Month." It encourages all Americans to evaluate college options, submit financial aid applications (like the FAFSA), and support students in navigating the college application process. The resolution urges communities, educators, and officials to host activities promoting college applications and financial aid awareness, with a specific focus on helping low-income and first-generation students. It does not create new programs or funding but aims to raise awareness about higher education opportunities.

This resolution (1) recognizes October 2022 as National Principals Month and supports its goals and ideals; and (2) honors the contributions of principals in elementary, middle, and high schools in the United States.

Eliminating Discrimination And Creating Corridors to Expand Student Success Act of 2022 or the ED ACCESS Act of 2022 This bill repeals the prohibition against granting the American Opportunity Tax Credit to students with federal or state felony drug convictions.

Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act of 2022 or the RISEE Act of 2022 This bill expands the amount of revenue generated from leases for energy development on federal land or submerged lands in the Outer Continental Shelf that is shared with certain states and coastal communities. For example, the bill dedicates a percentage of the revenue generated from offshore wind leases for coastal states. Currently, this revenue is deposited in the U.S. Treasury. In addition, the bill increases the amount of revenue generated from offshore oil and gas leases that is shared with states under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act. States must use the funding from the revenue for specified purposes, such as coastal restoration, conservation, or infrastructure.

Stopping Abuse and Fraud in Electronic Lending Act of 2022 or the SAFE Lending Act of 2022 This bill revises requirements related to consumer financial protection and small-dollar lending, including matters concerning remotely created checks, electronic fund transfers, registration of small-dollar lenders, overdraft fees, and the collection of personal information. Under the bill, remotely created checks may only be issued by a person specifically designated in writing by a consumer and provided to the consumer's depository institution. (A remotely created check is a check not issued by the bank and not signed by the account owner.) A voluntary agreement to repay a small-dollar consumer credit transaction by an electronic fund transfer is subject to certain protections, including the right of the consumer to stop payment. Small-dollar consumer credit providers must register with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Any small-dollar consumer credit transaction is subject to the laws of the state in which the consumer resides. The bill also prohibits overdraft fees on prepaid accounts.

Data on Interactions and Accountability for Law Enforcement with Individuals with Disabilities Act This bill expands activities to collect data about interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. In particular, the bill establishes a temporary advisory council within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to develop a methodology for collecting and reporting data on interactions between law enforcement officers and individuals with disabilities. HHS must award a grant to an independent research organization or institution of higher education to test the validity and reliability of the council's methodology. The council must also provide the Department of Justice with best practices to collect disability status in cases where a death or injury occurred because of an interaction with law enforcement. The bill also requires certain federal initiatives that collect information about interactions with law enforcement (e.g., the National Use-of-Force Data Collection) to include disability status. Further, the Bureau of Justice must award a grant to an independent third-party organization (e.g., an institution of higher education) for identifying trends using certain survey data in violence committed by law enforcement officers against individuals with disabilities.

This resolution recognizes the long history and positive economic effects of the Social Security programs. It also expresses the belief that the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income programs should continue to be funded through mandatory spending.

This resolution designates the week of September 26-October 2, 2022, as Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Week and recognizes the 15th anniversary of the establishment of the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program.