Sen. Kevin Cramer

This resolution congratulates the pro-life movement on the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization (that there is no constitutional right to abortion), recognizes the role of states as laboratories of democracy, and expresses a commitment to ensuring the safety of pro-life supporters, government officials, and court personnel in the wake of the Court's ruling.

Unborn Child Support Act This bill requires states to apply child support obligations to the time period during pregnancy. This requirement is applicable retroactively based on a court order at the request of the pregnant parent and a determination by a physician of the month during which the child was conceived. Existing state requirements are applicable to these obligations, such as proof of parenthood.

Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 This bill provides funding for and makes changes to school meal programs and the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP). It also rescinds certain funds provided under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021; the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Specifically, the bill increases the reimbursement rate for school lunches by 40 cents and for school breakfasts by 15 cents for the school year beginning in July 2022. The bill extends the authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to waive certain requirements for the school meal programs and the CACFP to address COVID-19. In particular, the bill extends authority through September 30, 2022, for USDA to grant waivers related to summer food service programs; through June 30, 2022, for USDA to grant waivers of requirements to allow non-congregate feeding in the CACFP for purposes of providing meals and snacks with appropriate safety measures with respect to COVID-19; and through June 30, 2023, for USDA to grant waivers related to the nutritional content of meals served in child nutrition programs if it determines the waiver is necessary to provide meals and snacks, and there is a food supply chain disruption due to COVID-19. The bill authorizes USDA to establish a nationwide waiver of statutory and regulatory requirements under child nutrition programs for the 2022-2023 school year. Additionally, the bill increase the reimbursement rate for meals and snacks under the CACFP by 10 cents for the school year beginning in July 2022. Further, the bill increases the reimbursement of tier II family or group day care homes to tier I amounts for the 2022-2023 school year. The bill rescinds certain funding provided to USDA, the Department of Education, and the Small Business Administration. Finally, the bill requires USDA to ensure that technical assistance is made available to states and school food authorities for assisting parents and school leaders with transitioning to the operation of school meal programs without certain waivers.

This joint resolution nullifies a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives rule published on April 26, 2022, concerning regulatory definitions and identification of firearms.

Payment Choice Act of 202 2 This bill requires retail businesses to accept cash as a form of payment for on-site sales of less than $2,000, and it prohibits them from charging cash-paying customers a higher price compared to customers not paying with cash. Such businesses are those engaged in the business of selling or offering goods or services at retail to the public that accept in-person payments at a physical location. The bill provides for enforcement through preventative relief and civil penalties.

Prohibiting Federal Emergencies for Abortion Act This bill prohibits the President and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from declaring a federal emergency relating to abortion. Specifically, neither the President nor HHS may declare a national emergency for purposes of (1) promoting, supporting, or expanding access to abortion; or (2) taking adverse action against or litigating against states that prohibit or otherwise restrict abortion.

This bill prescribes that a peer support specialist of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) must not be responsible for providing assistance to a veteran regarding a claim for compensation for a covered mental health condition (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder) based on military sexual trauma (MST) experienced during active service. Such specialists must only provide counseling services, guidance, and support and must not participate in the adjudication of the claim. As part of the forms for claims for compensation for a covered mental health condition based on MST, the VA must include an option for a veteran to elect to be referred to a MST trauma coordinator at the VA facility closest to the veteran's residence. Additionally, the VA must (1) ensure that its peer support specialists receive annual training on providing peer support regarding MST, and (2) provide annual training on the processing of claims for compensation for covered mental health conditions based on MST to its MST coordinators and peer specialists.

Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 This act revises requirements governing ocean shipping to increase the authority of the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) to promote the growth and development of U.S. exports through an ocean transportation system that is competitive, efficient, and economical. For example, the bill requires the FMC to (1) investigate complaints about detention and demurrage charges (i.e., late fees) charged by common ocean carriers, (2) determine whether those charges are reasonable, and (3) order refunds for unreasonable charges. It also prohibits common ocean carriers, marine terminal operators, or ocean transportation intermediaries from unreasonably refusing cargo space when available or resorting to other unfair or unjustly discriminatory methods.

Maddy summaryThis Senate resolution (SRES 679) formally commemorates June 19, 2022, as "Juneteenth National Independence Day" to honor the historical event of June 19, 1865, when Union troops announced the end of slavery in Texas. It references the significance of this date in U.S. history, specifically the moment news of emancipation reached enslaved people in the Southwestern States. The resolution does not create new legal obligations or affect any specific group; it is a symbolic recognition of this historical milestone. It aligns with Juneteenth’s established status as a federal holiday, which was officially designated in 2021.

Political Bias In Algorithm Sorting Emails Act of 2022 or the Political BIAS Emails Act of 2022 This bill restricts email providers from applying filtering algorithms that label political campaign messages as spam and requires providers to publicly report on their email delivery practices.