Sen. Marsha Blackburn

Find and Protect Foster Youth Act This bill requires the Office of the Administration for Children & Families to evaluate the protocols that states have developed to comply with the reporting requirements for locating a child missing from foster care. Additionally, the administration, through the Children's Bureau, must provide states, Indian tribes, tribal organizations, and tribal consortia with information, advice, educational materials, and technical assistance relating to eliminating identified obstacles to identifying and responding to children missing from foster care and other vulnerable foster youth and providing such children and youth with effective services.

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 concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) it opposes the establishment of a new Palestinian consulate in Jerusalem, (2) any establishment of a new consulate or diplomatic mission in Jerusalem should not move forward without congressional approval through the passage of new legislation, and (3) the presence of a United States diplomatic mission devoted to a non-state actor in Israel's sovereign capital would be an affront to the territorial integrity of a long-standing U.S. partner and ally.

Prohibiting Religious Exemption and Accommodations Databases Act This bill prohibits federal agencies from disclosing to other agencies or organizations any information relating to the religious beliefs, identity, or affiliation of an individual with a religious accommodation, including with respect to a COVID-19 vaccine requirement. The bill specifically incorporates such information into the Privacy Act of 1974 (which restricts how agencies may disclose or share records that identify individuals in the absence of written consent) and exempts related records from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (which provides the public a right to access federal agency information).

Employee Rights Act This bill makes various changes with respect to the collective bargaining process and labor relations. For example, the bill permits an employer to refuse to collectively bargain with a union within 90 days prior to the expiration of a collective bargaining agreement if the employer receives evidence that the majority of the employees in the bargaining unit do not support the union. The bill requires support from a majority of the employees in the bargaining unit (not just a majority of the employees voting) when electing union representation. The bill also requires unions to provide bargaining unit employees with the right to vote by secret ballot, including when voting whether to engage in a strike or refusal to work. Further, union dues, fees, assessments, and other contributions may be used for only collective bargaining or contract administrative functions. Additionally, the bill establishes a process for nullifying executive orders that the Office of Management and Budget determines are likely to result in an employer ordering a plant closure or mass layoff.

No Government Contracts for Known Leakers Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the U.S. government from knowingly contracting with persons who have previously disclosed nonpublic government information to unauthorized persons. The bill sets penalties for violations.

Strengthening VA Cybersecurity Act of 2022 This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to enter into an agreement with a federally funded research and development center to provide a cybersecurity assessment of at least 3, but no more than 10, high-impact VA information systems and the effectiveness of the VA's information security program and information security management system. The VA must submit a plan to Congress to address the findings of the assessment. The Government Accountability Office must review the assessment and the VA's response to the assessment and report its findings to Congress.

Maddy summarySRES 548 is a non-binding Senate resolution expressing the Senate's support for removing Russian financial institutions from specialized financial messaging systems like SWIFT. It specifically urges the President to work with U.S. allies to cut off access for major Russian banks, including Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank, and others listed in the resolution. The resolution emphasizes that this action must be taken multilaterally and maintained to address Russia's actions in Ukraine. It does not impose new sanctions but calls for coordinated international efforts to isolate Russian financial institutions.

This bill revokes certain waivers of sanctions relating to Iran's nuclear activity, including for (1) the modernization or redesign of the Arak reactor, and (2) the preparation or modification of centrifuge cascades at the Fordow facility. The bill also prohibits the President from issuing a new waiver relating to such activities.

Sunshine Protection Act of 2021 This bill makes daylight saving time the new, permanent standard time, effective November 5, 2023. States with areas exempt from daylight saving time may choose the standard time for those areas.