Improving Protections for Midshipmen Act This bill addresses sexual harassment, sexual assault, and other policies, procedures, and training for midshipmen at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. For example, the Department of Transportation (DOT) shall establish a Sexual Assault Advisory Council to review the academy's policy on sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and other relevant matters related to sexual assault and sexual harassment. The DOT's Maritime Administration shall (1) establish an information management system to track and maintain information regarding claims and incidents of sexual harassment, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking involving cadets at the academy; (2) implement comprehensive in-person sexual assault risk-reduction and response training for all midshipmen at the academy; and (3) require a biannual survey of midshipmen, faculty, and staff of the academy assessing the inclusiveness of the environment at the academy and an annual survey assessing the inclusiveness of the environment of the Sea Year program. Additionally, the bill designates a Special Victims' Advisor to provide legal assistance to any cadet of the academy who is the victim of a sex-related offense. Further, the Coast Guard shall assess the feasibility of implementing a program modeled on the Catch a Serial Offender program of the Department of Defense. The bill also expands the authority of the Coast Guard to suspend or revoke a mariner's license on grounds related to sexual harassment or assault.
Promoting Local Management of the Lesser Prairie Chicken Act This bill prohibits any population of the lesser prairie-chicken ( Tympanuchus pallidicinctus ) in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, or New Mexico from being listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). The lesser prairie-chicken is a type of grouse. Currently, two distinct population segments (DPS) of the lesser prairie-chicken are listed under the ESA. The Southern DPS of the lesser prairie-chicken is listed as endangered and the Northern DPS is listed as threatened. The bill removes both populations from the list. In addition, the bill bans Interior from listing any population of the lesser prairie-chicken as endangered or threatened in the future.
Broadband Grant Tax Treatment Act This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, certain broadband grants made for broadband deployment.
Consumer and Fuel Retailer Choice Act This bill amends the Clean Air Act to address the limitations on Reid Vapor Pressure (a measure of gasoline's volatility) that are placed on gasoline during the summer ozone season, including by applying the Reid Vapor Pressure requirements that are applicable to gasoline blended with 10% ethanol (E10) to gasoline blended with more than 10% ethanol.
HR 7075 designates a specific triangular area in Washington, D.C. (bounded by 22nd Street NW, P Street NW, and Florida Avenue NW) as "Ukrainian Independence Park," including National Park Service reservations 57D and 360 (which contains the Taras Shevchenko Memorial). The bill updates all federal references to this area to use the new name and authorizes signage highlighting Ukraine's independence and U.S.-Ukraine solidarity. This is a procedural designation bill with no substantive policy changes, solely renaming a park area.
Advancing Equality for Wabanaki Nations Act This bill allows the Wabanaki Nations in Maine to access future federal laws that are passed by Congress for the benefit of Indian tribes. Four Indian tribes (Maliseet, Micmac, Penobscot, and Passamaquoddy) make up the Wabanaki Nations. Currently, these tribes are unable to access certain federal laws and related benefits because such laws are preempted by the Maine Indian Claims Settlement Act of 1980.
Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies Act This bill establishes the Truth and Healing Commission on Indian Boarding School Policies in the United States and sets forth its powers, duties, and membership. Among other duties, the commission must investigate the impacts and ongoing effects of the Indian Boarding School Policies (federal policies under which American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children were forcibly removed from their family homes and placed in boarding schools). Further, the commission must develop recommendations on ways to (1) protect unmarked graves and accompanying land protections; (2) support repatriation and identify the tribal nations from which children were taken; and (3) discontinue the removal of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian children from their families and tribal communities by state social service departments, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies.
Save Oak Flat Act This bill repeals the requirement for the Department of Agriculture to convey the 2,422 acres of Forest System land located in Tonto National Forest in Pinal County, Arizona, known as Oak Flat, to Resolution Copper Mining, LLC, in exchange for various parcels of land owned by Resolution Copper. Oak Flat is withdrawn from (1) entry, appropriation, or disposal under the public land laws; (2) location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and (3) disposition under all laws pertaining to mineral and geothermal leasing or mineral materials.
SRES 858 is a symbolic Senate resolution expressing support for National Adoption Day and National Adoption Month. It does not create new laws or allocate funds but publicly endorses efforts to promote adoption awareness, celebrate adoptive families, and encourage Americans to consider adoption. The resolution specifically recognizes that every child deserves a permanent family and urges people to support adoption opportunities during November and year-round. It highlights existing statistics about children in foster care (e.g., 114,000 waiting for adoption) but focuses solely on raising awareness, not changing policies. This resolution was introduced by 35 Senators and adopted without legislative effect.
American Indian and Alaska Native Veterans Mental Health Act This bill directs the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide mental health and suicide prevention outreach to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Specifically, the bill requires that each VA medical center have a full-time minority veteran coordinator. The coordinator must receive training in the delivery of culturally appropriate mental health and suicide prevention services to American Indian and Alaska Native veterans. Further, the suicide prevention coordinator and minority veteran coordinator of each VA medical center must develop and disseminate a written plan for conducting mental health and suicide prevention outreach to all tribes and urban Indian health organizations within the area of the medical center.
Metropolitan Areas Protection and Standardization Act of 2021 or the MAPS Act of 2021 This act limits the automatic application of, and directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to provide information about, changes to the standards for designating a core-based statistical area (CBSA). The standards are used to delineate metropolitan and micropolitan areas for statistical purposes. Specifically, any change to the standards of CBSA delineations (1) shall not apply automatically for any nonstatistical use by any domestic assistance program, and (2) shall apply for such uses only if a relevant agency determines that the change supports the purposes of the program and is in the public interest and the change is adopted through rulemaking procedures. The OMB must ensure that any change to the standards of CBSA delineations are accompanied by a public report that explains the scientific basis, criteria, and methodology for such change and the opinions of experts in statistics and demographics who were consulted regarding the change; are not influenced by any nonstatistical considerations; and are not applied automatically for any nonstatistical use by any domestic assistance program. Additionally, the OMB must collect information on the uses of CBSA delineations by domestic assistance programs for purposes including prime recipient and subrecipient eligibility for, and distribution of, any federal service, benefit, or funding. The Government Accountability Office must submit a report assessing the information collected by the OMB pursuant to this act.
The Jackie Walorski Maternal and Child Home Visiting Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill reauthorizes through FY2027, increases funding for, and modifies the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. This program supports home visits for expectant and new parents who live in communities that are at-risk for poor maternal and child health outcomes. Changes to the program include setting out requirements for allocating program funds; increasing the percentage of funds reserved for tribal entities; establishing a publicly available dashboard that reports program outcomes; requiring activities to reduce unnecessary data collection, reporting, and other administrative requirements of the program; and allowing for virtual home visits (provided certain conditions are met). The bill also reduces funding for the Medicare Improvement Fund.
