Original Slavery Remembrance Day Resolution of 2021 This resolution supports the designation of a Slavery Remembrance Day and condemns slavery and its progenies.
Combating Violent and Dangerous Crime Act This bill revises various statutes with respect to violent crimes and establishes new criminal offenses. For example, the bill (1) increases the statutory maximum penalty for carjacking, and (2) establishes enhanced criminal penalties for certain federal drug offenses involving the manufacture or distribution of candy-flavored controlled substances or similar products for minors.
This bill permanently allows occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and audiologists to provide telehealth services under Medicare.
This resolution recognizes the Senate's observation of Countering International Parental Child Abduction Month in April 2022. It also urges the United States to lead in raising awareness about the devastating impact of international parental child abduction.
Access to Safe Contraception Act of 2022 This bill prohibits states from banning any form of contraception that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The bill does not preempt state laws that protect the right of any entity to opt out of providing contraception due to the entity's religious or moral beliefs.
Right to Contraception Act This bill sets out statutory protections for an individual's right to access and a health care provider's right to provide contraception and related information. Contraception refers to an action taken to prevent pregnancy, including the use of contraceptives (i.e., a device or medication used to prevent pregnancy), fertility-awareness based methods, and sterilization procedures. Generally, the bill prohibits measures that single out and impede access to contraception and related information. However, a party may defend against a claim that a measure violates the bill's prohibitions by demonstrating, through clear and convincing evidence, that the measure significantly advances access to contraception and cannot be achieved through less restrictive means. The Department of Justice, individuals, or health care providers may bring a lawsuit to enforce this bill, and states are not immune from suits for violations.
Right to Try Clarification Act This bill specifies that investigational drugs that are provided directly to individuals from manufacturers without the need for federal regulatory approval (i.e., via the Right to Try pathway) are exempt from restrictions that would otherwise apply under the Controlled Substances Act (e.g., restrictions on the use or possession of schedule I controlled substances).
The National Park Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2022 extends and increases funding for the National Park Foundation. It amends federal law to authorize $15 million annually (up from $5 million) for the Foundation through 2030 (extending from 2023). This bill directly affects the National Park Foundation by providing a longer-term, higher level of federal appropriations for its operations. The key change is a specific funding authorization adjustment in Title 54 of the U.S. Code, with no new program requirements or policy changes.
RETURN (Repealing Excise Tax on Unalienable Rights Now) our Constitutional Rights Act of 2022 or the RETURN our Constitutional Rights Act of 2022 This bill repeals the excise taxes on firearms and ammunition and on bows and arrows. It also repeals the excise tax on transferring and making firearms under the National Firearm Act.
Elizabeth Dole Home and Community Based Services for Veterans and Caregivers Act of 2022 or the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act This bill addresses home care and caregiver programs for veterans.
Ensuring Women's Right to Reproductive Freedom Act This bill prohibits anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services. ( Abortion services includes the use of any drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies and any health care services related to an abortion, whether or not provided at the same time or on the same day.) Specifically, the bill prohibits any person acting under state law from preventing, restricting, impeding, or retaliating against health care providers who provide legal abortion services to out-of-state residents, any person or entity who helps health care providers to provide such services, any person who travels to another state to obtain such services, any person or entity who helps another person travel to another state to obtain such services, or the movement in interstate commerce of drugs that are approved to terminate pregnancies. The Department of Justice may enforce this bill through civil actions; the bill also establishes a private right of action for violations.
Access for Veterans to Records Act of 2022 This bill directs the Office of the Archivist of the United States to submit to Congress a comprehensive plan for reducing the backlog of requests for records from, and improving the efficiency and responsiveness of operations at, the National Personnel Records Center. Such plan must include an estimate of the number of backlogged record requests for veterans; target time frames to reduce the backlog; a detailed plan for using existing funds to improve technology infrastructure, including secure access to appropriate agency federal records, to prevent future backlogs; actions to improve customer service for requesters; measurable goals with respect to the comprehensive plan and metrics for tracking progress toward such goals; and strategies to prevent future record request backlogs, including backlogs caused by an event that prevents employees of the center from reporting to work in person. The office must submit updates of such plan at specified intervals.
