Protecting Charter Schools from Federal Overreach Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the Department of Education from finalizing or implementing its March 14, 2022, proposed rule (or any substantially similar rule) that revises priorities, requirements, definitions, and selection criteria for the Charter Schools Program.
Revitalizing Small and Local Businesses Act This bill establishes a competitive grant program, administered by the Economic Development Administration, for national nonprofit organizations to partner with local organizations to provide specialized technical assistance, capacity building, and related services that support small businesses and business district revitalization in low-income, rural, and minority communities.
Pistol Brace Protection Act This bill removes certain brace-equipped firearms from regulation under certain federal firearms laws. Specifically, under the bill, a pistol that that is equipped with an attachable stabilizing brace (or arm brace) that allows the pistol to be fired with one hand is not a rifle or shotgun subject to regulation (e.g., registration requirements) under the National Firearms Act.
Kleptocrat Liability for Excessive Property Transactions and Ownership Act or the KLEPTO Act This bill expands anti-money laundering reporting requirements for certain transactions involving real estate, aircraft, and other vehicles. Specifically, real estate professionals must report to the Department of the Treasury beneficial owner information (e.g., the identity of an individual behind a corporate entity) for each commercial and residential real estate transaction involving a covered entity (i.e., a nonnatural person, association, or arrangement, including any trust, partnership, foundation, corporation, limited liability company, or other public or private entity). Real estate professionals must also report suspicious transactions, establish anti-money laundering programs and due diligence policies, and develop procedures to identify beneficial owners. Additionally, Treasury must implement a state-level pilot program to design and test a digital ledger of real estate transactions. This ledger must provide real-time information and integrate with other databases that track beneficial ownership, sanctions, and other business and real estate registries. An entity must identify each beneficial owner prior to registering an aircraft. Existing registrants must submit this information not later than 180 days after the date of this bill's enactment. A business engaged in vehicle sales (including automobile, airplane, and boat sales) must report suspicious transactions, establish anti-money laundering programs and due diligence policies, and develop procedures to identify beneficial owners.
Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2022 This bill addresses freedom of association protections for college students in single-sex social organizations. Specifically, the bill gives students (or groups of students) enrolled at institutions of higher education (IHEs) the right to form or join social organizations, including single-sex social organizations. Additionally, the bill prohibits IHEs that participate in federal student-aid programs from taking adverse actions against single-sex social organizations or students who are members or prospective members of such organizations based solely on the practice of limiting membership to only individuals of one sex; taking actions that require or coerce members or prospective members of such organizations to waive protections provided under the bill, including as a condition of enrolling in the IHE; or imposing a recruitment restriction on a single-sex social organization that is not imposed upon other student organizations, unless the organization and IHE have entered into a written agreement allowing the restriction.
Rural Hospital Support Act This bill modifies and extends certain payment adjustments for rural hospitals under Medicare's inpatient prospective payment system. Specifically, the bill indexes payment adjustments for sole community hospitals and Medicare-dependent hospitals to FY2016 operating costs, if it results in higher payments for such hospitals. The bill also makes payment adjustments for Medicare-dependent hospitals and low-volume hospitals permanent (the adjustments currently expire at the end of FY2022).
Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act This bill directs the National Science Foundation (NSF) to award competitive, merit-reviewed grants to eligible entities, including through the RAPID funding mechanism, to support interdisciplinary research on the disruption of regular cognitive processes associated with both short-term and long-term COVID-19 infections, including with respect to children and adolescents. No later than 45 days after the enactment of this bill, the NSF shall enter into an agreement with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to study and produce a report on the disruption of cognitive processes associated with COVID-19 infection.
Law Enforcement Education Grant Program Act of 2022 This bill establishes a grant program through which the Department of Education may award grants to eligible students attending institutions of higher education to pursue careers in law enforcement. A grant recipient must agree to serve as a full-time law enforcement officer for at least four years within eight years after completing the grant recipient's course of study. If the grant recipient completes less than the required years of service, the scholarship must be treated as a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loan that is subject to repayment.
Small Lenders Exempt from New Data and Excessive Reporting Act or the Small LENDER Act This bill exempts certain financial institutions and transactions from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) reporting requirements with respect to data about small business credit applications. Under the bill, the requirements apply only to financial institutions that originate at least 500 credit transactions to small businesses in each of the preceding two years. The bill further defines small businesses as those with annual revenue of $1 million or less. Currently, the CFPB has proposed a rule that the requirements apply only to financial institutions that originate at least 25 annual credit transactions to small businesses in each of the preceding two years. The rule further defines small businesses as those with annual revenue of $5 million or less.
Small Business Mergers, Acquisitions, Sales, and Brokerage Simplification Act of 2021 This bill exempts from securities registration requirements certain merger-and-acquisition brokers that facilitate transfer of ownership in privately held companies with earnings or revenues under a specified threshold. However, this exemption shall not apply to certain brokers, including those that provide financing related to the transfer of ownership, engage on behalf of any party in a transaction involving specified shell companies, or are subject to suspension or revocation of registration.
Main Street Growth Act This bill allows for the registration of national venture securities exchanges for the purpose of trading the securities of certain small companies, such as startups and emerging growth companies. Individuals and existing national securities exchanges may apply to the Securities and Exchange Commission for approval to register such an exchange, or to register a listing tier within an existing exchange. The bill sets forth requirements for these venture exchanges, including required disclosures, trading limits, and trading privileges.
This resolution calls on the Biden administration and its officials to maintain the sanctions on the repressive regimes in Venezuela and Iran. The resolution also expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that American energy independence should be achieved again for the sake of U.S. national security and the security of U.S. allies; and President Biden should immediately rescind his Executive Orders that prohibit the approval of new leases on federal lands and waters, and should immediately take actions to reestablish American energy independence.
