This resolution (HRES 883) is a symbolic gesture designating January 22 as "National Sanctity of Human Life Day" to recognize the value of human life at all stages. It contains statements opposing abortion and citing fetal development milestones, but the resolution itself has no legal effect or policy changes. It does not alter laws, allocate funding, or directly affect any individuals or groups. The bill solely encourages Americans to reflect on "the value of life" through a non-binding designation. As a procedural resolution, it has no binding provisions or concrete policy impact.
This resolution expresses support for the goals and ideals of Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a painful condition in which the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
More Opportunities for Veterans to Exercise Act or the MOVE Act This bill requires the General Services Administration to delegate authority to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for leasing space for preventive health fitness programs and counseling. The bill also expands the definition of preventive health services (in relation to VA health care programs) to include (1) physical activity counseling, and (2) weight management services and physical activity programs.
This resolution recognizes and promotes the importance of parental involvement in the education of children and recognizes the necessity of school choice as a tool to empower parents to choose the best educational environment for their children.
Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act This bill addresses voter registration and voting access, election integrity and security, redistricting, campaign finance, and voting rights. Specifically, the bill expands voter registration (e.g., automatic and same-day registration) and voting access (e.g., vote-by-mail and early voting). It also limits removing voters from voter rolls. Next, the bill establishes Election Day as a federal holiday. The bill establishes certain federal criminal offenses related to voting. In particular, the bill establishes a new criminal offense for conduct (or attempted conduct) to corruptly hinder, interfere with, or prevent another person from registering to vote or helping someone register to vote. Additionally, the bill sets forth provisions related to election security, including by requiring states to conduct post-election audits for federal elections. The bill outlines criteria for congressional redistricting and generally prohibits mid-decade redistricting. The bill addresses campaign finance, including by expanding the prohibition on campaign spending by foreign nationals and establishing an alternative campaign funding system for certain federal offices. Next, the bill establishes new criteria for determining which states and political subdivisions must obtain preclearance before changes to voting practices may take effect. Preclearance is the process of receiving preapproval from the Department of Justice or the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia before making legal changes that would affect voting rights. The bill also includes provisions related to federally protected activities at polling places and voting access on tribal lands.
Restore Parental and Consumer Medical Rights in the Nation's Capital Act This bill nullifies the following actions of the government of the District of Columbia: Order 2021-148 issued by the Mayor on December 22, 2021 (relating to vaccination requirements for entrance into certain indoor establishments and facilities); and the Coronavirus Immunization of School Students and Early Childhood Workers Amendment Act of 2021 (D.C. Act 24-285), enacted by the District of Columbia Council on January 12, 2022.
Coronavirus Origin Validation, Investigation, and Determination Act of 2022 or the COVID Act of 2022 This bill requires the President to impose sanctions and take other actions related to COVID-19 if certain conditions are not met. Specifically, if the President is unable to certify within 90 days of this bill's enactment that China's government has allowed a transparent international forensic investigation into the origins of COVID-19 and certain laboratories in the city of Wuhan, the President must impose visa- and property-blocking sanctions against (1) individuals with leadership positions in the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS); and (2) officials of the Chinese Communist Party, China's military, or China's State Council who were involved in concealing or restricting information about the initial COVID-19 outbreak in China. If the certification cannot be made, the President must also (1) prohibit federal funding for collaborative projects between U.S.-based researchers and CAS researchers in any academic field, and (2) prohibit U.S.-based researchers and institutions that receive federal funding from engaging in certain research on viruses with individuals or institutions based in China.
UNRWA Accountability and Transparency Act This bill makes changes to U.S. foreign policy in matters concerning the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). For purposes of this policy, the bill defines Palestinian refugee as a person who (1) resided from June 1946 to May 1948 in Mandatory Palestine (a region controlled by Britain until 1948), (2) was personally displaced as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, and (3) has not accepted citizenship or other permanent adjustment in status in another country. Furthermore, under U.S. policy, derivative refugee status may only extend to the spouse or minor child of such a Palestinian refugee. The bill withholds U.S. funding for the UNRWA unless the Department of State makes certifications concerning the UNRWA's staff, partners, and funding. Specifically, the State Department must certify that neither UNRWA staff and partners nor its funding and facilities are affiliated with terrorism or engaged in the dissemination of certain rhetoric, such as calling for the destruction of Israel or describing Israelis as occupiers or settlers . Additionally, the State Department must certify that the UNRWA is subject to comprehensive independent financial audits and is unaffiliated with any financial institutions that the United States considers to be complicit in money laundering or terror financing. The State Department must also implement a plan to encourage other countries to align their activities and efforts regarding the UNRWA with U.S. policy objectives, including the phaseout of the UNRWA by resettling Palestinian refugees outside of Israel.
This concurrent resolution calls for honoring the 236th anniversary of the enactment of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom on Religious Freedom Day, January 16, 2022. The resolution affirms that religious freedom includes the right of individuals of any faith and individuals of no faith to live, work, associate, and worship in accordance with their beliefs; all people of the United States can be unified in supporting religious freedom because it is a fundamental human right; and the American people will remain forever unshackled in matters of faith.
Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act of 2022 This bill excludes from gross income, for income tax purposes, amounts received by members of the Nurse Corps as scholarships or loan forgiveness.
Ensuring Accurate and Complete Abortion Data Reporting Act of 2022 This bill requires states, as a condition of federal payment under Medicaid for family planning services, to report certain abortion data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Currently, reporting is voluntary.) The CDC must develop standardized questions for states with respect to specified variables (e.g., maternal demographics and methods of abortion).
Masks for All Act of 2022 This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to manufacture and distribute N-95 respirator masks to every individual in the United States and to provide N-95 masks to all individuals working in health care settings in the United States that are experiencing a shortage of such masks. FEMA must provide the masks at no cost to individuals and deliver them, to the greatest extent possible, using the U.S. Postal Service. Additionally, FEMA shall designate mask pickup sites in each community and shall provide masks to each site, allocated according to population; consider new designs for masks to improve comfort, fit, and size options; and submit to Congress a strategic plan that includes monthly, measurable targets to eliminate shortages and increase domestic production of N-95 masks and to fulfill all other requirements of this bill. The President shall make use of any and all available authorities (including emergency authorities) at the disposal of the federal government to procure and domestically manufacture N-95 masks and support the domestic manufacturing of N-95 masks.
