S 475 designates the Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Gallup, New Mexico, as the "Hiroshi 'Hershey' Miyamura VA Clinic." The bill updates all official references to the facility to reflect this new name, effective upon enactment. This naming honors Hiroshi Miyamura, a Medal of Honor recipient who served in the 442nd Infantry Regiment during World War II and later operated a service station in Gallup. The change affects only the clinic's official designation and related documentation.
Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail Designation Act This act designates the trail extending approximately 3,292 miles and following the route operated by the Butterfield Overland Mail Company, known as the Ox-Bow Route, to transport mail and passengers between the eastern end points of St. Louis, Missouri, and Memphis, Tennessee, and extending westward through the states of Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, to the western end point of San Francisco, California, as the Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail. The United States shall not acquire for the trail any land or interest in land outside of the exterior boundary of any federally administered area without the consent of the owner of such land or interest in land. The Department of the Interior may not use eminent domain or condemnation in carrying out this act.
National Heritage Area Act This act establishes a National Heritage Area System. The Department of the Interior may provide technical and financial assistance to local coordinating entities to support the establishment, development, and continuity of such areas. The National Heritage Area System shall be composed of each National Heritage Area, National Heritage Corridor, National Heritage Canalway, Cultural Heritage Corridor, National Heritage Route, and National Heritage Partnership designated by Congress before or on enactment of this act; and each National Heritage Area designated by Congress after enactment of this act. A National Heritage Area shall not be considered to be a unit of the National Park System nor subject to the authorities applicable to such units. Interior may carry out or review a study to assess the suitability and feasibility of each proposed heritage area for designation as a National Heritage Area. Interior must review and certify whether the proposed area meets specified requirements, including that it has natural, historic, and cultural resources that represent distinctive aspects of the heritage of the United States. An area shall be designated as a National Heritage Area only by an act of Congress. Interior shall conduct studies to assess the suitability and feasibility of designating specified areas in Hawaii as the Kaena Point National Heritage Area and in Virginia and North Carolina as the Great Dismal Swamp National Heritage Area. The act also (1) establishes or extends specified National Heritage Areas, (2) redesignates the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership in Iowa as the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area, and (3) extends the deadline for the management plans for certain heritage areas.
Martha Wright-Reed Just and Reasonable Communications Act of 2022 This act requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to ensure that rates and charges for payphone services or other calling devices, including advanced (e.g., audio or video) communications services in correctional institutions, are just and reasonable. When promulgating regulations or otherwise implementing this act, the FCC (1) may use industry-wide average costs related to providing telephone and advanced communications services, and (2) must consider costs for safety and security measures related to providing communications services in correctional facilities.
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Congressional Gold Medal Act of 2021 This act provides for the posthumous presentation of a Congressional Gold Medal in commemoration of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. After it is awarded, the medal shall be given to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Iran Hostages Congressional Gold Medal Act This bill provides for the award of a Congressional Gold Medal to the 53 hostages of the Iran Hostage Crisis (November 4, 1979-January 21, 1981) in recognition of their bravery and endurance throughout their captivity.
Repealing Existing Substandard Provisions Encouraging Conciliation with Tribes Act or the RESPECT Act This act repeals certain provisions related to the treatment of Indians, including provisions on hostile tribes, alcohol, work requirements, penalties for truancy, and placement of youth in reform school without the consent of a parent or guardian.
Old Pascua Community Land Acquisition Act This act directs the Department of the Interior to take tribally owned lands in Pima County, Arizona, into trust for the benefit of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. Lands taken into trust shall be part of the Pascua Yaqui Reservation. The act allows gaming on the land taken into trust.
21st Century President Act This act revises the definition of immediate family for purposes of a criminal offense involving a threat to kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm on a former President or a member of the immediate family of a former President. Specifically, it replaces gender-specific references to a former President's wife and widow with the gender-neutral terms spouse and surviving spouse .
Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act of 2021 This act prohibits the exportation of Native American cultural items and archaeological resources that were illegally obtained; provides for the return of such items, including voluntary returns; and establishes and increases related criminal penalties. Specifically, the act makes it a federal crime to export, attempt to export, or otherwise transport from the United States Native American cultural items and archaeological resources without obtaining an export certification. U.S. Customs and Border Protection must detain any item requiring an export certification that does not have one. The act requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of State to each designate a liaison to facilitate and hold trainings and workshops on the voluntary return of human remains and cultural items. Additionally, Interior must refer individuals and organizations to Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to facilitate the voluntary return of human remains and cultural items; convene an interagency working group; and convene a Native working group consisting of representatives of Indian tribes and Native Hawaiian organizations to provide advice on issues concerning the return of, and illegal trade in, human remains and cultural items. The act also increases the maximum criminal penalties for violating the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. In particular, the act increases from 5 years to 10 years the maximum prison term for an individual convicted of a second or subsequent violation of selling, purchasing, using for profit, or transporting for sale or profit human remains or cultural items that were illegally obtained.
This act directs the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President pro tempore of the Senate to arrange for the posthumous award of a Congressional Gold Medal to commemorate Glen Doherty, Tyrone Woods, J. Christopher Stevens, and Sean Smith, four Americans killed in the September 11, 2012, attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. (Stevens was the U.S. Ambassador to Libya at the time, Smith was an officer in the Foreign Service, and Doherty and Woods were both government contractors and former Navy SEALs.) After the medal has been awarded, it shall be given to the Central Intelligence Agency Museum.
FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022 or the FIRE Act This act addresses the federal government's approach to wildfires. Specifically, the act requires the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to report to Congress regarding the use of relocation assistance under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act for wildfire risk. FEMA, in coordination with the National Weather Service, must study, develop recommendations for, and initiate a process for the use of forecasts and data, including information that supports Red Flag Warnings and similar weather alert and notification methods, to establish plans and actions that can be implemented prior to a wildfire event that can limit the impact, duration, or severity of the fire; and mechanisms to increase interagency collaboration to expedite the delivery of disaster assistance. The Government Accountability Office must report to Congress regarding wildfires, including the effectiveness of FEMA programs. Each state, local agency, or private mental health organization providing professional crisis counseling assistance must ensure that those providing case management services to victims of a major disaster have training to address impacts in communities and to individuals with socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. FEMA must conduct a study and develop a plan to address providing housing assistance to survivors of major disasters or emergencies when presented with challenges such as the presence of multiple families within a single household. The act allows Indian tribal governments to apply for grants for equipping, upgrading, and constructing state and local emergency operations centers.
