This resolution designates April 6, 2022, as National Assistive Technology Awareness Day. Assistive technology refers to tools, equipment, or products that help people with disabilities complete activities at school, home, or work, and in the community.
This resolution expresses the sense of the Senate that the case of Peng Shuai is directly related to broader international concerns around the freedom of speech and safety in China. The resolution expresses that the failure of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to clearly and forcefully challenge the claims of China concerning Peng's safety raises questions about the ability and willingness of the IOC to stand up for the human rights of athletes participating in the Olympic and Paralympic games in Beijing, as well as in future games. The resolution also expresses that China should (1) allow Peng to provide independent and verifiable proof of her own whereabouts and safety without retribution, (2) allow Peng to engage directly with the Women's Tennis Association and the United Nations to independently verify her safety and explain her absence from public life since making her allegation, (3) open an independent and transparent investigation into Peng's allegations against former senior Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli, (4) publicly commit to holding sexual violence abusers accountable, (5) cease all censorship of reporting and discussions of Peng's case, and (6) allow Peng to leave China if she so desires and prevent any retaliation against her family members remaining there. Finally, the resolution expresses that, by failing to clearly and forcefully challenge the Chinese Communist Party's narrative, the IOC has failed to uphold its own stated commitments with regard to respect for international conventions on protecting human rights.
American Aviator Act This bill requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide grants to certain pilot schools for flight training services for veterans. The FAA must give priority to pilot schools that (1) are accredited by the Department of Education, or (2) hold a restricted airline transport pilot letter of authorization.
No Free TRIPS Act This bill prohibits the U.S. government from negotiating or concluding any withdrawal from or modification to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement) without explicit authorization from Congress. The TRIPS Agreement is one of several international agreements that led to the creation of the World Trade Organization (WTO). In October 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several WTO members proposed a waiver of some TRIPS obligations, including obligations related to national patent laws.
Chiropractic Medicare Coverage Modernization Act of 2022 This bill expands Medicare coverage of chiropractic services to include all services provided by chiropractors, rather than only subluxation corrections through manual manipulation of the spine.
Traveler's Gun Rights Act This bill allows an individual who does not have a physical residence in a state to use the address for a private mailbox or post office box maintained by that individual for purposes of obtaining a firearm from a federally licensed dealer.
This bill requires the Department of Homeland Security to prohibit, with certain exceptions, individuals from entering the United States through a coastal or land port of entry or a Border Patrol station near a U.S. land border. This prohibition shall not apply to a (1) U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident, (2) member of the U.S. Armed Forces or the spouse and children of a member, or (3) person from a foreign country with valid travel documents arriving at a designated port of entry. This prohibition shall be in place until February 1, 2025.
This resolution designates April 16 through April 24, 2022, as National Park Week. The resolution also encourages the people of the United States and the world to responsibly visit, experience, recreate in, and support the treasured national parks of the United States.
Postal Service Reform Act of 202 2 This bill addresses the finances and operations of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). The bill requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to establish the Postal Service Health Benefits Program within the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program under which OPM may contract with carriers to offer health benefits plans for USPS employees and retirees. The bill provides for coordinated enrollment of retirees under this program and Medicare. The bill repeals the requirement that the USPS annually prepay future retirement health benefits. Additionally, the USPS may establish a program to enter into agreements with an agency of any state government, local government, or tribal government, and with other government agencies, to provide certain nonpostal products and services that reasonably contribute to the costs of the USPS and meet other specified criteria. The USPS must develop and maintain a publicly available dashboard to track service performance and must report regularly on its operations and financial condition. The Postal Regulatory Commission must annually submit to the USPS a budget of its expenses. It must also conduct a study to identify the causes and effects of postal inefficiencies relating to flats (e.g., large envelopes). The USPS Office of Inspector General shall perform oversight of the Postal Regulatory Commission.
Kenneth P. Thompson Begin Again Act This bill expands eligibility for the expungement of records related to a first-time drug possession offense. Current law permits expungement for offenders who commit the offense before age 21. This bill permits expungement for offenders who commit the offense at any age.
Real Emergencies Act This bill denies the President authority to declare a national emergency, an emergency or major disaster, or a public health emergency on the premise of climate change.
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.
