This bill prohibits federal agencies from restricting a person's use of convertible virtual currency for their own purposes or to conduct transactions through a self-hosted wallet.
Ensuring Diversity in Community Banking Act This bill establishes and revises provisions related to minority depository institutions, community development financial institutions, and impact banks. The bill (1) expands the definition of minority depository institutions to include women-owned banks, and (2) establishes impact banks as depository institutions with total assets less than $10 billion and where a certain total dollar value of loans are extended to low-income borrowers. The bill establishes a program allowing minority depository institutions and impact banks to receive deposits from certain Department of the Treasury accounts through designated custodial entities. It also establishes the Minority Bank Deposit Program to prioritize the use of minority depository institutions to the maximum extent possible to serve the financial needs of federal departments and agencies. Federal banking agencies must issue rules allowing new minority depository institutions and impact banks three years to meet capital requirements.
Schedules That Work Act This bill provides employees with the right to request changes to their work schedules related to the number of hours they are required to work or be on call, the location of the work, the amount of notification about work schedule assignments, and fluctuations in work hours. Employers must negotiate in good faith with employees who make such requests and comply with certain work schedule notice and split shift pay requirements for retail, food service, cleaning, hospitality, or warehouse employees.
Part-Time Worker Bill of Rights Act This bill modifies various employment, leave, and pension rules with respect to part-time workers. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that employees work a minimum number of hours during the preceding 12-month period before becoming eligible for family and medical leave. The bill also sets the maximum length of service on which employers may condition the eligibility of part-time employees for a qualified pension plan (e.g., 401(k) retirement plan). Except as required by an applicable collective bargaining agreement, such service requirement may be no longer than two consecutive 12-month periods of at least 500 hours of service for part-time employees who have reached the age of 21 by the end of such period. The bill further prohibits employers of more than 15 employees from setting disparate terms of employment or working conditions for part-time employees, including with respect to compensation, notice of work hours, and promotion opportunities. Additionally, the bill requires such employers to offer available, qualified part-time employees additional work hours before hiring new employees for such hours. Among other enforcement methods, employers must maintain three years of records for offers of additional hours and employee responses to such offers. The bill also provides a private right of action for employees to enforce the nondiscrimination requirements of this bill.
Halting the Use of Narcotics Through Effective Recovery Act of 2022 or the HUNTER Act of 2022 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds to purchase (or support the purchase of) pipes, syringes, or other paraphernalia that can be used to smoke, inject, or otherwise introduce into the body any controlled substance unlawfully. This includes funds made available through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for overdose prevention, syringe services, and other harm reduction programs.
SRES 510 is a Senate resolution designating January 25, 2022, as "National Poll Worker Recruitment Day." It recognizes the vital role of poll workers in elections and encourages eligible citizens to volunteer for the 2022 elections. The resolution does not create new laws or requirements but serves as a symbolic call to action to address poll worker shortages. It directly aims to engage the public in supporting election infrastructure through voluntary service.
This resolution calls on the Senate to remove the name of Richard B. Russell from the Russell Senate Office Building and revert to the building's original name—the Old Senate Office Building.
Keep STEM Talent Act of 2022 This bill exempts certain aliens with advanced degrees in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) field from direct limitations on the number of immigrant visas granted per year. Specifically, the alien must (1) have earned a master's level or higher degree in certain STEM fields while in the United States attending an accredited higher education institution, (2) be employed (or have a job offer) in a field related to the degree and earn at least the median wage for that occupation, and (3) meet certain labor certification requirements. The bill also allows an alien seeking a nonimmigrant F-1 (student) visa to obtain an advanced STEM degree to have dual intent. Specifically, such an alien may obtain the nonimmigrant visa or change nonimmigrant status even if the alien intends to seek lawful permanent resident status. (Generally, an alien may be denied a nonimmigrant visa if the alien actually intends to seek immigrant status, unless dual intent is allowed for that type of visa.)
Employee Retention Tax Credit Reinstatement Act This bill provides for a reinstatement of the employee retention tax credit through 2021. The credit was established to compensate employers whose businesses were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for wages paid to their employees.
Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 This bill modifies and reauthorizes through FY2027 programs and activities under the Violence Against Women Act that seek to prevent and respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The bill also authorizes new programs, makes changes to federal criminal laws, and establishes new protections to promote housing stability and economic security for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.
Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act of 2022 or the EARN IT Act of 2022 This bill revises the federal framework governing the prevention of online sexual exploitation of children. The bill establishes the National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention. The commission must develop best practices for interactive computer services providers (e.g., Facebook and Twitter) to prevent, reduce, and respond to the online sexual exploitation of children. Additionally, the bill limits the liability protections of interactive computer service providers with respect to claims alleging violations of child sexual exploitation laws. The bill replaces various statutory references to child pornography and material that contains child pornography with child sexual abuse material . Finally, the bill makes changes to the reporting requirements for electronic communication service providers and remote computing service providers (providers) who report apparent instances of crimes involving the sexual exploitation of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Among the changes, the bill requires providers to report facts and circumstances sufficient to identify and locate each minor and each involved individual. The bill also increases the amount of time that providers must preserve the contents of a report.
Electric Vehicles for All Act or the EVs for All Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to provide grants to eligible entities (i.e., public housing agencies, local governments, and certain non-profit organizations) to facilitate electric vehicle sharing services operated at public housing projects.
